May 23, 2014

It is well worth the trip to Verner!

Co-op Régionale director Sylviane Beaulieu
As part of GROWMARK’s upcoming Annual General Meeting, several co-operative board directors will be featured and Sylviane Beaulieu from Co-opérative Régionale de Nipissing Sudbury  was one of the few selected for this honour.

Recently, the GROWMARK videoography team travelled to Verner, Ontario to meet up with Sylviane and found her to be a true ambassador of the co-op.  

Like her father-in-law before her, Sylviane exhibits commitment and passion for the success of the co-op and more importantly, its members. “The most important attribute a director can have is to be transparent and honest,” she says. When asked about her leadership, she replied that she thinks of herself as more of a team-player on a board of strong and committed team-mates.

“Education is key,” she admits that the younger generation have not felt the growing pains and struggles that the older generation of members have endured to make the co-op the success it is today. “And that is my mission as a director to provide our younger members with a stronger sense of pride for their local co-op,” she adds.

When asked about her perspective on being a female on the board, Sylviane just went on to say that her gender isn't really what matters, it is more about one’s experiences and history that bring a unique perspective to the board.

Gerry Duquette, petroleum manager
Having a female on the board of directors is not an anomaly for the co-operative says general manager Raymond Savage. Since Diane Smits first took on the role of director in 1987, three more female directors including Sylviane served on the Board of Nipissing-Sudbury with a combined 24 years of service. And, in 2002, Colleen Carriere served as president and chairman of the Board for a three year period.

During our one-day visit to Verner, we were graciously chaperoned to the various Co-opérative Régionale FS sites by petroleum manager Gerry Duquette. We visited the FS Verner Gas Bar and diner and took time to enjoy generous helpings of scrumptious burgers and poutine served liberally with friendly northern hospitality.

Paul Serre,
Verner Food Town
store manager
Verner petroleum bulk plant
 I had the opportunity to drop in quickly to the co-op’s grocery store (Verner Food Town) and chatted for a few minutes with store manager Paul Serre. He explained the many renovations in play to expand office space and product lines, making the store more of a one-stop-shop for local residents and summer tourists.

The GROWMARK video crew left northern Ontario knowing the Co-op Régionale team is proud of its co-op and the many values it brings to its members and local community.

Verner FS gas bar and restaurant



Co-op Régionale Verner feed & grain facility

May 16, 2014

Libro Credit Union picks FS Co-operative leaders for local TV ads!

You may have already seen our very own Jeff McCallum, marketing and communication specialist for North Wellington Co-operative on a recent Libro Credit Union TV ad, but just in case you haven’t... take a look at it here.

As an active owner-representative and chair of Libro's Listowel Branch Council, Jeff was recommended for the part. “This ad was also great exposure for North Wellington Co-op,” he says

He goes on to explain that there is something a little extra special embedded in this 15 second clip that has some personal historical meaning to him. The young fellow on the right in the historical photo is Jeff’s grandfather. Both Jeff’s grandpa and his father served as directors and as board presidents for the Elgin Co-operative Association in Elgin county, many years ago.


Also check out the Sauve family feature:

The Sauve family also has a strong co-operative leadership history. John Sauve has been a long-standing certified director on the AGRIS Co-operative board and prior to that, he served as president on the board of La Co-opérative de Pointe-aux-Roches. His son Eddie Sauve has been an active co-op young leader who was selected to represent the Co-operative Young Leaders Program and speak at the GROWMARK Annual Meeting in Chicago in 2011.  



Congratulations to our FS Co-operative System leaders!


May 13, 2014

Co-ops come full circle in Sunderland

An 80 year relationship between two Ontario co-ops

It was an almost unanimous decision for the members of both 
Sunderland Co-operative and Peterborough District Co-operative when they voted in favour of the recent amalgamation of the two co-operatives.

 “With over 80 years of history in the Peterborough region, it was no surprise that the meetings were well represented,” said Claude Gauthier, GROWMARK Ontario region manager. “The participation exceeded our expectations as members were eager to come out and put their stamp of approval on moving forward with this amalgamation as a way to strengthen their co-operative heritage in the region.”

The two co-ops have a long history together dating back to the 1930’s when Peterborough District Co-operative was established and then opened three branch locations; one being in the town of Sunderland.

FS Store in Sunderland, ON
Almost 20 years later, a small group of farmers in Sunderland got together and raised an initial investment of $25,000 to purchase the assets of the Sunderland branch; thus forming Sunderland Co-operative Inc. in 1950.

And today, with this latest amalgamation, Sunderland Co-operative, now the parent company has expanded to embrace the Peterborough site as one of its own, allowing for a strong co-operative presence to carry on in a community that is home to its rural roots. 

To read more about the full story on the evolution of Sunderland Co-op visit the May issue of GROWMARK's The Source



May 2, 2014

Recognizing GROWMARK University of Guelph Scholarship winners

As students finish up another year of academic growth, it is a good time for us to recognize the University of Guelph students who received GROWMARK scholarships this year.

The Glen Webb Education Scholarship Program (named after a former GROWMARK president) has been in place for more than 50 years. In Ontario GROWMARK awards six students per year (two from University of Guelph campus, two from Ridgetown Campus, one from Kemptville Campus and one from Campus d'Alfred).

This year’s scholarship winners are:

Guelph campus recipeints: Robert Bos and Sylvia Megans.
Presenting the award to Robert Bos is Dr. Peter Pauls, chair of Plant Agriculture at OAC.

Robert Bos was as a GROWMARK Intern last summer and this year was part of the University's Canadian Agri-Marketing Association Student Chapter team of which he recently competed in the prestigious National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) student competition in Kansas City, placing second of 29 teams from across North America. This is the highest that a team from the University of Guelph has placed in the NAMA competition since 2004.

Ridgetown Campus GROWMARK scholarship recipients are: Robert Lukacs and Jennah Carere. Seen here is Kevin Couture, AGRIS Co-operative Muirkirk branch manager, presenting to Ridgetown Campus scholarship recipient Robert Lukacs.

As well, Robin Crossley from Kemptville Campus and Hélène Lauzon from Campus d'Alfred were among this year's GROWMARK scholarship winners.

To obtain a GROWMARK Scholarship, students must have a minimum cumulative average of 70 per cent, must demonstrate leadership abilities, and be involved in extracurricular activities, community service or agricultural employment. Preference will be given to students with an Ontario farm background and interested in pursuing full time employment in agriculture in the province of Ontario after graduation.

Congratulations to these young ag leaders!