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- [00:06]
Weston Hendricks
Welcome to season three of Empower your. And I'm Weston Hendricks, the owner and host and this is my team.
- [00:11]
Augustus Sexton
Hey guys. I'm Augustus Sexton. I'm the co host and supervisor of the podcast.
- [00:17]
Quinn Hartley
And I'm Quinn Hartley, the social media manager as well as another co host of the platform. With that said, season three comes with change. Every Friday, a new episode is released with sneak peeks on our social medias out the day before.
- [00:32]
Augustus Sexton
Our goal is to be consistent, competitive and Christ like. We as a team strive for excellence in all that we do and want to gain knowledge from industry leaders and expand on trends of the industry and what they offer.
- [00:47]
Weston Hendricks
Our priority is to empower you as an individual in the livestock industry and to gain knowledge and confidence while consuming it from some of the most influential people in our industry. So, as always, enjoy the episode and here's to empowering you.
- [01:05]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Okay.
- [01:08]
Weston Hendricks
Well folks, I cannot be more excited for the opportunity that episode four gets to be. Mr. Nick Fitzsimmons. We've been wanting to do him for quite some time and I'm finally able to get him on and we appreciate him sticking with us. And I think the content that we're able to bring with this episode is going to be phenomenal. Mr. Nick is known for his ability to judge livestock, evaluate livestock as well as breed elite heifers, but also for his no name in the nutrition world being a rep for Sunglow. But with that said, I couldn't be more excited for what this has to offer. Mr. Nick, if you'd like to introduce yourself so listeners could get to know you and we'll get this thing kicked off.
- [01:55]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Absolutely, yeah. Thank you guys for having me on here and become a bit of a fan of your show here in the last few months. I had some good friends that have been on your show here as of late and so I've jumped on and listened to a few. This is one of the times a year, wherever I have quite a bit of driving time and so to have good audio to listen to as you're driving up and down the road and what you guys are doing as far as bringing the livestock world together and then also bringing your faith to it, I think is incredible. So appreciate the opportunity to jump on here with you guys. But my name is Nick Fitzsimmons, live here in Perry, Oklahoma with my wife Ashley, son Lander and daughter Lane Grace. We own and operate Fitz Genetics, kind of a multifaceted, multi breed operation here. Strive to sell good ones across all those different breeds and win as much as we can. But as much as anything, just kind of bring people together and have success be what I guess drives us, but feed off each other and make better people out of it. And so that's kind of what we strive to do. It's something we enjoy doing and we kind of raise our kids along with it, along with everybody else's kids that we say kind of have joined our village over time. So it's a good time. My day job is with Sunglo Show Feeds, which is owned by Cargill. Nutritionists for them are kind of a feed specialist is what my technical term is, more or less help people feed their livestock throughout the country and then also help with kind of dealers and distributors and the manufacturing side of it. It's pretty all inclusive, but it's something that I certainly enjoy doing as well. It feeds off of one another as far as trying to have good livestock around, but then you also got to feed them. And so the two kind of go one in the same. So that's kind of me in a nutshell. And I think we'll get more into it as we go. But again, appreciate you guys having me on.
- [03:47]
Augustus Sexton
Oh, certainly. You know, we're going to dive right into it here at this first question. I want to hear about your start in the livestock industry and specifically your start with the show cattle and that. I've heard the story before and it's pretty neat one.
- [04:02]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yeah, for sure. I would say I don't have a terribly unique, I guess, entrance into the livestock industry. Just grew up on a cattle operation in western Iowa. Obviously live now in Oklahoma, but I grew up in western Iowa. About an hour from Omaha, an hour and a half from Sioux City, kind of two hours from Des Moines, kind of just in that west central part of the state. Pretty close to Dunlap, if anybody kind of knows that part of the world. A lot of good livestock come from that area and so feel very blessed to have grown up there. And the people that were kind of around me at a young age that have molded me to what I guess I become today, but just grew up around cattle. We raised sims growing up and more on the seed stock side, we sold predominantly bulls to different kind of ranchers in that area. Then we kind of had some show calves, I guess, as we were going along. And my. My older siblings, I'm one of six, but my older siblings showed a little bit. Never really got fired up about it, but it kind of turned into. Over time, even before I could show myself, I would take care of their projects. I was ate up with it. Never really had any good ones, I would say, until kind of right there at the end. I found some good stuff and. And put it all together, but just always enjoyed it. And it was something that my parents. My dad specifically kind of handed it to us. And he helped us buy that first one. And then from then on, it was on us. Hey, hopefully you made money off that last one to buy the next one. And then so on and so forth. And he would always try to get us a heifer that we raised kind of along with that. And that was our project as well. But as you could kind of guess from that particular scenario, didn't ever have just a lot to put into my show projects. And so just put all the effort I could into it. And like I said there at the end, I had some pretty good steers and we had some success. But by and large, it was something that just more or less drove me to continue to get better. And then kind of brought me to some different guys around the area. Because I maybe wasn't winning at the level that I wanted to when I was showing. I started going and working for guys that did. And so I worked for Sullivan's. There were some really good producers, kind of club calf producers at that time in that area that I would go and clip their sail calves. There's a bunch of sales that go on kind of around Labor Day time. And then again, just became more immersed in it from that standpoint and surrounded myself with more high quality livestock and always asked as many questions as I could. And learned from those guys that I thought certainly were doing things the right way and trying to raise livestock to the best of their ability. But that's kind of how I started again, mostly from the seed stock side as far as what we had on our place. And then we always had some show calves around, but just was ate up with and really interested in the show side. You know, before we had these phones, they sent us magazines. If you guys don't know that, I know you're a little younger than I am. But I was a kid that I always knew which day the magazine would come. And I would race up to the mailbox after school got out, and I would grab that magazine and just pour over it and try to learn and study and get as much as I could out of it from that standpoint.
- [07:23]
Weston Hendricks
You talking about that and Augustus just put something in our notes that kind of correlates to it. Is that kind of what ignited your passion for the show cattle industry?
- [07:32]
Nick Fitzsimmons
I Would say, so, you know, that area right there with Sullivan's. And I could go on, probably some names that you maybe wouldn't necessarily know, but were really impactful for me, but Kirk Rocker and the McCullough family and the Healys, and there was kind of a group of guys right around there that really did a good job. And then obviously, kind of an elite level there, Sullivan's. But those were guys that you'd run into at the farm store, at the feed store, and, you know, they were kind of the heroes as a little kid and guys that I looked up to and really thought that they were doing big things, and they were. They were winning at a national level, whether it was Sullivans that were showing stuff or kind of some of these other guys that were raising them and winning at a high level. But that was something that I was keyed into and really interested in. I guess I can't really say why, other than, you know, they showed at our county fair. And whenever you're growing up and you don't know any bigger shows go on other than the county fair, that was the Mecca. And those guys would come in and win and kind of do so pretty decisively and just kind of want to be like those guys, want to have success, want to have the good ones. And then, you know, at that time, you just hear about them talking. You know, hey, we were at, you know, the National Western or Louisville or Kansas City, and those are shows at the time that, you know, I could only dream of. Unfortunately, over time, have kind of turned into stomping grounds of our own. But at the time, that was something that I was just fired up about, and I wanted to learn more about it. I know I've heard other guys talk about here on your podcast just kind of what fired you up or those people that you strove to be more like and learn from? That was kind of what I had, just from growing up in that little area. I'd say it was predominantly just from proximity, honestly.
- [09:26]
Weston Hendricks
Yes, sir. Yeah. And so talking about your passion and how you were ignited into the industry and such, what led you to start judging? And I guess a question for me, because I don't know, did you start judging in high school, and is that what led you to go collegiately to Blackhawk, or was it a different story?
- [09:46]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yeah, so that's a good story. And I don't know, you know, you don't hear maybe that side of the story as much on guys and how they picked up on livestock judging. To me, it seemed like just Another avenue to go and evaluate livestock. Honestly, I didn't know much about it whenever I was real young. But again, kind of in that area, at our county fairs, there was livestock judging contest. And so, hey, they let us go judge classes and answer in Iowa, we do predominantly questions. We don't do reasons. And so I would go and kind of just from entering myself in kind of those local county fairs, I had some success, started winning some of them, and it seemed like fun. It was something enjoyable to go do at these county fairs and kind of travel around and look at some livestock. And I feel like this is, as I get older, really a God thing. But a guy named Colby Birch moved to our area. Colby would be originally from Wyoming. His dad is kind of the historical Kelly Burch, who would have coached at Casper forever and would be a guy that's really synonymous with winning on the livestock judging side. Back in the day, Colby was his son. He was a national champion himself at Iowa State and very successful. And whenever I was, I guess, a freshman in high school, he would have moved to our area and became our local FFA chapter. And I had been going to a few of those judging contests and having some success. And he actually reached out to me directly and said, hey, my name is Colby Burch, and I just moved to Carroll, Iowa, and I am your new ag teacher, and I want you to be on our livestock judging team. And I didn't really know that was even an option through ffa, to be honest with you. I was pretty naive to that whole side of it. And he was someone that really taught me a lot and threw me in the van. We went to a lot of judging contests, had a lot of success from him and with him through those stages, but he more or less taught me the game. You know, you can go and you can place classes and you can kind of fudge it together if you know livestock decent. But to learn the actual game and kind of the ins and outs of livestock judging, he's someone that definitely taught me all of that. And we went to qualified for some national contests. We went to Kansas City and the National Western when I was on his for or his FFA judging team, and again, had quite a bit of success. So that was a lot of fun. Brought a kid from Western Iowa and a couple other goons and kind of toured the world. Got us out of our little area and showed us a lot. And so that's something I'll forever be thankful for. And him and teaching me that for sure.
- [12:35]
Augustus Sexton
So what would you say is the biggest thing that you took away or learned from your high school career, and that that really helped you as you transitioned into the junior college world.
- [12:47]
Nick Fitzsimmons
For sure. I would say I felt like I kind of understood cattle now. He taught me a lot and just kind of, I think, more or less at that age, it's when someone can portray to you what you're seeing. You know, I could stand there and tell you I like this one better than this one, but I'm not sure why. And so for him to kind of, I guess, to our entire team say, hey, you know, this one was heavier muscled, you know, something as simple as that, hopefully you know the difference, but you get what I'm saying? I thought that was helpful. I was completely naive to sheep and goats and pigs. And so he was pretty versed in that they raise incredibly high quality sheep still to this day. Birch does there in Nebraska now is where he lives. And then he also traded and showed some really good pigs along the way and just understood livestock. And so what he helped me with those other two species is something that really furthered me. And then also, as we got into high school, he started us on reasons. And so at our state contest, we give, I don't even remember three, four sets of reasons, not very many, but to kind of get us started on that was certainly helpful as well. But I think more or less just, again, the ins and outs of lifestyle judging. You can kind of say, I like this one better than this one. But to understand, you know, why a class was picked out a certain way or why you need to set up your reasons with this kind of emotional awareness over, you know, this one, over this one. Just those little intricacies is something that he taught me, and it really prepared me for when I started judging collegiately.
- [14:28]
Weston Hendricks
So let me ask you this. What led you to go to Blackhawk and what opportunities did you see going that route and even going collegiately?
- [14:40]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yeah, for sure. When Colby told me that schools will pay you to go to school there, just a livestock judge, I was blown away. Again, I was pretty naive to it all. I know you guys are laughing at me, and you have social media and your phones and everything, and you really have just the power of knowledge that maybe I didn't feel like I had back at that time, or I was just closed off to it, but he said, hey, I think you're. You're pretty good at this, and I think schools will pay you to go to livestock judge for them. And I said, hey, sign me up. I don't know where these schools are, but I'm down for it.
- [15:17]
Weston Hendricks
Let's get it on.
- [15:18]
Nick Fitzsimmons
And he, from having those. Having that exposure and judging himself, had a lot of those connections. And so I was fortunate through him, honestly, to have been recruited by what I think are some of the better JUCO schools, especially at that time. And then that region that I grew up in, kind of, if you were. If you were pretty good, you went to Blackhawk, it seemed like that kind of central, you know, Midwestern states, I state specifically, you just went to Blackhawk, and that kind of seemed like the place to go. What really sealed it for me is I went on a visit and I visited all those places, more or less, just to see what was the best fit. And I really enjoyed my time when I was at Blackhawk. But as we were leaving, you know, I was talking to the recruiter there, and they said, hey, we would love to have you. We think you'd be a great fit here. Just know that Dan Hogue doesn't really call anybody, so if this is something you're interested in, we just ask that you kind of take initiative and go ahead and apply. And it was a couple weeks later, Dan Hogue, which obviously is a coach there and, you know, just synonymous with greatness in our livestock industry, he called me and he just kind of was shooting the. I guess, and we were talking about livestock, and I just come from a show, and he said, hey, I'd really like you to come to school here. And I said, hey, I'll be there. That's all I needed to hear.
- [16:40]
Weston Hendricks
So that's awesome.
- [16:42]
Nick Fitzsimmons
That in itself kind of sealed the deal. And I had a great time at Blackhawk. Brian Arnold was my assistant coach when I was a freshman. Then we were kind of the transition year, and Jared Boyer was our assistant when I was a sophomore. And so great guys in our industry kind of highlighted by Dan Hogue. But we had a lot of fun. We learned a lot, for sure.
- [17:02]
Augustus Sexton
Yes, sir. And you talk about with Dan being your coach and that. I mean, a lot of our listeners, I'm sure, have heard about Dan, but can you explain kind of what made him such an iconic coach through his tenure as a collegiate coach?
- [17:19]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yeah, I think Dan is a great educator, and that would be the biggest thing that I would say. You know, he has those classes that he teaches there at the school, you know, an SCI101 or whatever he calls it. Entry level animal science, basically. And that in itself, it is a fun class to take and sit through and just hear his interpretation of the livestock industry. But when it comes to livestock judging, specifically his ability to break stuff down and make it easy to interpret as someone, you know, I thought I had kind of a decent grasp of livestock judging. But you get to school and there's these kids, at least at the time from Indiana that came in and seemed like they've been given reasons since they were in diapers and made me feel like I knew nothing. And so for someone that felt like when I got there I was a little more entry level, he really did a great job of breaking things down, making things easy to, to take in and learn from. And as we went to those different places to see him and how he interacted with those breeders and the level of respect that they had for him, I thought as us and young people, to see that and kind of strive for that, again, the respect factor back and forth and, and seeing the way that he broke those classes down and kind of always kept the basics in mind of just true quality livestock, whether that was on the breeding side or the market side, and kept those basics in mind, I thought that's what really made him stand out in my opinion, especially amongst, you know, some kids fresh out of high school, honestly, and his ability to then continue to push you towards being and furthering yourself as just a human being. For us, it was obviously myself, a young man, but also young women on our team. He really prepares you and positions you for what you need through the remainder of your collegiate career as well as just the remainder of your life.
- [19:21]
Augustus Sexton
Awesome.
- [19:22]
Weston Hendricks
So you went to Blackhawk, you learned, hey, schools pay me to do this and I'm pretty good at it. Right? So then you decide, hey, let's go to Texas. Best state ever. Right. And what led you to Texas? For one, why go to Tech?
- [19:40]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yeah, so that's actually a funny story in itself. When I was visiting junior colleges, I went to Coffeyville at the time and visited there. And there was a gentleman by the name of Trey Simmons and he kind of hooked me up with a group of guys in West Texas. He had just graduated from Texas Tech and he hooked me up with a group of guys from west Texas when I was a senior in high school to go down there and help them kind of through, you know, the plain view and leveling time frame of jackpot shows. And so, you know, just a wide eyed, bushy tailed kid from western Iowa who never really traveled that far south, jumped on a plane and went to what I thought at the time was middle of nowhere West Texas. You guys would probably agree it still is middle of nowhere West Texas. But I jumped off the plane there in Lubbock and started helping those guys and really opened my eyes up to what the Texas show steer scene is, honestly. And helping at those shows at those times, they were, they were both fit shows. And so it was really fun. Clipped a bunch of cattle, fed a bunch of cattle at that time, met a bunch of great people. And really in that short amount of time, I was there for a couple of weeks, fell in love with just that west Texas area and the people that live out there. I know that's something as you've had guys on here in the past, people talk about just good folks that live out there. And I would certainly agree with that wholeheartedly. And so whenever it came time to start visiting schools, whenever I was done with junior college, I visited again, kind of what I thought at the time, fortunate enough to been recruited by them, but visited those schools that were kind of the powerhouses, the schools that were successful at the time. And then when I went to tech for my, it was actually my final visit that year. I'd always gotten along really well with Ryan, but spending a little bit more kind of one on one time with him, I knew pretty quickly that that was a place that I needed to be. I was kind of growing in my faith at the time. I grew up certainly strong in my faith. But then junior college maybe can pull you away from it at times if you want me to kind of get into the deep of it. But I was growing in my faith and Ryan and I were actually talking about that when I was on my visit. We went to lunch and he just kind of Point bank asked me where I was at in my walk with my faith. And that was something that I hadn't heard on any other visits. And we really struck a friendship honestly at that time and have remained close ever since. But I love that area, honestly. I always explain to people Lubbock, Texas is kind of like your first born kid. You know, they may come out a little bumpy and. And not just the most beautiful to the world, but you love them nonetheless. And you grow to love them as you continue to progress in your relationship with your kids. And that's how I feel about Lubbock. You may drive into that town and you think it's a little dusty and dirty, but you learn to love it. And the people in that area I think is what really pulls you in. But it's a fun college town and I think some of the greatest people live there.
- [22:42]
Augustus Sexton
I certainly agree with that. Never heard that interpretation of how you foresee the town and that. But I certainly agree.
- [22:50]
Nick Fitzsimmons
There you go.
- [22:52]
Augustus Sexton
And so you then did you immediately start working for Sunglow after that and how long were you coaching?
- [22:57]
Nick Fitzsimmons
So I was fortunate enough actually as I graduated I got a job from Sunglow at that point. So I graduated on a Saturday and I started with Sunglow on a Monday. The time that I coached there at Tech was whenever I was still at school. And so Rathman asked myself and Ian Schaefer at the time as we finished up at Louisville. He called us in the next week and asked us to coach, start coaching the next team. And so I coached for a semester and it's something that I really enjoyed. But I was striving and yearning to get back to just being in the livestock industry and selling livestock and starting to judge shows. And so I actually took that job with Sunglow and then I moved actually to Oklahoma is where they moved me to and I've been with them ever since. But that's why I say whenever I help with nutrition I've kind of learned it over time and I've studied or sat down and learned from a lot of great nutritionists through Cargill and kind of put it together that way.
- [24:10]
Quinn Hartley
Big House Show Cattle is located in Iola, Texas which is your premier stop for Charolais show heifers, genetics and customer service promoting breed leading bulls like Brightside Big Game Hunter and the national champion super puncher. Braden and Nicole House have built a reputation for Charolais pedigrees that have the look and quality to win more than just their breed. BHSC is fully committed to the Junior show experience and strength drives to build and maintain the team atmosphere. Their added services entail a successful project both during and after a heifer show career. Reach out to Braden at 979-676-1450 about scheduling a herb visit and joining the house party for yourself.
- [25:05]
Weston Hendricks
So now we're in the present. You're judging multiple state shows majors especially here in Texas as well. What I would like to know is what's the biggest difference between the reasons room and being a coach and teaching them how to present rather than being in the actual ring. And so what's the best advice you could give to the youth for setting themselves up for success on the mic?
- [25:32]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Guys, I think that's a great question. One as I read through it I'll give you my two cents on it. So I probably didn't ever have the most. I don't know how you'd say it stereotypical reasons set up or voice. I always tried to have a pretty conversational style. It seemed to work pretty well for me as I was in senior college specifically, but I always thought that just kind of fit me. And so first and foremost, I would say kind of find what works best for you. I like the conversational style more or less, you know, as if we were standing, leaning on a gate out here, just talking about some calves that are standing in front of us versus kind of the. The more flowery style that maybe can come about at times. And I'm not pushing that away by any means, but that's what worked better for me. And so that was a pretty easy transition from that into judging shows. And what you hear me talking on the mic was pretty similar to how I sounded in the reasons room, I would say. And so that worked well. Again, it was an easy transition for me. But first and foremost, just try to find your sound. Find the voice that works best for you. And you'll have to professional it up a little bit. You can't just be cussing and discussing as if you were leaning on a gate, but try to just talk stock. I don't know that we need to make it any harder than that. Discuss what's in front of you, be accurate. And if you can come up with a cool phrase or two along the way, that certainly works in that set. And I'd say go ahead and add it in there, but we don't have to make it any harder than it is. It's forehead. They're standing there in front of you. And I think just to break those down and be as accurate as possible is always what I tried to key in on. And as I've helped with teams again there at Tech, and then as I have judging teams stop here throughout the year, that's something that I really enjoy. I miss coaching and I miss the livestock judging kind of circles at times. And so I get my fix by letting teams come in here and listening to reasons and trying to help from that standpoint. But that's something I always try to help those teams or kind of give my 2 cents on is just be as accurate as you can. Just talk to stock that are in front of you. And if you come up with a good phrase, certainly never against it, but make sure that it's applicable. And I think as much as anything, and as you get kind of on this side of it, it's most refreshing when people just talk the livestock for what they actually are. And so that Would be the biggest thing as you guys are. Are working your way in. I know one of you is at Blend. Correct. And the other is soon to be at blend. Is kind of how I interpret it.
- [28:09]
Augustus Sexton
Or considering.
- [28:10]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Okay, considering.
- [28:12]
Augustus Sexton
Yes.
- [28:12]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yep. There you go. That would be what I would urge you to do is just try to key in on accuracy as much as possible. Just talk the stock. It's nothing harder than that.
- [28:24]
Weston Hendricks
That's the most refreshing thing I've heard, I think, in a while.
- [28:29]
Nick Fitzsimmons
It's the truth. Yep.
- [28:33]
Augustus Sexton
So now we want to transition. Start talking about your operation and that. And kind of what genetics did you dive into? And has that changed any to where you're at now?
- [28:44]
Nick Fitzsimmons
For sure, yeah. That's a good question. I always tell people we just like having good ones around. And it initially stemmed from. My wife grew up on a Hereford ranch in Wyoming. And so Hereford's kind of always been around here. And then again, I grew up on the sim side there in Iowa. And so that's kind of our. Our passions as we grew up as me on the Sims and my wife and the Herefords. And so obviously, that's something that we've always tried to have good ones standing around and propagate that as much as we can. But, you know, along with that, always been exposed to just good keys and mains. And, you know, it seems like there's always, you know, some randomness around. This year we had a limousine. We've had some red Angus. We've really tried to key in on Angus around here. We've had some charolaise. And so if they're good and we think that they are just quality livestock that can go out there and be successful for that exhibitor. They will be standing here if I have anything to do about it. But as far as raising them, what we've really keyed in on over the years is Hereford's Simon Tall's mains and keys. And that's something that we continue to work on. What we're very fortunate with is different breeders throughout the country that have trusted us to then sell their livestock. And so those kind of cooperator herds, if you will, that I'll go multiple times throughout the year and look through their calves. And then as I get there, kind of in that August timeframe, I'll go up there and sort through stuff. And I'll bring their best of the best down and add it to our best of the best. And it's really help us offer the most elite set possible year in and year out. And fortunately, then that's turned into success in the ring and success for our. Our different customers whenever they get them back home after they're done showing. And those cattle are really starting to produce champions themselves. So it's been fun to see the progression from start to finish and how those genetics have really keyed in there. I think great cows is always going to be what produces great cows. And so that's what we try to have as much of around here as possible.
- [31:00]
Weston Hendricks
Yes, sir. And so just talking about you wanting to help families find success, how did you. This is more so like a marketing question, but how did you build your names operation and then, you know, then building it. You're gaining attraction. What's the advice you can say to gain family's trust and then for so succeeding?
- [31:26]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yeah, for sure. So I will say first and foremost, my wife is a classically trained marketer. And so that's been very helpful having her on the team and her kind of teeing up all of our marketing strategies along the way. I certainly won't minimize that whatsoever. As far as, you know, gaining trust from a family, I think people can pick up on your motives and what you are trying to do, whether it's what you're saying out loud or not. And so more or less, we just try to have good people around at all times and try to be as helpful as possible. And I think that if you do that time in and time out, then good people will hopefully show up. And so I would say we certainly try to prioritize, again, having good people and good livestock around. And along with that, then good families have showed up, and we've gotten to work with some of the best in the business just by doing that. But I think to say here is our strategy to have people trust us is maybe a little more backwards. You need to do what's right for your operation. You need to have the right people in place on your team team to have, you know, the most success possible. And then hopefully then those people and those families that you need to have to then show your livestock will show up. And over time they have here. And so that's been the most fun. You know, we say here takes a village and our village has turned into a family over time. Those families that have trusted us with their kids, with their livestock and try to get the most out of them again have become our family. And so it's exciting. We've been doing it long enough now that those kids are starting to age out, get a little older. They're going on and doing Big things in their lives. So it's a fun progression to see as you watch along with these families and then, you know, along with that, those cow families that then we've instilled in those different guys operations.
- [33:36]
Augustus Sexton
And so how have you sold your cattle? Do you like to do online sales, live sales? Do you like to have phone bid offs?
- [33:45]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yep. So good question. You guys must have done a little bit of your research here. We did at the start, we did some phone bid offs and those are great platforms. You get a lot of eyes on your livestock and it is a wonderful way to merchandise your stock. My way that I grew up there in western Iowa, there was a lot of phone bid offs and maybe that's something that not everybody knows about, but it's kind of an old school way of trading livestock. What it's done for us is it's allowed us to have more one on one conversations with the families that are buying them. And so you kind of more or less put your initial bid in and then from there on the bidding process goes through me. And so I would call you and say, hey, you're in on tag 4. Got in at this amount and now you're at this amount. Do you have any questions or do you want to hit her again? Do you want to continue on? And what that has allowed us to do by having our sales in a phone bid off format is make sure everybody gets the calf that they need that fits their goals and fits their operation. And so that's been really helpful. I think it allows people to again ask those questions that make them feel more comfortable in the buying process. And so that's how we've been doing it here for, you know, five, six years now. And then in addition to that now, and this will be our third year coming up in December, we do have a live sale. Our second sale of the year is live here at our place. Along with Willie Weiss, we sell about 30 to 40 head of again, show heifers. And it's for the most part our younger cut of heifers. Not leftovers by any means. It's basically the younger sisters of all the stuff we sold in October, we sell then in December. And again, that's a live format, a live auction that's hosted by innovation. Jared Shipman comes in here, a really fun night. We get to feed everybody and trade some good livestock again, but it's been fun doing that with Willie. And so maybe we're a little outside the norm, but we do not have an online sale. Our first one again is a phone bit off. And our second one is a sure enough live auction. But that's how we like to do it. It's a lot of fun and it's worked well for us. For us.
- [36:11]
Weston Hendricks
Just something that had popped up in my head as you were talking. How important is it to build connections with other elite breeders and then collaborating to grow?
- [36:25]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yeah, I think it's ultimately very important, you know, if. If guys don't want to work with you or do stuff with you, that maybe tells you something. And so it's been fun. We trade some livestock back and forth with guys throughout the country. And again, we get stuff from some of those best breeders out there, in my opinion. And then having that sale with Willie, you know, selling stuff to different guys, we go out and buy heifers from them and back and forth. But I think if you're not rubbing elbows with those guys that are out there and successful and doing what you're trying to do, you're not continually getting better, you know, in anything. Iron sharpens iron. And so I think too have those conversations with those guys and trade respect back and forth and learn from them. I think it's certainly important and something that I've tried to do, I guess, from a young age, you know, as we kind of turn all the way back around and talk about me just trying to learn from those guys as I was a little kid, probably never really shut that off. Someone that asked questions to those guys that I really respect and I'm nothing else, just kind of always watching and trying to pick up on things and make our operation continually grow and get better over time.
- [37:44]
Augustus Sexton
Yes, sir. So kind of going back to your cowherd and that you've obviously had lots of very successful cows in that. But what. How do you define a donor female? What traits does it take? Is it just the best cow, like she's a donor? You seeking for certain traits in those cows? Okay, we need that one to be our donor.
- [38:07]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yeah. I would say if anybody hangs around with me for. For too terrible long, they'll know that I like livestock that are hard to make. And so that's something that I think as we add cows to our operation and ones that have really stood out for us, that have done a great job for us, they are cows that bring hard to make pieces to the table. And I think ones that then have those outlying kind of, you know, appearance about them, then those are the ones that are the most fun to breed on. They kind of seem like they work to everything. They're Ones that consistently hit. And so I think that's something that everybody has to sit down and decide what their operation is the most important, I would tell you ours. And what we constantly are trying to do is just make the most elite head of livestock that we possibly can. And that comes down to, you know, ones and twos. We're not maybe trying to make a thousand of them that are good, we're trying to make those handful that are great. And so that's why we constantly try to have the most unique and out there looking stuff stand around here for us. And then same goes for those guys that we go and get cattle from throughout the year. Those are guys that are pushing the envelope and trying to have those hard to make one stand around. Because at the end of the day, this show cattle game and just show game in general is so competitive. And as you see these cattle at the top of these different shows, they have all the basics covered and I don't want to brush over that like that's not important. They are functional, they are sound, they are easy keeping. All those things certainly have to be kind of boxes that are checked, but then they push the envelope and they have wild pieces that are hard to put together. And I think those are the kind that we continually try to have standing around here, both in the cows that we've acquired over time, but then also in the heifers that we trade throughout the year.
- [40:09]
Augustus Sexton
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- [40:37]
Weston Hendricks
Yeah. And so now what I want to focus on is obviously your day work is with Sunglow.
- [40:46]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yep.
- [40:47]
Weston Hendricks
What, what, what do their supplements offer to the industry, for one. And then what do you think makes Sunglow stand out? Why should people believe in the products? Why do you believe in the products? Therefore?
- [41:00]
Nick Fitzsimmons
So absolutely no. Good question. I would say Sunglow, in my opinion, is time tested. And so as you kind of to give you a quick 22nd history on the cattle side, specifically, Sunglow comes from the old showmaster days. And so if you kind of talk to those people that have fed cattle for a while, that was a cattle feed that was certainly synonymous with winning and very much so. In the south, in Texas specifically. And so it's a feed that's worked for a very long time. And I think one of those pieces that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And it's something that still works. I can tell you firsthand it works here at our place. And so as far as just the base feeds, I think they're, they're time tested and worked for a lot of people in a lot of different scenarios and continue to work today. The supplements is something that I would say we probably hang our hat on as much as anything. You know, we do a lot of trials. We have some people from the nutrition side that have a lot more degrees than I do, as you guys touched on there earlier, that put a lot of time and effort into these supplements and kind of helping us guys that are in the field with our cowboy math put these things together. And so we have supplements that in my opinion are industry leading as far as creating those results at the highest level. And so again, kind of talking a bit more to cattle here. We have two Optiflex products in Explosion and Man up that I think work as well as anything in the industry. And honestly, any more are two of your only options from the show side as far as an Optiflex product. In my opinion, some of our fat sources are those that are the most efficient and how they lay down in the way that show people really want them to. As far as the right kind of handle and firmness in terms of their touch and cover, you know, as you go down the line. Our fill products are ones that to me really propagate a good appetite, but then also come with the right kind of fill, whether that's up high, you know, three dimensional fill in terms of full body or down low in terms of to the fullest. But I don't know, I guess necessarily need to go into each and every one of these supplements, but they're ones that I think as you sit down and you say, hey, we need this change, we need our animal to do this, uh, we feel like we cover the bases as far as having a supplement that can do that and do it very effectively.
- [43:33]
Augustus Sexton
Absolutely. Certainly a very prestigious line of a feed that you'll have.
- [43:41]
Weston Hendricks
All right, next, so what I'd like to ask next is your sales rep, an entrepreneur and so forth. What have you learned? The values of customer service are knowing what you're selling and how to sell it. Big picture, like, what advice can you give when it comes to selling a product and how to I mean, again, gain people's trust for feeding these products, no doubt.
- [44:10]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yeah. I think as much as anything when it comes to being a salesperson, I guess, if you will. And what I've learned over time is I think if you just go out there and you are a person that cares about folks, I know that's not really directly what you're asking, but if you care about people and you try to do what's best for them and you try to help them through those different scenarios, that, to me, is the easiest way to sell something. And so if someone calls me and says, hey, you know, I got a problem here, My pig won't eat, or my calf needs more shape, or, you know, whatever lambs do, you know, hey, we have this problem and we need your help. And so to help them through that different scenario and truly trying to do what's best for their project and do what's best for them, because at the end of the day, you know, little Timmy is still holding on to that sheep. That's what they actually care about, is having the greatest experience with their kid as they're in the show ring. And so to help that head of livestock is helping their kid and then helping the experience. And so to me, always trying to keep that in mind and making sure that that person gets what they need and you can help them out of that scenario is how I've tried to be the best salesperson for Sunglow. And that comes back around to selling livestock, too. If someone comes here and says, hey, you know, we want to take a step in the right direction. We'd like to win our breed at our county show, or we want to take a shot at trying to win, you know, the main on Jews at Cattleman's Congress, whatever your goal is, I'm going to try to help you towards that goal. But I've probably never been the jam it down your throat salesman. If you pull in the driveway. I'm not a great used car salesman as far as, hey, buy this, buy this, buy this. I want to know how I can help you. And that's probably helped me as much as anything over time, become a good salesman, if you will.
- [46:15]
Weston Hendricks
And so one thing like, so instead of. I mean, I feel like more than this just being an interview, it's a conversational. And so my hope is we end up finding more people that have the mindset like you. And many of my mentors have that same mindset. But it's not just, hey, this is what we want to do. This is our hobby. We're going to sell cattle, we're going to make money off of it. It's more. So how can I help your future? How can I help you be a better person? How can I help you achieve success within your passions and goals? And that's my hope for the industry as a whole and more people that I'd love to find and talk to for sure.
- [46:56]
Nick Fitzsimmons
And I would tell you both that I think we have some overlapping people that we've come in contact with over time, and I would agree with you on those folks that you've surrounded yourselves with. And I think that there are plenty of guys like that in our industry that are always just trying to keep. Keep helping people and trying to make sure that they are getting the most out of what they're getting as far as a product from each and every one of those guys.
- [47:21]
Weston Hendricks
Yes, sir.
- [47:24]
Augustus Sexton
All right, now I just want to moving to wrapping this up. We want to hear what's your favorite quote or Bible verse or something that you like to tell yourself every day to fire you up?
- [47:35]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Yeah. So as I listened to that first episode that I heard from you guys, this is where I really got fired up about your podcast, honestly. And so I think for you guys to be passionate about the livestock industry and then unwavering in your faith and showing that on here is so cool. And so as much as anything, I appreciate you guys having me on here and talking about this, but the one that's been sticking out to me lately, and I probably go through seasons life as much as anything where a, a Bible verse really sticks with me, and I probably have some that I've always fallen back on, but the one right now, and kind of in sales season because it can be a little stressful at times, is Philippians 4, 6 through 7, it says, don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all that he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. I think we can all kind of apply that wherever you are in life. But if you get in a stressful situation, don't worry about it. Just pray about it.
- [48:47]
Weston Hendricks
Yes, sir.
- [48:49]
Augustus Sexton
Amen to that for sure.
- [48:51]
Weston Hendricks
One thing I'd like to ask you before I ask, I guess the last question of the episode is something that comes personal to me, but probably more people my age going through this phase of life of I just moved out of the house that I've lived in forever and Now I'm by myself and figuring this thing out. How could we as a whole stay in contact with the good Lord and instead of being just competitive and having per se, an ego or pride or whatever it is, but more so, like I had said in Brandon Callis's episode, be competitive and Christ like for sure.
- [49:37]
Nick Fitzsimmons
And if that was easy, I think that we would all have the answer to it. But I would say as much as anything to continually surround yourself with those people that are trying to do the same thing. And what I've seen in our industry and something that I'm really proud of is in the last 10 years, people coming out and talking more about their faith. And not that anybody had ever hidden it, but I think it's something that people are proud of and they want to talk about. You know, life can be tough at times and to have the faith and to have Jesus and be able to fall back on that, I think really makes you a lot stronger human being as you move through life and so find like minded people that also think that. And so I don't know that anything in the, the livestock industry per se is antagonistic against faith by any means. And so I think to take those two pieces and mold them together and make them one is something that I would urge every young person to do. You know, it's cool to have a relationship with Christ, I will say that. And it's something that I firmly believe. We actually have a Bible study. Kind of a group of guys, similarly to me in the livestock industry as far as age and kind of where they're at and you know, their life, little kids early in marriage, we have a group text. And then through different parts of the year, whenever we're not quite so busy, we have a Bible study. And that's something that I've really been proud of that we've been able to grow over time. Some guys that I think you would look up to that judge, a lot of shows are on there and we're talking about just our daily life and our daily walk in Christ. And so just knowing that those guys are out there and I think are willing to share and talk about their faith in itself is very encouraging to me. And I know that you guys will see more of that and you will draw that in based off of this podcast and you guys being proud of your faith and continuing your walk in Christ, I think that in itself you will surround yourself with the right kind of people. And so that's something I'm very fired up for you guys to see. As you continue in your collegiate career and then continue on your life.
- [51:58]
Weston Hendricks
And I appreciate that and all of your honesty. And really, truly, I had expected this episode to be fulfilling in faith and talk of the good Lord, but not as in depth as we've gone. And that's something that I'm just fired up about for everybody to hear. But to give you the last question, it's something that obviously you've heard, and everybody is like, that's my favorite question of the episode. Like, let's get it out. And so, Mr. Fitzsimmons, what empowers you as a person, caretaker, operator, customer, to be better than who you were before?
- [52:41]
Nick Fitzsimmons
That is the question of the night. Right? I mean, that is the empower you.
- [52:45]
Weston Hendricks
It is.
- [52:47]
Nick Fitzsimmons
I think it's great. And I heard that on the last podcast that I listened to with Brandon Callis, which a guy that I really look up to. I think he's the man. So nice job getting him on here. But as you asked him that question, I probably thought about, because we had been texting, how I would answer that. And to me, it kind of always comes back to the people in my life. And that's really the driver for me, my beautiful wife that I love, my two kids, the people that surround me on a daily basis and pour into our operation. They are the folks that empower me to continue to get better every single day. Obviously, our customers that entrusted us to kind of continue and help them over time. The people, I guess, is what I always come back to, is what really empowers me to continue to get better and strive to be the best person that I can be day in and day out.
- [53:44]
Weston Hendricks
That's awesome. Very wise words. Ranch House Designs is America's rural marketing hub. They're a proud sponsor of EmpowerU's new and improved website. We couldn't be more grateful for their efforts in helping us build a brand. But with that said, they can do the same for you. Creating and backing some of the biggest brands and websites in the industry. Trust the process and Visit them@ranchhousedesigns.com.
- [54:11]
Augustus Sexton
Well, as I'm sure you know, like to round these episodes up with the scripture. This episode's verse is Jeremiah 17:10. It says, I the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind to reward each person according to their conduct, according to their deeds, their what they deserve.
- [54:33]
Nick Fitzsimmons
It's good stuff for sure.
- [54:36]
Weston Hendricks
Well, all right. Well, Nick, I couldn't be happier that we were able to get you on Phenomenal episode. I arguably could say it's probably one of my favorites now. And so with that said, we just appreciate everything that you've done for the people that are in your life that are connected with you. But more so being on this episode, sharing your story and giving out advice that's helped you succeed in your path. And so with that said, this is empowering you with Mr. Nick Fitzsimmons. Thank you for tuning in.
- [55:13]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Thanks guys. Appreciate it.
- [55:15]
Augustus Sexton
Yes sir. Thank you for your time.
- [55:23]
Quinn Hartley
Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @empowerupod episode sneak peeks and merchandise updates.
- [55:32]
Augustus Sexton
But also go take a look at our new website, empowerupod.com where you'll find our team's story, sponsor updates and much more. Once again, we just want to thank you all for tuning in. And please follow us on Spotify or Apple Podcast and leave a five star rating. If you like what you hear, have a blessed day.
- [55:53]
Nick Fitzsimmons
Sa.