Heartland Tank Services would like to extend their congratulations to The Andersons for being awarded the prestigious distinction of Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) Retailer of 2015. Bestowed upon The Andersons on Dec 2, 2015, the ARA Retailer of 2015 award was presented during the ARA Conference and Expo and given to Joe Hodges, Vice President of the Southern Region Plant Nutrient Group.
The ARA Retailer Of The Year Award
This notable award is a symbol of quality and prestige and recognizes the very best of the retail industry. Recent winners have included such retailers as NEW Cooperative, Morral Companies, Wheat Growers, Lyman/Tremont Group, Central Valley Ag, and Willard Agri-Service.
Nominees for the award are evaluated based on innovative business practices, community and industry leadership, environmental stewardship, reliability, technology utilization, customer service, and effective employee development programs. The award is sponsored by Monsanto, ARA, and AgProfessional magazine. It is an annual award, and the ARA Executive Committee selects the recipient.
“Ag retailers make significant contributions to feeding the world and responsible stewardship of our natural resources,” said ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock in a CropLife interview. “The Andersons is a great representative of the industry and deserving of this award.”
The Andersons
The Andersons started out as a family-run grain business almost 70 years ago. Today it is a publicly traded company, but still run by an Anderson–Mike Anderson is the company CEO. The Andersons is a diverse company, operating in 20 states and employing 3,000 people. Their company includes several operating groups: grain, plant nutrients, ethanol, rail, and retail.
The Plant Nutrients Group formulates, stores, and distributes nutrient, specialty, and industrial inputs and corncob based products. They have an extensive network of strategically located facilities from which to perform nutrient distribution utilizing in part, above ground storage tanks.
Environmental stewardship was a key area in which The Andersons excelled, and they focus on it in many ways. They are strong supporters of 4Rs research and education of customers “is something we have to do in being part of the whole agricultural community,” says Chief Operating Officer Hal Reed, speaking with CropLife.
Another area of excellence for The Andersons is business innovation. They maintain their sharp edge by staying current in technological advances, information services, and product development. Being part of solutions for farmers is also a mainstay of their business.
The Andersons also value their employees and the community.
“If you let employees do their job and you listen to them when they want to talk to you about issues, whether it’s good, bad, or ugly, then they tend to feel like they’re part of the team,” says Barney Cherry, general manager, speaking with CropLife. “They make suggestions, and we can sometimes make changes; sometimes we can’t, but being there and listening to people makes a big difference. They feel like you care, and it’s important.”
Heartland Tank Services and Heartland Tank have served The Andersons in building above ground storage tanks and installing PVC liners at multiple facilities. These facilities focused on retail distribution of product held in liquid fertilizer tanks.
Again, Heartland Tank Services is happy to congratulate The Andersons on their well-deserved winning of the ARA Retailer of the Year award. It’s always inspiring to see how great companies operate and to learn from their leadership and example.