The Race Brothers Farm & Home’s Culture of Compassion

Receiving a cancer diagnosis could kick your fears into overdrive. “It’s really scary whenever somebody tells you that you have cancer,” says Sara Parkhurst. “It’s like a brick wall that hits you. You can’t even begin to fathom it.”

Eventually you’d start to realize how much your day-to-day routine is about to change. Then you’d recognize the importance of needing to talk to your employer about the possibility of missing work. All of this adds up to a frightening situation.

This scenario is all too familiar for Parkhurst, who received a colon cancer diagnosis just two weeks after starting a new job in the receiving department at Race Brothers Farm & Home Supply. “I felt horrible. I had all these doctor appointments, twice a week or even three times a week,” says Parkhurst. As a new employee, she knew that her diagnosis might not be the ideal workplace situation.

However, much to her surprise, Parkhurst was met with an unexpected level of kindness from her employer. “They were so compassionate,” she says. Telling her to take as much time off as she needed for the necessary appointments and treatment, and ensuring her that her job was secure.

This level of compassion is nothing new at Race Brothers. In 2012, JoAnn Fowler, Race Brothers employee for 33 years, received a breast cancer diagnosis. While the team was concerned about Fowler, the company felt positive because they had quality health insurance in place for employees and they knew it would help take care of Fowler’s medical care needs.

However, “through the process, we realized how short it was going to leave her financially,” says Roger DeForest, vice president of Race Brothers. DeForest and Butch LaShell, the assistant manager at the time, decided to just keep paying Fowler after she had exhausted all of her paid time off.

Fowler, Parkhurst and many other employees have received this same level of commitment from their employer. “We pay them their 40 hours, until they are able to come back to work,” says DeForest.

Race Brothers Farm & Home Supply has built a compassionate and caring culture that embraces their employees. Previous Race Brothers President Max DeForest (Roger DeForest’s father), helped to set the tone for the company culture. “Dad said, ‘All we have to do is take care of the employees. They are the ones who will take care of the customers.’ So if we keep them [the employees] happy and positive, they are going to pass it on.”

With many long-time employees across the company’s three 417-land locations, the investment has certainly paid off as the company has operated successfully for 53 years.

Now back at work, Parkhurst has a sunny outlook on her recovery and is thankful for a work family that has been by her side. “It’s the best place to work ever,” says Parkhurst. “There’s no words for how wonderful it is to be part of that crew. Truly. I’m very lucky.”