Protector, defender of the brand
If CAB had a Batman, it’d be Amanda Barstow.
Work doesn’t require she travel the world. Speaking engagements aren’t really her thing.
She’s modest, unassuming; pictures are few, but perhaps of most value to our industry: she’s good at what she does.
Amanda’s job can be difficult to pinpoint. Ask her what a typical day is like and she’ll laugh and say “it depends which day.”
Unprecedented, there’s no “in a nutshell” to share. Nobody to follow, no one to benchmark; she’s a master of learning by doing.
“There are no other branded beef programs that monitor the use of their marks and their product tracking the way Certified Angus Beef does,” she says. After all, “the trademark doesn’t matter or stand for anything if it’s not being regulated.”
As Director of Legal Affairs her team’s goal is to protect the brand and its partners from both purposeful and negligent ill intent. Simplified, it’s her responsibility to ensure the brand is never copied, never misrepresented, that its integrity remains intact.
Easier said than done. That is until you meet her army.
Angus producers, community members, family, licensees – together they form a group of voluntary enforcers who are willing to work and initiate on behalf of the beef they love.
“There’s just this awareness of what to expect and when they see something that isn’t meeting their expectations, they’ll notify us,” she says. “They get excited to police the brand.”
By protecting the brand and making sure it stands for the high-quality product it’s meant to represent, Amanda says it sets a solid target for producers.
“It makes all the effort they go through, the extra time, care, selection of genetics and hard work worth something. The same promise our producers keep every day as they raise quality cattle, we promise to carry on to the consumer.”
A college senior, with a dream of ending up in HR, a young Amanda took a job with CAB after seeing an ad for beef.
“I quit my job and I started looking for jobs because my motivation was that I didn’t have one,” she says with a laugh.
Eighteen years later, she couldn’t be happier in the career she never knew existed. One day she may act as attorney, the next, manager, and so on. It’s planning, strategizing and reviewing. Then comes time to engage, educate.
“Other than the culture, the company, it’s that the brand is really what we say it is and we really do what we say we’re doing and that I get to make sure that’s all true.”
That’s what keeps her coming back each day.
She’s seen it all. From semi trailers with our logo plastered along the sides to other countries looking to use the brand’s name, “most times,” she says, “it’s just a lack of understanding.”
A secret weapon of sorts, Amanda protects from the inside. Ranchers and restaurateurs alike can rest assured knowing their hard work rests in a set of watchful eyes.
Thanks for allowing me to tell your story,
Laura
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Miss the first days of our series? Catch up here:
- Introduction: Nice to Meat Ya
- Day 1: Ashley Pado
- Day 2: Scott Redden
- Day 3: Jesse Stucky
- Day 4: Bridget Wasser