President’s Column

RESPONDING TO CHANGE

President’s Column By Brad Stedman, MKC President and CEO

“MKC will continue to invest in how we partner with our customers to successfully navigate the complex world of agriculture. “

As I started to think about appropriate topics for my first column with MKC, I contemplated a few different themes, and the underlying message always came back to change. Based on my knowledge and experience with MKC, change is a theme I know you are very familiar with. At first, my rationale came from the obvious change as I transition into the role Dave Christiansen more than aptly filled for the past 16 years. As I worked virtually from my home for the first couple of weeks due to COVID-19, the theme took on new meaning to me.

In certain times change is something we have control of and can take deliberate steps to make decisions based on being proactive. Other times, we are forced to react. In the case of the former, I want to start by saying I am honored to have the opportunity to work for MKC, an organization with a great track record of success. More importantly, I am thankful to work for an organization that focuses every day on how we can make our member-owners more successful. The transition we are going through as I step into the role of president and CEO at MKC is going very well, mostly due to the great team that has been assembled across the entire organization. Our team’s focus on our commitment to “Shared growth. Shared success.” has kept us on track amongst the changes we are experiencing. In addition, the team’s momentum and dedication to a plan that measures goals and intended outcomes, has made the first few weeks in my role very smooth. I’m anxious to have the opportunity to meet many of our member-owners just as soon as we have the chance to do it in a safe manner.

In my transition to MKC, I reflected on another type of change where we have to react to something that is out of our control, and COVID-19 certainly would fit that description. The pandemic we are experiencing has caused apparent disruption to most aspects of our lives over the past several weeks, and while I write this, I hope we will soon be returning to a safer environment. You will notice I didn’t say “return to normal,” as I don’t think any of us can know the long-term implications of COVID-19 on our daily routines or business. With that said, I’m very proud of how the team members of MKC and TMA were prepared to adapt to change that was thrust on us in such short order. We have many employees who have transitioned to their homes, and through the use of technology, have been able to continue their work with little disruption in order to continue to meet your needs as a memberowner. While other employees are on the front lines delivering products to your operations, loading trains to ship grain to foreign and domestic markets, staffing locations for pickup, and more, we have done all of this safely. Safety in mind for not only our employees, but also for our customers and the communities we serve. Our team will continue to work diligently to safely meet your needs as we phase back to work over the coming weeks and months.

Albert Einstein once said, “Nothing happens unless something is moved.” I think we can all agree many things are changing, or moving, in our world today. I want you to know MKC will continue to invest in how we partner with our customers to successfully navigate the complex world of agriculture. The foundation of your company is strong and prepared for growth to meet your needs today and in the future. Best wishes for a safe summer and thank you for all you do to provide food and fiber for the world.

Meet Brad Stedman

Brad Stedman serves as president and CEO of MKC and has since April 2020. Brad grew up on a family farm south of Omaha, Nebraska, where his family still farms today. His experience in the industry began in 1991 when he went to work for Farmland Industries in South Dakota.

Stedman comes to MKC after having served multiple leadership roles in the cooperative industry over the past 28 years. Most recently, he led the western business unit for WinField® United. Prior to his most recent role, Stedman served in many sales, marketing, strategic account and leadership positions within Land O’Lakes, Agriliance and Farmland Industries. In addition, he has served in the local cooperative system in South Dakota and Nebraska.

Brad and his wife, Kerry, have two daughters.