GEAPS Foundation Reaches $4 Million Endowment Goal
GEAPS Foundation Reaches $4 Million Endowment Goal
The Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) Foundation announced today that it has reached its endowment goal of $4 million. Investment income from the endowment fund will provide funding for new and existing professional development programs from GEAPS.
Mark Fedje, General Mills Inc., GEAPS Foundation board chair, has been a GEAPS member for more than 30 years, and is proud of how the industry came together to fund the endowment.
“Our endowment goal was reached through the generous support of both corporate partners and individuals,” Fedje said. “It shows the commitment the industry has to providing standardized training opportunities to help grain handling and processing professionals to work as safely and efficiently as possible.”
In all 16 companies and over 50 individuals made contributions to the fund. A complete list of corporate donors and individual contributions from 2019-2020 are available on the Foundation website.
GEAPS Foundation Executive Director Steve Records notes that the timing for reaching the endowment goals fits in well with GEAPS’ strategic planning process.
“We are currently going through strategic planning to determine what professional development looks like for our industry today and in the future,” Records said. “Knowing that these funds will be available, we can continue refining our existing programs and creating new opportunities to fit the needs of our members and the industry at large.”
GEAPS current education programs include:
- GEAPS/Kansas State University Distance Education Program
- Nearly 40 hours of training at GEAPS Exchange
- Hands-On Training Program
- Grain Elevator Managers Course
- GEAPS Leadership, Education and Networking Workshop
- GEAPS/Grain Journal Webinar series
All of GEAPS’ educational programs are open to anyone, GEAPS members receive discounts on registration.
About the GEAPS Foundation
The GEAPS Foundation was established by the Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) in 2011 as a mechanism to secure a stable and predictable funding stream to support GEAPS’ training for grain and processing industry operations professionals.