Kicking Off a New Year

Last Saturday night I was invited to attend an ASP kickoff banquet in Collinsville, Ill. Six member cooperatives - AgriPride FS, Inc., Gateway FS, Inc., Madison Service Company, South Central FS, Inc., St. Clair Service Company, and TriCounty FS, Inc. - came together to honor their salespeople for achieving their ASP and MARC of Excellence goals this past year and to start the new year on a high note.

I was asked to take photos as people arrived at the banquet, and during some brainstorming with Larry Cristy, Southern Region energy marketing director and Dana Weaver, marketing services manager, it was decided that a tropical backdrop would be created. I brought along some fun accessories, including a sombrero, a lei, and two Hawaiian-print shirts. It was a lot of fun to take photos on a cold November evening of people who appeared to be in a warm, sunny vacation spot.

Kudos to all who were involved with the planning of the banquet - it was a very enjoyable night. Best of luck to everyone who is eligible for the ASP and MARC of Excellence on achieving your sales goals this year; after seeing the preview of the trips, I was ready to hop on the next plane south!