Cargill Cares Alumni
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website with software that could also include a membership data base. Second, we wanted software CCA could support with Cargill less reliance on Cargill IT. When investigating software packages, we found that many were quite expensive and beyond Cares our budget. Many also required long implementation times. At Phil Deeney’s suggestion, we John Keefe and Mary Kurth look on while Connie Hauswirth and investigated Wild Apricot, a Colleen Porter explain the complexity and lack of integration in software company that focuses the old system. Alumni Newsletter on nonprofits. Benefits included: Fall 2020 • very reasonable cost structure and even a Of course, during this time the pandemic hit. 30-day free trial Our admin volunteers could no longer go in • the ability to design and maintain the the office to access CCA email, regular mail website ourselves with free 24/7 support or the Cargill PC. The timing was perfect for A Look Behind • frequent upgrades to the software rolling out the new Wild Apricot website. But • software that provides an integrated it wasn’t easy. system of website, membership data base, To switch to the new software system, we the Scenes on calendar/event management, email had to: communication, and the ability to down- CCA’s Software load data • transfer and format all the website • home access capability for administrators information Journey and members • pass Cargill’s security protocol and, with • the ability for members to manage their the help of Shirley Boyd, draft our data If you haven’t visited CCA’s new website, data and determine their own privacy privacy policy and terms of use please take a look at: settings • move our email from Cargill’s Outlook to our new address: cargillcaresalumni11@ https://cargillcaresalumni.wildapricot.org/ This all looked promising. During the 30-day gmail.com. trial we loaded our membership data and We think you will find it easy to navigate and • move our document storage to Microsoft began testing its capabilities, from emailing very functional. We hope this is a long-term Teams, which may allow us to have some to website functionality. The technology team solution for Cargill alumni communication, virtual events was impressed, so we expanded the demo to but getting there hasn’t been easy. • notify members with email addresses about include volunteer leads and the admin First some history. the new website, which we did in July. volunteers. In 2017, the CCA Board recognized that our What has not changed The future is here. membership database not only had prob- • We will continue to use Spark to post The positive response during the trial period lems, but our website software was no longer volunteer hours – so if you have been encouraged us to move forward, and the supported. We decided to move the data- volunteering, be sure to let us know at our CCA Board committed to an annual payment base to Access, which is a bit hard to learn new email address or post your hours for the Wild Apricot software. and maneuver. Meanwhile, Cargill asked us yourself. to move all our documents from our Cargill We began training the volunteer leads and • For those who do not have email capabili- office computer to Sharepoint, which allowed admin volunteers on how to use the software. ties, we will continue to mail the quarterly admin volunteers to access documents from We knew the website and email would be newsletter to you at your home address. home. While we had some membership vital for moving to digital communication. To • Since we no longer can accept mail at the information on our website, we had to help determine which members had no ability Cargill Office Center, if possible, scan and maintain member data separately in the or desire to communicate electronically, we send it to CCA’s new email address. If you Access data base, in Spark and in Outlook. started by sending out emails from Wild are not able to scan, let us know by email We felt the need to simplify the technology Apricot and tracking event sign ups and and we will provide mailing directions. while making it more adaptable to Cargill’s payments in Wild Apricot. • We can still retrieve phone messages at corporate push to digital communication. 952-742-6188. Facing the future. New CCA Email and Website We are excited that CCA technology has a new look and feel. We hope you enjoy it, too! We formed a technology team of Connie Hauswirth, Colleen Porter, Greg Hehman, Email Contributed by Connie Hauswirth, Colleen Dave Braden, Phil Deeney, MaryJo Wolf and [email protected] Porter and Greg Hehman Eugene Becker. Together, we looked at our Website priorities -- our wants and our musts. We https://cargillcaresalumni.wildapricot.org settled on two priorities. First, replacing the I still recall being a participant in meetings in Whitney’s office and in the library. Sitting around the room in chairs that faced each Barb Kula Joins other, no table to hide my shaking knees. Some walks to the Lake Office through the CCA Board tunnel seemed longer than others; some- times I wished the tunnel was even longer. At our August Over the years, it got so I could take our CCA Board CORNER customers on the tour myself. I’d tell them meeting, Barb about the hand-dipped, copper-coated Kula was bricks in the entry way and how one of the voted in as our newest PRESIDENT’S Rand daughters pined to be an Olympic swimmer -- hence the largest swimming board pool in the country. I remember the trading member. room from the days when a chalk board Barb is a recorded the data, and then the TVs that 43-year replaced it. veteran of the One report said the building cost $400,000 agriculture to build. I suspect it will cost more to tear it industry. Her down. For safety sake, news of the tear- background ‘Wayzata Historical down was low key. I am sure that, if the includes being a former owner-operator of building had a say, it would have wanted its multiple retail Ag operations in Eastern Iowa. Society Makes end to be done safely. In 1986, she joined Cargill Hybrid Seeds. Transferring to Cargill Crop Nutrition in 2000, The building is gone but, more importantly, her roles included Western Regional Announcement’ the memories remain precious. I’m sure Manager and U.S. Country Manager. several of you have your own memories of By Bill Swift the Lake Office. We’d appreciate it if you In 2004, when Cargill and IMC Global formed The headline did not catch my interest, but would send them to CCA, and we will share The Mosaic Company, Barb became the pictures caused a flood of memories to then with the other Cargill alumni. Mosaic’s Vice President, Commercial, where stream by in my mind. The Lake Office is she focused on integrated business planning being torn down! Another change in a year and market-to-cash functions. Other of changes. responsibilities at Mosaic included World- I remember the first time I set foot in that wide Product Management, Marketing, building. I don’t remember who I was with, Agronomy and R&D. Barb retired from The but I remember the awe and feeling it Mosaic Company in 2014. created. Those all-brick, 18-inch walls Barb currently serves in various volunteer seemed to provide a solid foundation for a positions -- in particular, as leader of the company headquarters. The building had Marketing Committee for Imara International, class, a character unto itself. I brought many a rescue home for teen moms in Kenya. In a customer senior executive to this mansion. addition, Barb coaches and provides One told me he had been to many corporate mentorship for entrepreneurs, university offices -- those brass and glass headquar- students and business leaders in the ters that cost a fortune -- but the only one Minneapolis community. that he remembered well was the Cargill The iconic Cargill Lake Office is no more. Barb and her husband, Darrell, have six Lake Office. sons, fourteen grandchildren and family farm interests in Iowa. When Barb was asked why she is interested Bill Swift, President | Phil Deeney, Newsletter Coordinator | Paul Dienhart, Copy Editor | in CCA Board membership, she said, “CCA Ceal Regnier, Production offers an opportunity for me to become a The CCA newsletter is published quarterly in spring, summer, fall and winter, and is distributed to part of a community organization that Cargill retirees and other alumni throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area. If you have articles to connects people -- not just connecting with share, stories of coping with the pandemic or other items of interest, please send them directly to Cargill Alumni but also serving the entire Phil Deeney at [email protected]. Twin Cities community. “ CCA – TC Board Shirley Boyd Connie Hauswirth Mary Kurth Bill Swift Dave Braden Greg Hehman Colleen Porter Terri Tapper In Memory Phil Deeney John Keefe Ceal Regnier Janice Weisberg Terry Garvert Barb Kula Tom Streit Virgil Aarness Jim Little Bill Burns Marie Moonen Alumni E-Mail Directory: If you are not currently receiving email updates from the Cargill Cares Alumni office and would like to be added to the CCA E-mail Directory, please call the CCA office at Jim Guyre Judith Olmsted 952/742-6188 or send your name and email to the New CCA email address: Douglas Lindberg [email protected] 2 CCA Presents 2019-20 Service Awards Although so much in our personal lives and dedicate her time and talents to many 2012-2013. Among her signature contribu- in the operation of Cargill Cares Alumni has charitable acts.