Employee wins first Above and Beyond award

For Donnie Cooper, customer service is second nature. An ex-dairyman and small business owner turned truck driver for MFA Agri Services in Cassville, Cooper knows what it takes to be a good employee and a good service provider for customers.

One cold morning this winter, he went above and beyond the call of duty. After delivering feed at a customer's farm, he caught something out of the corner of his eye on the way out the drive. After further investigation, he saw a calf was stuck in the mud. He rescued it, alerted the rancher and inadvertently won a fan.

"The owner was a good guy, and he'd do the same for me," said Cooper. "I really didn't think anything about it. I was just doing my job."

Paul Adams, Cassville MFA Agri Services store manager, wasn't surprised when he heard from the customer soon after. But Adams nominated him for an award anyway. "Donnie takes a personal interest in customers and has the customer's best interest at heart."

"Having been a dairyman himself, he knows what it is like to run out of feed. He tracks customer usage, then plans ahead for their needs, even plans for holidays.

"The word is out in the country about Donnie's service, and it makes it a lot easier to sell feed when they know he will take care of delivery," said Adams.

The award was presented by Dr. Alan Wessler, vice president of MFA's Feed division.