— Brian Meyer, BCA Division
This year brought some real change to BCA. If you’ve talked to anyone here over the last seven plus years, there’s a good chance it was Al Macius. This spring, he retired. We planned for it, but that’s the kind of change you’re never quite ready for when it actually happens.
Al’s retirement pushed us to keep building the team, not just replace one person. We’ve added an administrative assistant position to help make our office run stronger and more efficient, and we’ve brought on three new production employees who are picking up the work quickly and already pulling their weight. It’s good to see them coming together as a team.
One thing we’ve been focused on all year is making sure the product that comes in matches the product that goes out. In the industry, we call the difference “shrink.” It’s a nicer way of saying some of what we bring in never makes it into a finished bag. We’ve been tightening up how we fill bags and calibrate our scales to keep that number as close to zero as possible. Less shrink means we can make more bags without spending any more money, which is really what we’re after.
That kind of thinking doesn’t stop at the scale house. It carries over into how we buy, too. We brought in a lot of our salt ahead of time, before tariffs became a factor, and so far that timing has kept us from feeling much of an impact. It’s the same approach we take with pricing in general: buy at the right time, and stay competitive because of it.
Even with careful planning, today’s pricing doesn’t guarantee tomorrow’s. Fertilizer and other inputs can swing significantly in just a few months, so we’re constantly working to buy ahead. That’s what keeps our production running and keeps product moving out the door when you need it.
Freight is another area we’re watching closely. Trucking costs are climbing with distance. A delivery to Sioux City used to run about $700, and now it’s closer to $800 or $900. Petroleum costs are up too, and since there’s a fair amount of petroleum in the bags themselves, that adds up on our end as well. All of this is part of why staying efficient matters in every part of our operation, not just on the production floor.
It’s not all belt-tightening, though. We’ve got some genuinely exciting things on the way: new bag designs for Rid Ice Advanced and Rid Ice Pet Safe, and a new MINNEGROW line we’re proud of. We’ve also been sitting on an updated brand look that’s been in the works since last fall. We just weren’t ready to share it until now.
We’ve come a long way in these last few months, and a lot of that is thanks to the people who’ve stepped up to make it happen: from the new faces still learning the ropes to the ones, like Al, who spent years building what we have today.
If it’s been a while since you’ve stopped by, now’s a good time. Between the new bag designs, the MINNEGROW line, and a few other things we haven’t shared yet, there’s more to see at Sleepy Eye East than there was last spring. Give us a call or stop in. I’m happy to give the tour.