GROWMARK has appointed Rod Wells to the new position of Executive Director, Enterprise Supply Chain Optimization effective August 1. In this role, Wells will lead the overall GROWMARK supply chain organization from the various wholesale divisions through corporately-owned retail divisions and FS member cooperatives to the farm gate. Wells has 31 years of experience with GROWMARK. He most recently served …
GROWMARK Welcomes Student Interns
Forty-one college students are exploring agricultural career opportunities this summer as GROWMARK interns, and another 19 students are taking part in GROWMARK’s summer Exploring Agriculture Internship program. The interns are exposed to accounting, marketing, communications, and product and service-related activities. The group kicked off the program at the GROWMARK corporate office on Monday, May 21 and will reconvene in June …
ZimmCast 586 – CCA Institute 2018
The gavel has changed hands for the Cooperative Communicators Association. Here’s a picture of the new board with new President Chellie Phillips seated in the middle. We are at the CCA Institute 2018 in Ft. Worth, TX and today and tomorrow there will be a variety of professional improvement sessions taking place with a closing banquet and night of honors …
CCA Institute 2018
Cooperative Communicators Association president Nickie Sabo, AMPI, conducted the new member orientation at the start of this year’s CCA Institute in Fort Worth. The last time I attended this conference was in 2010 but I’m here this year as a new member so I’m learning a lot and will be collecting some interviews to help us all learn more about …
New Joint Venture Capitalizes on Precision Platform
Four leading agribusinesses, Wheat Growers, Landus Cooperative, Central Valley Ag and WinField United, are coming together in a joint venture called FieldReveal. Together they will provide ag retailers with a platform, allowing them to provide better service to growers and keep pace with new technologies. FieldReveal will offer ease in writing prescriptions for seed, fertility, and other inputs thanks to …
GROWMARK CEO Reports at Annual Meeting
The CEO for GROWMARK is Jim Spradlin. Jim took the stage at the annual meeting here in Chicago to report on how GROWMARK is maintaining a focus on its core values while adapting to changing market conditions, leadership and the importance of engaged employees, implementing a strategic plan and being mindful of environmental concerns. He told me that GROWMARK has …
Preview of GROWMARK Annual Meeting
Just prior to the start of today’s GROWMARK Annual Meeting I spoke with John Reifsteck, Chairman/President to get a preview. I’m a first time attendee, so I needed it! The theme for this year’s meeting is Execute with Excellence. John says that for GROWMARK it is not something you say or do once but it’s a habit. “We think it’s …
NCFC Honors GROWMARK Chairman
The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) has presented it prestigious Director of the Year Award to GROWMARK Chairman of the Board and President John Reifsteck. “John’s dedication and service to the GROWMARK Board over the past 24 years has been paramount to the success of our cooperative system,” said GROWMARK CEO Jim Spradlin. “He is an outstanding leader who …
Sugar Cane Growers Mourn Passing of Founder
The Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida is mourning the loss of its founder George H. Wedgworth, 88. “George left his mark on every facet of our business, Florida agriculture as a whole and the entire Glades community,” said Cooperative President and CEO Tony Contreras. “He was a great friend, mentor, a true leader and a man of the highest …
Happy National Co-op Month!
National Co-op Month has been celebrated annually in October across the United States for more than half a century and this year’s theme is “Cooperatives Build.” “The cooperative business model continues to perform strongly,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “While the model has long been one of the hallmarks of rural economies, its reach has greatly expanded to include almost …