Nov 9, 2010

Announcing Frank Barron FS PARTNERS Division Manager

Frank Barron has been named the Division Manager of FS PARTNERS, a division of GROWMARK Inc., effective November 1, 2010.

Frank brings a wealth of experience to his new leadership role with FS PARTNERS. He was employed 11 years by Hudson Bay Company. Through its management development program, he worked his way up to managing all facets of large retail stores. In 1991, he entered the co-operative system as consumer manager for United Co-operatives of Ontario; and the following year, he joined Simcoe District Co-operative Services, serving as chief operating office/director of sales and marketing. In 2005, Frank joined the staff of FS PARTNERS, where he served as area manager. Additionally in 2008, Frank was awarded a master of business administration degree from the University of Guelph.

Frank and his wife Susanne reside in Coldwater, Ont., and are the proud parents of Brittany and Aynsley, both college students.

Nov 5, 2010

GROWMARK announces new Chief Executive Officer

The GROWMARK, Inc. Board of Directors announced this week that Jeff Solberg has been named CEO of GROWMARK effective Jan. 3, 2011. Solberg will follow current CEO Bill Davisson, who has announced his retirement for the same date.

Jeff Solberg is a 1974 business administration graduate of Illinois Wesleyan and received a master's of business administration degree from the University of Illinois in 1976. He has held the positions of financial analyst, cash manager, assistant treasurer, treasurer, vice president of finance, and senior vice president of finance for GROWMARK. Solberg is past president and chairman of the Institute for Cooperative Finance Officers, served on the board of directors for Citizens Savings Bank, and is a 2010 inductee into the Bloomington (Ill.) High School District 87 Hall of Fame.

GROWMARK is a $6 billion organization experiencing a period of significant growth. Selecting a chief executive is among the most important and impactful actions we are charged with taking, says Dan Kelley, chairman of the board and president. “Jeff has the skills, knowledge, experience and support to lead GROWMARK successfully into the future. The Board of Directors has great confidence in him and in the depth of talented employees throughout the GROWMARK System.”

To watch a video of Dan Kelley, GROWMARK Chairman of the Board and President speaking with GROWMARK CEO-Elect Jeff Solberg, click on http://bit.ly/c5BRJl

Nov 4, 2010

First FAST STOP gas station opens in Ontario

Just under 6,000 litres were pumped into the gas tanks of more than 100 vehicles that lined up to take advantage of the opportunity to get gas at a lower price and celebrate the opening of the first FAST STOP® fueling station in Canada in Welland, Ontario on Oct. 29.

An official ribbon cutting ceremony took place at 2:30 p.m. and a $1,500 donation to the Welland Hospital Foundation was made during the opening ceremonies through equal contributions from
FS PARTNERS, UPI Energy LP and Melna’s Service Centre. Local, federal and provincial government leaders showed support by coming out to say a few words and congratulate Nick Melna of Melna’s Service Centre on his new FAST STOP fueling station. After the ribbon was cut, gas prices were reduced for three hours.

“Not only did we have a great deal on gas, but customers also knew that a portion of the day’s sales were being donated to the Welland Hospital Foundation, so there was even more incentive for people to come out and fill up their tanks,” says Andrew Troyer, director of Energy for FS PARTNERS.

Designed for people on the run, the remotely-monitored fueling station was developed and implemented in 2007 by FS PARTNERS, a division of GROWMARK. Consumers can purchase fuel 24 hours a day, seven days a week paying with VISA, MasterCard, Interac, and FS Fuel cards. The FS Fuel card allows consumers to be part of a network of FS branded fueling sites across Ontario offering 24 hour convenience with just one card. The Welland station offers clear diesel fuel and environmentally friendlier ethanol blended fuels.

Local government officials commended Melna on his vision to go with the self-serve remotely monitored system that this FAST STOP offers. Melna said that the self-serve feature gives him more freedom to focus on his service centre customers but also provide a place for local residents to purchase gas easily.

“Being open 24 hours non-stop and convenient location will make life easier for a lot of people who used to drive quite a distance to get gas.” Melna was born and raised in Welland and has owned and operated Melna’s Service Centre since 1999.

In the United States, GROWMARK supports a network of more than 300 FAST STOP branded outlets.

From (L-R): Roman Groch, Board President, Welland Hospital Foundation; Andrew Troyer, Director of Energy, FS PARTNERS; Councillor Jim Larouche, Ward 6 Welland; Malcolm Allen, MP Welland; Nick and Sandy Melna, Melna's Service Centre; Peter Kormos, MPP Welland; Claude Gauthier, Ontario Region Manager, GROWMARK, Inc.; John Canjar, Director, Energy Marketing, Training & Development, UPI Energy LP; Emile Faddoul, Energy Logistics Co-ordinator, FS PARTNERS











Nov 3, 2010

Sunderland Co-operative announces new general manager

The board of directors of Sunderland Co-operative Inc. has named Blain Thompson as the company’s new general manager, effective December 1, 2010. He will succeed Clare Hayes, who has announced his retirement.

Blain has been associated with Sunderland since 1983, working 15 years in the agronomy, feed and fuel businesses. He was hired in 1998 as a full-time petroleum driver. Since 2003, he has served as the company’s petroleum manager.

Blain has been a firefighter for Brock Township since 1993, and has held the rank of Captain since 2007. He is a lifelong resident of Sunderland, active in his church and community. He and his wife Terri-Lynn are parents of two boys, ages 14 and 16.

Nov 2, 2010

FS System general manager receives Ontario Co-operative Spirit Award

During Co-op week in October, the Ontario Co-operative Association Conference and Gala unfolded with an eventful evening banquet revealing this year’s Spirit Award winners.

Among this year’s seven winners was Sunderland Co-operative General Manager Clare Hayes who was honoured with the Distinguished Co-operator Award.

Hayes began his career at Sunderland Co-operative in 1968. In 1980 he was promoted to assistant manager. During this time, Clare’s vision for the future started to unfold. He was instrumental in the building of a bulk fertilizer plant. This was before the days of computers, so it was up to Clare to formulate the blend sheets by hand. A daunting task for most, but Clare persevered until he was able to convince the board of directors to install its first computer system.

Clare Hayes has promoted co-operative values throughout his four decade career with Sunderland Co-operative and through his support of other co-ops and the community. His tenacity and vision propelled his co-operative from a humble existence of producing one million dollars of sales in 1968 to today reporting a significant $46.5 million for fiscal 2009. But most impressive is that this co-operative has managed to pay out patronage dividends to its farmer-members each consecutive year since its beginnings in 1950 and continued to do so under Clare’s direction and management team from 1983 on.

Sunderland Co-operative has achieved tremendous growth and success through Clare’s responsible business practices, such as maintaining a strong balance sheet, using savings for growth and returning surplus revenues to its members in the form of patronage on a consistent basis.

An important facet to Clare is his commitment to supporting youth development. He maintains strong support from his co-op in regards to local youth through sponsoring 4-H clubs, local fairs, sending teens and young couples to conferences and accepting co-op students from local high schools.

Presenting the award to Hayes was 2008 Distinguished Co-operator Award winner Claude Gauthier, Ontario region manager for GROWMARK, Inc.

In his acceptance speech, Clare paid special tribute to his board of directors, loyal member-customers and strong supportive staff that he says truly paved the way to his success. After nearly 42 years of service with Sunderland Co-operative Hayes announced earlier this year that he will retire at the end of 2010.

On Co-op produces the Conference and Gala – one of the largest co-op conferences in Canada. The event, hosted by On Co-op and sponsored by a number of Ontario co-operatives, was held at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario.

Other 2010 On Co-op Conference and Gala highlights

This year’s conference and Gala was themed “2020-Expand your Co-op Vision”. The Conference began with an intensive four-part plenary session, facilitated by Global TV’s Sean Mallen, designed to mobilize the sector in long-term strategic planning. The all-morning session included a taped presentation by Ed Mayo, secretary general of Co-ops UK, a live video link with Rachel Griffiths, creator of the UK’s Co-operatives Fortnight project, and small-group discussions on policy development and the potential for growth and new opportunities in the coming decade. As 2012 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Co-operatives, session participants also began to discuss plans to celebrate! The two videos and many workshop presentations have been posted to the conference pages of the On Co-op website.

Co-op Crocodiles was one of 14 activities presented during the 10th annual Co-op Conference and Gala and for the first time, the conference included a co-op Showcase and Tradeshow, featuring displays by 22 organizations.

Silent and live auctions, featuring items donated by Ontario co-operatives including FS Co-operatives, raised more than $8000 for On Co-op’s Co-operative Young Leaders program. To learn more about the Gala and see videos from the award winners, visit http://www.ontario.coop/

Nov 1, 2010

GROWMARK Senior Trainer elected President of On Co-op Board

The Ontario Co-operative Association Board of Directors elected Barry Hannah as board president at On Co-op's Annual General Meeting in June.

Aside from Barry’s extensive duties as senior trainer for the GROWMARK Ontario System, he has been on the board of directors with the Ontario Co-operative Association for the past three years, elected to vice chair in 2009 and just prior to becoming president was appointed to acting chair this spring.

As well as his board duties, Barry has been a strong advocate to promoting life-long learning and co-op education. He sits on the Ontario Co-operative Association’s Life-long Learning Committee and the Human Resources Committee.

Barry Hannah has worked in the Ontario agriculture co-operative system for 20 years. In his earlier years, he was a buyer and then went on to become a manager for GROWMARK’s consumer division. It is during this time that Barry got to know the people in the field that made up the co-operative spirit of the organization. He gained great exposure and began to develop life-long relationships and a passion for the co-operative way of doing business.