[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 29 (Monday, February 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S349]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                RECOGNIZING GUTHRIE COUNTY QUALITY MEATS

 Ms. ERNST. Madam President, in my new position of ranking 
member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 
each week I will have the honor of recognizing an outstanding Iowa 
small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. It 
is my privilege to recognize Guthrie County Quality Meats of Guthrie 
Center, IA, as the Senate Small Business of the Week for the week of 
February 13, 2023.
  The hardship imposed on our Nation's small businesses by the COVID-19 
pandemic will be remembered for centuries. Under such times of duress, 
many business owners were forced to adapt their business model in order 
to survive. Guthrie County Quality Meats founders Brett Rowley and 
Grant Sheeder are examples of this adaptability, as they leaned upon 
their agricultural expertise and created GC Quality Meats on March 2, 
2021, in the midst of the pandemic. By the time these partners put 
their heads together to open their business, Brett had extensive 
experience in the meat packing industry, as he grew up working in his 
father's packing plant in northwest Iowa. Grant, meanwhile, grew up in 
the Guthrie County dairy industry. Grant's family began milking cows in 
1996, and a decade later, his parents built a milk-bottling facility 
where they bottled milk from 2006 to 2022. Both Grant and Brett watched 
their respective industries change during the pandemic, as consumers 
stayed away from grocery stores and other large-scale produce markets. 
Seeing this shift in the business landscape, the two men decided to 
pivot towards a home delivery service--and thus, Guthrie County Quality 
Meats was born.
  Guthrie County Quality Meats provides locally sourced meat including 
beef, pork, chicken, and lamb for retail and custom orders in Guthrie 
County and the surrounding area. From the business' inception, GC 
Quality Meats has continued to grow. They recently finalized 
construction on their new butchering facility in Guthrie Center. Since 
completing their butchering center, the facility has seen great demand 
and has been booked several weeks in advance. Clearly, Brett and Grant 
had the right idea when they decided to open Guthrie County's very own 
meat processor, as both men will acknowledge that it is a service the 
county had been needing for quite some time.
  In addition to their butchering facility, Guthrie County Quality 
Meats has added a retail site to their business. Inside their store, 
customers can find just about any meat and poultry sauce, spice, or 
seasoning they might need. Moreover, both Brett and Grant pay special 
mind to source all their meat locally and make sure that any product 
offered inside their retail space has strong Iowa ties. This includes 
locally baked pies, dried pasta, local honey, and salsa. In addition to 
the other Iowa products offered in store, ice cream from Grant's 
family's dairy, Sheeder Cloverleaf Dairy, is always readily available 
on their shelves. Even as they find new ways to grow and expand their 
meat processing venture, both Brett and Grant share the mission to 
ensure that Guthrie County Quality Meats operates as a family business.
  Needless to say, agriculture is a monumental part of Iowa's economy 
and way of life. It gives me great pleasure to see two gentlemen from 
different sides of the agricultural industry come together to 
collaborate on a solution for the meat processing needs of Guthrie 
County. Therefore, I want to commend Brett and Grant for their 
innovative vision and drive to overcome the supply chain challenges 
they faced when building their facilities, in order to bring their 
business dream to reality. Congratulations to Brett Rowley and Grant 
Sheeder and the entire team at Guthrie County Quality Meats. I look 
forward to seeing your continued growth and success in Iowa.

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