Milling & Baking News - September 27, 2016 - 19

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industry being represented across
that spectrum is very important."
While ADM and other milling
companies have been investing forever in their mills to expand capacity, increase efficiency or improve
production in other ways, pressure is mounting to step up capital
spending.
"I think there will
continue to be investment made as
in the past, but
with new issues
we face or as new
regulations
come
about, that need will
continue at an even greater pace," Mr. Kolkhorst said. "It's
important to note that ADM and
the industry have always been concerned about providing a good, safe
product. So, just because the industry faces new regulations or recent
challenges, doesn't mean that's a
new revelation. That's always been
a priority for ADM and others in
the industry."
As an organization, NAMA has
remained effective even as the size
disparity between its member companies has widened, Mr. Kolkhorst
said. In fact, he said the membership remains as committed as ever.
"In some respect, people could

Industry Activities

say it would be harder, but look
around the meeting," he said. "People participate and are engaged. We
have an excellent staff at NAMA,
but it's a small staff. They are very
good at leading the discussions and
organizing the activities and representing us on issues with other industry organizations and on Capitol
Hill, but the grass roots
work is really done
at the committee
level. And that
takes
representation from all
these companies.
All the companies
provide resources to
those committees. We
have taskforces right now to address recent industry challenges,
and there is very good representation of the industry on those committees and taskforces. Everyone
brings a different skillset and different point of view, and I think that's
what really makes NAMA effective
and successful."
NAMA also has benefited from a
strategic plan focused on issues of
both enduring and current importance - food safety, nutrition and
supply chain, Mr. Kolkhorst said.
"As we laid out those priorities,
I think we felt very confident that
those were the right things," he

Dealing with a civil war

he U.S. milling industry in recent months has experienced numerous challenges in connection with major flour recalls. Asked about a particular challenge he experienced earlier in his career at ADM, Mark L. Kolkhorst, president of ADM Milling, recalled his tenure leading the ADM cocoa business that
began with an episode that could be described as "trial by fire."
"I took over ADM's cocoa business in November 2010, a business I had limited
experience in at the time," he said. "Cocoa is grown close to the equator, and a
significant amount of the world's cocoa is grown in West Africa. In the Ivory Coast,
the largest producing nation, we had a processing plant, we had buying stations
and an export facility for cocoa beans. And they had a civil war. That was a very
challenging time. Suddenly, it's not just your physical assets. We had people there.
We had natives there. We had ex-pats there. Taking care of your people through a
crisis like that and making sure your people are safe and your assets are as safe as
they can be was a real challenge. It's something that, if I look back in my career, it
was one of the things where I think the team at ADM did just a wonderful job. And
I say team, because I was two months on the job. The team that I worked with, and
the overall ADM corporate team, did a fantastic job of protecting our people and
protecting our assets there - people being first and foremost.
"Our plant was somewhat of a compound. It was in Abidjan, and simple things
like the banking system were closed. The supermarkets were closed. Just being
able to get food and basic staples for your employees and providing them a safe
place to stay was critical. Some people stayed at our facilities for an extended
period of time. I was proud to work for a company that reacted the way ADM did.
We were able to provide for our employees during a very difficult time in their
country." MBN

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Milling & Baking News - September 27, 2016

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