Always work to be done: Pioneer's Oestreich finds solace in gardening and woodworking

Business Record (Des Moines), October, 2004 by Sharon Baltes

Dean Oestreich knows that he won't always get instant results from his efforts to oversee operations at Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. By contrast, his leisure activities--gardening and woodworking--produce very immediate and tangible rewards, he said.

"In the work environment, especially at a management level, it is much less precise than it is if you're working at your garden and you can tell that the plants and flowers are doing well, or the woodworking project is something you like," said Oestreich, the president of Pioneer.

Oestreich admits that he is not one to sit idle, an attitude that can be traced back to his upbringing on his family's farm in Southwestern Minnesota, where he learned to use tools from an early age. He also recognizes the...