MILK MINUTE

BY JOE DIGLIO, MMPA PRESIDENT AND CEO

JOE DIGLIO, MMPA PRESIDENT AND CEO

Recently, we held the cooperative’s 104th Annual Meeting. Of the many annual meetings I’ve attended over the years, this one was like no other. Due to the spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, we decided to limit attendance to our meeting less than 24 hours before the meeting was scheduled to occur. This precaution was taken out of an abundance of caution with the health and safety of our attendees in mind. Then, during the day of the actual meeting, the coronavirus situation continued to develop, and many large gatherings of people were cancelled, including all K-12 schools in the state of Michigan, Disney World and even the NCAA March Madness tournament.

Unaware that March Madness would soon be cancelled, during my address at the annual meeting, I likened the attributes of what makes a successful basketball team in the tournament to the process of success. When I think of March Madness, I think of the excitement that seems to permeate around the end goal of crowning a champion.

I felt this back some time ago when my team, Syracuse University, won it all. Back in 2003, the Syracuse men’s basketball team wasn’t expected to achieve anything other than a normal decent year. They had a good nucleus of players that were returning from the prior year, as well as a strong recruiting class with plenty of star talent. Like any team, they needed time to develop and come together as a unit. As the pieces came together through the tournament, they accomplished remarkable things.

Whether it’s building a championship basketball team or a successful business, it all starts with relationships. From the talents we're recruiting to be part of our organization, or the customers we’re coveting to do great things with, it’s the connection that makes it happen. You don’t build a championship team overnight. Plenty of work goes into it. Establishing connections is time consuming, but when it comes together, it can be rewarding—just like winning a championship.

Similar to the enthusiasm behind winning a championship, Michael Dykes, President & CEO of International Dairy Foods Association, believes it’s a good time to be in dairy. Through a video message, Dykes acknowledge that growth in dairy has and will continue to be opportunity for health and wellness for consumers and it important to recruit the talents to help us achieve success. Further, he reiterated how our industry must think beyond a traditionally successful business model, embrace change and embrace innovation.

Innovation doesn’t just happen, it takes time, people and connections to achieve. We recently constructed a new ultra-filtration operation at our Constantine plant. We did this with input from our customers and on the demand in the marketplace for higher protein products, hence the game plan. While the construction and commissioning were remarkably quick, the relationship started well before the shovel hit the ground. Just like with college basketball, teams don’t share their game plan before the game is played. However, as the process unfolds, you start to see the strategy implemented.

There is plenty of momentum behind us and in our market. This market has been growing and in need of additional capacity besides our recent investment at Constantine. And with the arrival of the new cheese facility in the state, we are pleased to partner with fellow industry associations on servicing the supply needs. Working together for the betterment of dairy producers is good for us all.

The road to the final four is a journey. As we take this journey together, and deal with uncertain times like the coronavirus, know that your team stands behind our vision of being a champion for you.

Succession planning . . .

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