Earl A. Petznick Sr.
Phoenix - Maricopa County
Inducted in 2009
Earl Petznick, Sr. was born in Chicago. He and his family moved to Phoenix in 1948. Earl attended North High for his first year but was miserable; all his friends went to Phoenix Union High School. The following year, he switched schools, but instead of following his friends to Phoenix Union High School, he attended Phoenix Christian High School to balance his high school education.
Earl's college years were split between Westmont College in California and Grand Canyon College in Phoenix, Arizona. Grand Canyon College holds a special place in his heart because that is where he met his wife, Pat Dryer.
Earl's major was literature. He said, "I had no idea what I planned to do with a degree in literature, but I enjoyed it very much." The question could be asked: How did a young man with a degree in literature end up spending a lifetime in agriculture? This unexpected turn in Earl's journey is sure to pique your interest.
Earl married Pat Dryer in 1960 and began working for her father's Northside Hay Mill & Trading Company. Northside Hay Company is a privately held corporation founded by Olen Dryer and Harry Bonsall. It was initially incorporated in 1948 to do business in Arizona under Northside Hay Mill & Trading Company. The company's growth from its humble beginnings is truly inspiring. The company's primary function at that time was to broker hay and manufacture feed for the area's farmers, ranchers, and dairymen.
Olen Dryer has always been interested in ranching and cattle feeding and, since the company's inception, has been involved in trading and feeding cattle. The first Northside Feed Mill included several feed pens on the property, located on 5 acres of land on west Bethany Home Road, near Glendale, Arizona. As Glendale expanded, Northside was forced to seek another location for its operation. The following site was far west of all present-day population centers, located near the Agua Fria River on 107th Avenue & Olive. At the time of this move, Olen acquired 100% ownership of the Northside Hay Mill & Trading Company in a stock trade with his partner, Harry Bonsall.
In 1960, Olen sold the Northside-Olive feedlot to Spur Feeding Company and, in partnership with J.A. Sinnott, acquired Estrella Land & Cattle Company's 5,000-head capacity feedlot. This feedlot was located west of Litchfield Road on Van Buren. At that time, it was west of Goodyear, Arizona, and is currently in the middle of the city. This feedlot was renamed S&D Cattle Company. During Olen's ownership, the S&D Feedlot was expanded to 25,000 head capacity, and a grain storage facility was purchased on the railroad siding ¼ miles west of Litchfield Road on Van Buren.
In the late 1960s, Olen acquired Northside Hay Mill & Trading Company, the 4,000-head capacity Marshall Kubelsky feedlot in Laveen. At this point, Olen brought his son-in-law, Earl Petznick, in from the management of the hay brokerage division of Northside Hay Mill & Trading Company to manage the Northside-Laveen feedlot.
In 1973, Olen and J.A. Sinnott sold the S & D Cattle Company feedlot to the American Cattle Company. After selling the S & D feedlot to American Cattle Co, Olen leased the 20,000 head capacity J.G. Boswell feedlot just north of the S & D feedlot and resumed his cattle feeding there as Northside Hay Mill & Trading Company. The feed for both the Laveen and the Boswell facilities was manufactured at Laveen. Olen also built the accounting office on the grain storage site on West Van Buren in Goodyear, Arizona. In 1975, Olen had the opportunity to re-acquire the S & D feedlot from the American Cattle Company's investor group. He purchased the feedlot in Northside and vacated the Boswell lease. Olen Dryer passed away on September 7, 1979, and his son-in-law, Earl Petznick, Sr., assumed the management of the Northside Hay Company at that time.
In the fall of 1981, Southwest Beef Company, the state's primary and soon-to-be sole slaughter facility, closed its doors. Earl, realizing this would end cattle feeding operations in Arizona, worked with a group to purchase and operate this facility. In March of 1982, Northside and others commenced the operation of Sun Land Beef Co. Earl stayed active in the management of Sun Land operation until it was sold to Packerland Packaging Company in the fall of 1996. In the early 1980s, the city of Goodyear was growing around the Northside-S&D feedlot, and it was time to start thinking about moving again. In April of 1984, Earl was successful in purchasing the 25,000-head capacity Producers Livestock feedlot east of Maricopa, Arizona. The mill at this site was in total disrepair, so again, he trucked feed from the Northside-S&D feedlot to Goodyear.
In 1982, the existing mill at the Northside-Laveen feedlot was modified to manufacture high-quality hay pellets for horses. This was the start of the Sacate Pellet Mill, which has been in continuous operation since then.
In 1985, Earl sold the Northside-S&D facility to a developer. Northside would now need to build or acquire a feed mill to produce the feed for the Northside-Producers facility. In the quest for a mill, Earl discovered that a stock acquisition of Pinal Feeding Co. could be made if the transaction was completed by December 31, 1987. This discovery was made on December 13, 1987. Earl, not being one to back away from a challenge, started the negotiations the following day and was able to consummate the purchase by the deadline.
This acquisition not only provided Northside with the necessary feed mill but also an additional 30,000 head of feeding capacity. Upon completion of the Pinal purchase, Northside consolidated its total feeding operation under Pinal Feeding Co. At about this same time, the company name was officially changed from Northside Haymill and Trading Company to Northside Hay Company.
In the early 90s, upon completing college, Earl's two sons, Earl Jr. and Olen, assumed management positions within the company. Earl Jr. assumed the management of the Pinal Feeding Co., and Olen thought the management of Northside Hay Company and Sacate Pellet Mill.
In 1994, Earl acquired the note, held by Karl Eller, for the Red River feedlot, formerly owned by John Wayne. At that time, the Red River Feedlot was owned by a California Company and operated under a lease agreement with an individual from New Mexico. Earl started placing a few cattle on feed in that facility to get a better perspective of the operation. In 1997, in a foreclosure sale, an affiliated company of Northside acquired ownership of the Red River facility and entered into a lease with Pinal Feeding Co. to operate this feedlot.
In 2004, a Northside Hay Company affiliate acquired the 20,000-head capacity Benedict Feeding Co. feedlot west of Casa Grande, Arizona, and again entered into a lease with Pinal Feeding Co. to operate the feedlot at this location. Pinal Feeding Co. currently comprises three feedlots with a combined one-time capacity of 180,000+ head. The feed for all the feedlots is manufactured at the Pinal Feeding Co. mill four miles east of Maricopa, Arizona.
Northside Hay Company has continuously engaged in all forms of agricultural enterprises. They include the largest hay brokerage company in Arizona and the largest cattle-feeding operation in the state. In 2008, Pinal Feeding Co. was ranked the 8th largest cattle feeding operation in the country. The third generation is at the helm, with the fourth generation in the wings.
Affiliations
Cattle Feeders Association - President - 2 Years
Arizona State Fair - Board - 10 Years
