Leaders are learners

In a cold, wet day in Northwest Iowa, a teenage Kevin Hoogendoorn stood ankle-deep in water, scooping out feed bunks so cattle could eat.

It was miserable work.

“You’re wet, you’re cold,” he recalls. “It’s just drudgery.”

But in that moment—surrounded by cattle, responsible for their care—something shifted in him.

“I remember looking around and just seeing all these cattle standing there, looking at me,” he says. “And it kind of hit me: I love agriculture. I want to be in this industry.”

That realization set Hoogendoorn on a path that would take him from Dordt University classrooms to veterinary school, from dairy nutrition consulting to entrepreneurship—and eventually to the role he holds today as CEO of Trans Ova Genetics, a global leader in advanced reproductive technologies for livestock.

Growing up on a feedlot near Inwood, Iowa, Hoogendoorn spent his early years around cattle. By high school, he had already set his sights on becoming a large animal veterinarian.

“I looked up to our herd veterinarian,” he says. “I wanted to be like him.”

That goal led him to Dordt, where he pursued pre-veterinary coursework in animal science and biology. Like many driven students at the time, Hoogendoorn completed his prerequisites in three years and gained early admission to veterinary school—without completing a bachelor’s degree.

“Veterinary school is extraordinarily hard. It is literally like drinking from a firehose, with the amount of information and the speed. But I learned a ton—and I used much of what I learned later.”

During veterinary school, he went on ride-alongs with large animal veterinarians. “At the time, veterinarians spent more time working cattle and less time consulting and giving advice. I recall spending two weeks with a veterinary clinic, running cattle through a chute, vaccinating, and giving implants.”

He quickly realized he was more interested in strategy and consulting than hands-on, procedural work. So, he switched gears and began focusing on dairy nutrition. While still in veterinary school, Hoogendoorn went beyond his required coursework, enrolling in advanced ruminant nutrition classes typically taken by PhD students.

That decision opened the door to his first professional opportunity: working with a nutrition company serving dairy operations in Idaho. For several years, he traveled frequently between Northwest Iowa and the West, helping farmers improve feeding strategies and performance.

Hoogendoorn’s shift into leadership wasn’t planned; it emerged out of necessity.

As he worked with a growing operation, he noticed a gap. The team needed more direction and coordination; they needed someone to step in and lead.

“I went to the owners and said, ‘Somebody needs to lead and manage this group of people,’” he recalls. “And they said, ‘Why don’t you do it?’”

That moment marked a turning point for Hoogendoorn.

“I spent seven years in college and several years in the nutrition business to learn that I love people and leadership in business,” he says.

It’s a realization that would shape the rest of his career.

“I’m still in the industry I enjoy,” he says. “But I love working with people, helping them grow and succeed.”

At the same time, running his own business revealed something else.

“It can be a very lonely job,” he says. “At the end of the day, it all comes down to you.”

Despite the success of his firm, Hoogendoorn realized he worked best in a team environment.

“I like having people around me,” he says. “People to struggle with, celebrate with, grow with.”

After 10 years, he made the decision to sell the business and re-enter a larger organization.

Around that time, he took a tour of Trans Ova Genetics—a company located just miles from his home that he had never actually visited.

What he saw left a lasting impression.

“I watched how the CEO interacted with employees,” he says. “He was jumping out, opening gates, people were running up and giving him a hug.”

Hoogendoorn fell in love with Trans Ova’s culture immediately. It wasn’t just about the work—it was about how people were treated.

“I remember telling my wife, ‘If I ever go back to industry, I want it to be with a company like that.’”

Several years later, Trans Ova launched a search for a new CEO and encouraged Hoogendoorn to apply.

“It felt like God just opened the door,” he says.

In 2024, he became CEO of Trans Ova—a company at the forefront of agriculture innovation.

Trans Ova specializes in advanced reproductive technologies, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), that allow livestock producers to accelerate genetic improvement in their herds.

“What if you could make your entire herd as good as your best cows?” he says. “That’s the opportunity for farmers.”

By selecting top-performing animals and multiplying their genetics, producers can dramatically increase efficiency and productivity.

“It’s the fastest way to drive genetic gain,” he explains.

The technology builds on decades of advancement—from artificial insemination in the mid-20th century to sex-selected semen in the early 2000s, and now IVF. And the scale is striking.

“Trans Ova will produce over a million embryos this year, which will turn into calves on farms around the world," says Hoogendoorn.

The company operates multiple laboratories across the United States, along with international locations and partnerships in Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, China, Canada, and Ireland.

In his first two years as CEO, the company has grown more than 20 percent annually.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” he says.

For Hoogendoorn, leadership comes down to three core responsibilities: setting vision and values, moving big rocks out of people’s way, and coaching people.

“Vision and values are vital,” he says. “Values drive behavior, and behavior drives a company.”

At Trans Ova, those values include client satisfaction, excellence, teamwork, integrity, and balance.

“We live and breathe them every single day,” he says.

His role also involves stepping into complex challenges to remove obstacles that might otherwise stall progress. And perhaps most importantly, it involves developing people.

“When I see people grow and succeed, that’s the most amazing thing in the world to me,” he says.

Hoogendoorn recently returned to the classroom, enrolling in Dordt’s MBA program.

“Leaders are learners,” he says.

Throughout his career, he had learned business through experience—navigating legal, financial, and organizational challenges in real time. But he wanted to strengthen that foundation.

“It was a big step for me to sell my company and join a larger organization,” he says. “I felt it was just fair to do the best job possible.”

Dordt’s MBA offered structure, perspective, and practical tools he could apply immediately. Courses in global business and organizational theory proved especially valuable.

“I’ve taken frameworks from class and applied them directly to how we make decisions,” he says.

He’s also found the program’s emphasis on self-reflection particularly impactful.

“Every course asks you to evaluate your strengths, your weaknesses, and how you can improve,” he says. “That’s been really valuable.”

Balancing work, school, and family requires discipline.

“I do my MBA work from 5 to 7 a.m.,” he says. “That’s the only way to get it done.”

That commitment to growth extends beyond business strategy. For Hoogendoorn, Dordt’s Christ-centered approach to education is central to the experience.

“To freely discuss your faith—your desire to serve God and others—that’s why I chose Dordt,” he says.

In many business environments, those conversations are limited. At Dordt, they are encouraged.

“When you’re dealing with complex ethical issues, it matters,” he says. “Prayer matters. Understanding your purpose matters.”

That perspective shapes how he approaches leadership.

“Almost every leadership answer comes back to servant leadership,” he says. “If you follow Christ’s example, it will lead to the right decision.”

As Hoogendoorn nears completion of his MBA, the experience feels like a return.

“It’s full circle,” he says.

His early years at Dordt focused on science. Now, he’s engaging deeply with business, leadership, and strategy—and seeing the university in a new light.

“It’s helped me see how well-rounded it is,” he says.

The connection is also personal. Two of his sons have attended Dordt.

“That’s probably even more meaningful to me,” he says.

From feedlots to boardrooms, from veterinary clinics to global leadership, Hoogendoorn’s career has taken unexpected turns.

But one theme runs through it all.

“I like the industry,” he says. “But I love the people.”

Whether it’s farmers, employees, or colleagues, those relationships are what give the work meaning.

And in an industry focused on feeding the world, that perspective matters.

Because behind every innovation—every strategy, every breakthrough—are people.

And for Kevin Hoogendoorn, helping those people grow may be the most important work of all.