Customers in the News

Red Wing Software Customer and Consultant to Farms and Agribusinesses: Wittman Consulting, Dick Wittman, Culdesac, Idaho
Story: Legacy Project: Smart Skills for Next-Gen Leaders
What the story is about: The importance of adopting key farm management proficiencies.
Red Wing Software Customer: Valley Springs Farm, Reedsburg, Wisconsin
Story: They Added Revenue, Not Cows (Hoard's Dairyman)
What the story is about: Farms choosing to add additional income through unique business opportunities.
Red Wing Software Customer: Homestead Dairy, Plymouth, Indiana
Story: How Do 36 Robots Compare to a Double-25 Parallel? (Hoard's Dairyman)
What the story is about: Analysis about robotic milking and its viability for big dairies.
Red Wing Software Customer: Freeport State Bank, Freeport, Minnesota
Story: From Our Side of the Fence: Lenders: How are you working with your dairy clients? (Hoard's Dairyman)
What the story is about: Interviews with various lenders about trends in agriculture and banking.

Behind the Scenes - March 2019

Connie’s (Technical Writer) daughter, Jenna, was selected to dance on the MN All State Jazz Team and competed in the MN State Jazz and Kick dance competition.
Katrina's (Customer Service Representative) daughter, Kyla, dressed up to attend the annual daddy daughter dance.
Chad (Sales) and his wife had an addition to their family. Welcome Etta Lee!
Ashley’s (Technical Support Specialist) daughter, Paytin, participated in the Bravo Regional Dance Competition.

 

Notes from the President


Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

One of the many things that makes Red Wing Software a great company is the average length of time employees stay with the organization. Unfortunately, on occasion, one of those long-time staffers decides they have reached the point they think they are ready to retire.
Janet Polski has been in charge of helping customers renew their Customer Care Membership for over 15 years. When Janet indicated a few months ago she was thinking of retiring at the end of April, we knew we had big shoes to fill. My opinion is, nobody should retire until they have at least 30 years of service in. As usual, my opinion didn’t carry much weight in her decision-making process.
Janet has been instrumental in creating and streamlining our current Customer Care Membership renewal process. I’m sure many of you have had the opportunity to work with Janet over the years, and know how good she is at making the process quick and easy. We certainly appreciate her role in helping maintain our excellent rate of customer retention.
Rest assured the renewal process will continue as it has with Janet’s protégé, Katrina. Like Janet, you have probably talked to Katrina over the last few years as she, among other things, answered the phones for Red Wing Software. Katrina has been working under Janet’s tutelage for a few months now, and as of April 1st assumes the position full-time while Janet transitions to retirement on April 30th.
We certainly wish Janet the best in retirement as she takes care of her horses and various other animals on her “ranch” with her husband, Tom. Tom is also the Fixed Base Operator at the Red Wing Regional Airport, so I hope to run into Janet occasionally at the airport as I’m sure he will talk her into helping out.
While we never like to lose great team members, we certainly appreciate all the hard work and dedication they have provided over the years, and Janet has been one of the best.

Red Wing Software Celebrates 40 Years in Business


40 years of Service

Red Wing Software is currently celebrating 40 years in business! What is the secret to being in business for 40 years? How does a company do that? We’d like to think that over the years, our programs have helped customers run their businesses smoothly, budget properly, maintain accurate records, increase profitability, and run all the reports for all the people who need them. After all, that’s what we’ve been doing since 1979. Many things have to be right, in order to stay in business for 40 years. Quality products are key, of course, and the service behind the products is no less important. Red Wing Software could have neither of those attributes if it were not for the excellent staff we’ve been fortunate to have over the years. The staff has been the star of the show at Red Wing Software. And because of the staff, we’ve had a loyal customer base for 40 years.

Just think about how much technology has changed since 1979! In 1979, personal computers were new, and not too many people had them. In fact, computers and computer programs revolutionized the ability for businesses to do accounting in a much more efficient manner. Red Wing Software (then Red Wing Business Systems) started as an accounting software specifically for farmers. Back then, when we went to trade shows, farmers lined up with their credit cards to get the program that could transform their farm’s financial management from a shoe box or a pencil and paper to an automated, organized and computerized method.

There was a high demand for accounting and payroll software back in the 1980s, and Red Wing Software found that agribusinesses weren’t the only ones in need. So, we began developing an accounting program for businesses. Soon there was a growing network of partners who sold accounting and payroll software for businesses and farms throughout the United States.

And speaking of history, many Red Wing Software customers know that what is currently Red Wing Software is made up of several businesses that merged together in 2001. Champion Business Systems, FMS Harvest, Inc., and Red Wing Business Systems came together to become what is now Red Wing Software.

Red Wing Software has grown so much since then! We’ve added fund accounting for nonprofits and for municipals. There’s standalone depreciation as well as a standalone tax forms program. We are also offering our programs in the cloud now, as well as locally installed. And we’ve been working all along the way to provide our customers with new technology to make their job of managing accounting and payroll easier and more comprehensive, with things like EFT transfers, a data importer, publish pay advices, and much more.

It’s true that many competing products have popped up over the years, and they continue to do so. There are more accounting and payroll products than ever to choose from. As for us, we continue to serve up the new technology needed by our customers and Red Wing Software continues, now more than ever, to focus on what made our company great at the start: an amazing staff, quality products and a dedication to excellent service. With the help of our amazing customer, we plan on continuing to thrive well into the future. We are grateful to all Red Wing Software staff, business partners, and customers for 40 years in business!