Member Profile: Pamela Ryan, Stonebridge Ltd.

Pamela Ryan grew up in a musical family, which led her to pursue a degree in music education. However, after graduating from the University of Iowa, Ryan found an opportunity to work for Stonebridge Ltd. when a position opened. From then on, Ryan has found her career not in music, but in the soybean industry.

Growing up on a farm, Ryan always enjoyed spending time with the animals and getting lost in the corn fields. While her father drove truck, Ryan would accompany him every once in a while so that he could show her the ropes.

“I got to see the process of going someplace, picking it up, and going someplace else to drop it off,” said Ryan. “I always found it really fascinating.”

Ryan started out doing foreign documentation for Stonebridge but has found her way up the chain and now is the operations manager where she oversees export logistics, making sure that they have all the information to get the containers to their customers. Ryan also manages the IT department.

“With my auditor and organizational mind, it was a good fit,” said Ryan. “It’s been a very exciting journey.”

Ryan heard about SSGA when they first started. She felt that SSGA’s values aligned with Stonebridge’s and wanted to become a part of that mission.

“We wanted to make sure that we both supported and had the support of an organization that knows our story,” said Ryan. “They know what we were trying to promote to our customers.”

Soon after joining, Ryan was put onto the competitive shipping action team. With her combined knowledge of the shipping industry and her willingness to make a difference, she was the perfect fit. On the committee, the team talks about topics like vessel schedules and difficulties getting containers, among a variety of other topics.

“These were frustrations we (Stonebridge) dealt with every day,” said Ryan, who now chairs the committee. “I just thought that it was a good opportunity for me to, instead of complaining about it, see if we can find some solutions and find some answers.”

Ryan says that the committee is always interested in what the Federal Maritime Commission is doing to make global shipping and freight easier for exporters and how they support the work that the committee does. Currently, the committee is learning about a proposal to improve the rail system in the Chicago area, which would help container freights pass through the hub more efficiently.

“It’s a long process, but I think that will be exciting to see,” said Ryan.

Ryan has enjoyed her time on the committee working on improving the shipping process for soybean growers. She said her one bit of advice for soybean growers interested in the specialty market would be to join SSGA.

“SSGA supports anything that has to do with that quality grower,” said Ryan. “If you want an organization that gets what you do, wants to help you succeed, wants to help give you resources, that’s what SSGA is.”