The Vold Family and Dorrich Dairy Honored for Conservation Efforts in The Farmer.
Red Wing Software customer Dorrich Dairy was featured in the January 2016 issue of The Farmer magazine, in a section honoring their conservation efforts. The Volds became the first Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certified Farm in Pope County. Read the whole story in the January issue of The Farmer.
Iott Seed Farms, Inc. Featured Story about Success in Seed Potatoes
Red Wing Software customer Iott Seed Farms, Inc. was featured in the December 2015 issue of Vegetable Growers News. The story details the history behind the Iott’s seed business.
Greentown Farmer and Businessman Pens Autobiography
Red Wing Software customer Bryan Dee Kirkpatrick has published the book “Faith of a Farmer: God, Family and Life in America’s Heartland.” In this autobiography, the Indiana farmer, businessman and community leader shares with readers the joys and struggles of raising a family, expanding his farm and facing love and loss. Click here to learn more or purchase a copy of his book.
Annette Schalla Interview in Progressive Dairyman
Red Wing Software customer Annette Schalla of Bomaz Farms in Hammond, Wisconsin, was interviewed for the Progressive Dairyman story “What Makes a Good Female Leader in Dairy?” Click here to read the entire story.
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and any other holiday or special event celebrated this time of year.
I had a conversation with a prominent consultant in the accounting industry regarding best management practices for high growth business. This is a very timely topic for the first newsletter of 2016, as everyone in business should be considering how to make the new year more profitable than the last. While the conversation initially centered on accounting software, it quickly became clear the focus really revolved around systems and processes. Here are a few of the observations we discussed during our conversation.
The best software in the world (of course that means software from Red Wing Software) can’t fix broken processes. A business needs to identify what is important to them for analysis purposes, and then implement a system that provides that information. That may mean changing some internal processes, so data that is being collected is sufficient to get the results they’re after. Change in process is always a difficult thing to implement, but may be necessary to accomplish an ultimate goal. The way to make a change successful is to make the process as easy as possible for people to understand, inform them of the importance of the information, how it will be used (share results), and then enforce implementation. It normally takes sticking to a new daily routine for just a couple of weeks for it to become habit.
I know many people reading this newsletter have great systems in place already, and have coworkers that would argue that there is no better way to do things. I would argue that any time we start to believe that our business can’t improve each and every thing that it does, the business stops growing, and we all know that without growth the business will fade away. I challenge everyone to take a look at what you’re doing today, tweak something that will make your business better, and reap the rewards. Here’s to a successful, different, and more profitable 2016.
- Ken Hilton, President
Red Wing Software recently underwent the process of shooting a video for its business accounting software, CenterPoint Accounting. We are extremely grateful to the businesses that helped out by letting us shoot video footage at their facilities! CenterPoint Accounting can handle the needs of a great many different business types, and we wanted to show that in the video. We were fortunate to have found four very different businesses that allowed us to film their facilities and employees for the video. We would like to offer our sincere thanks to them! Here’s a shout out about each one of their businesses.
Pepin Manufacturing, Inc.
Pepin Manufacturing, Inc. (PMI) is rapidly expanding, award-winning manufacturing facility in Lake City, Minnesota. In business since 1993, PMI manufactures a wide range of products ranging from medical electrodes to medical device components, lint rollers, and even their own Marfree™ Urethane. A large part of PMI’s business includes custom contract converting/fabrication. For more information about PMI, please visit: www.pepinmfg.com, or call 1-800-291-6505.
The Smokin’ Oak
The Smokin’ Oak is a restaurant in Red Wing, Minnesota that specializes in wood-fired cooking. They offer catering and private parties, too. Some of the Smokin’ Oak’s delicious menu items include rotisserie and BBQ chicken, ribs, brisket, prime rib, and even their very own wood-fired pizzas. Be sure to stop by the Smokin’ Oak if you are in Red Wing! To view their entire menu or for more information, please visit: www.thesmokinoak.com.
Knudsen Trucking
Based in Hager City, Wisconsin, Knudsen Trucking is a 48 state common carrier with full authority. Knudsen Trucking is a family-based company in business since 1964. They currently ship in excess of 60 loads per week, to the Midwest, East, and Southeast. For more information, please visit www.knudsentruckinginc.com.
Mississippi National Golf Links
Mississippi National Golf Links is a 36-Hole golf course in Red Wing, Minnesota. Composed of the beautiful Highlands and Lowlands, Mississippi National Golf Links offers beautiful views of Red Wing and an exceptional golfing experience. For more information, visit www.golfredwing.com.
The new CenterPoint Accounting video will be done soon, and we will share it as soon as possible. Thanks again to these businesses for being a part of our product video!