Premier 1
Premier 1 has been providing electric fencing and electric netting, sheep and goat supplies, clippers and shearers, ear tags, poultry products and expert advice for over 40 years.
Stan Potratz and his wife Jean grew up on small Iowa farms. Their parents had gardens, chickens, pigs, cows and sheep. Stan’s father switched to “organic” in the 1950s – about 40 years before organic became popular or profitable. Stan went to school for 2 years in England. After graduation, he managed the college’s organic farm. They raised beef and dairy cattle, chickens, sheep, vegetables and soft fruit for the college’s kitchen.
In 1977, he returned to the Iowa family farm and decided to raise commercial lambs. Stan found that the excellent equipment he had used in England wasn’t available in the US so he imported enough for his own use. Word spread…soon they were supplying products nationwide and Premier 1 was born.
Now Stan’s nephew, Ben Rothe, is Premier’s CEO. Ben has an extensive background in entrepreneurship and marketing. He is no stranger to Premier or its ideals – Ben started his own company and built Premier’s first website over 20 years ago.
Premier’s livestock farm, their employees’ farms, and the ranches and farms of select customers scattered around the nation serve as Premier’s ongoing test sites. If a new product does not please this group, they don’t sell it. If a product does not continue to please this group, they cease to sell it. If they find or develop a better product in value or function, they change. Premier 1 is always searching for better solutions.
