October 1, 2024 • 40 mins
In her job at Cargill, GEAPS Member April-Hope Wareham serves as continuous improvement lead for more than 30 grain terminals along and east of the Mississippi River. In the latest episode of Whole Grain Podcast, GEAPS’s Director of Education and Training Jim Lenz talks to Wareham about her wealth of experience in barge, bluewater shipping, rail operations and food safety. Wareham shares her insights on how continuous improvement is transforming the grain industry.
Listen as Wareham shares valuable insights on how continuous improvement practices are revolutionizing efficiency, safety, sustainability, technology adoption and food quality. Her guiding mantra—inspired by William Shakespeare—serves as a beacon for staying open-minded and embracing the unexpected.
Wareham describes the practical application of continuous improvement and lean methodologies within grain elevators and food production. Wareham explains the concept of Kaizen and its role in fostering a culture of good change, emphasizing the importance of adapting to evolving customer needs and workforce dynamics. The show also tackles the challenges of implementing these strategies, especially financial constraints and the necessity for cost-benefit analysis. Additionally, we discuss global food insecurity and the innovative efforts by companies like Cargill to create a sustainable food system. This episode is a treasure trove for anyone interested in agriculture, continuous improvement and career development in this dynamic industry.
Key Topics Covered
- Definition of continuous improvement in the grain industry
- Strategies for enhancing operational efficiency and reducing waste
- Importance of safety protocols and training in grain operations
- Innovations in technology and their impact on grain handling
- Sustainable practices for reducing energy consumption and waste
- Quality control measures to ensure food safety and complianceGuest Bio
Guest Bio
April-Hope Wareham is the Continuous Improvement Grain Lead for more than 30 interior grain terminals along and east of the Mississippi River at Cargill. With more than a decade of experience in barge, bluewater shipping and rail operations, she has also managed food safety for multiple grain facilities. Wareham recently earned her Master of Science degree in Supply Chain Management with a focus on grain transportation from Michigan State University. She serves as the National Executive Secretary for Women in Maritime Operations (WIMOs) and sits on the International Education Programming Committee for GEAPS.
Resources and Links
Grain Elevator and Processing Society champions, connects and serves the global grain industry and its members. Be sure to visit GEAPS’ website to learn how you can grow your network, support your personal professional development, and advance your career. Thank you for listening to another episode of GEAPS’ Whole Grain podcast.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jim Lenz, Director of G (00:04):
Curious about how the grain industry is
getting better every day?
Join us, as April- Hope Warehamshares, how continuous
improvement is making operationsmore efficient, boosting safety
, enhancing sustainability,adopting new technologies and
ensuring food quality like neverbefore.
Hello, food quality like neverbefore.
(00:26):
Hello, thank you for making theWhole Grain Podcast part of
your day.
Welcome, my name is Jim Lenz,your host and producer of the
show and the director of globaleducation and training at GEAPS,
where the mission of the GrainElevator and Processing Society
is to champion, connect andserve the global grain industry
and our members At Jeeps.
We work to be the globalcommunity and thought.
Serve the global grain industryand our members At Chiefs.
We work to be the globalcommunity and thought leader for
(00:47):
the grain industry, which feedsand fuels the world.
Thanks for listening today andfor joining the network of
thousands of other grainhandling and processing
professionals across the globetaking strategic steps to grow
professionally.
The Whole Grain Show will giveyou the competitive advantage to
win at work so you can makemore of an impact.
At the time of this episoderelease, it signifies a two-year
(01:08):
mark when we made the publicannouncement of the Whole Grain
Podcast, a forum for grainindustry professionals like you
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(01:28):
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(01:52):
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Here you can see the show notesand the transcript of the show,
along with the audio player.
Now let's get ready to explorehow continuous improvement
practices are supporting thegrain industry.
Let's get started All right.
(02:20):
Our guest for today is theContinuous Improvement Grain
Lead for 30-plus interior grainterminals along and east of the
Mississippi River.
April- Hope Wareham has over adecade of barge blue water
shipping and rail operationsexperience.
She has also managed foodsafety for multiple grain
facilities.
She recently earned herMaster's of Science degree in
Supply Chain Management, with afocus on grain transportation.
From Michigan State University,april is also the National
(02:41):
Executive Secretary for Women inMaritime Operations Membership
Association and sits on theInternational Education
Programming Committee for JEEPS,and that's why everyone in the
JEEPS organization is so excitedto have April- Hope Wareham as
a featured guest on the show.
Thank you for your Whole Grain.
April-Hope Wareham (02:58):
Hey, thank you so much for having me.
I'm really excited to be here.
Jim Lenz, Director of Globa (03:01):
You have been so involved with
Jeeps, a lot of our members arevery aware of you and, if not
the work that you've done toproduce a lot of great education
for the biggest event in thegrain industry called the Jeeps
Exchange.
So we thank you for that.
To allow our listeners to getto know you and to start the
show with a bit of positivespirit, could you share with our
listeners perhaps a mantra orsuccess quote that you live by
(03:24):
professionally?
April-Hope Wareham (03:25):
Yes.
So you asked me to come up withthis one and I honestly, I'm
just going to say the first onethat I thought of, even though I
thought of a bunch of otherones after that, because it is
something that I literally thinkalmost every day, even though I
don't know.
I think it might sound a littlebit fancy, but it is a
Shakespeare quote.
It's from Hamlet, which is oneof my favorite plays there are
(03:47):
more things in heaven and earth,horatio, than are dreamt of in
your philosophy.
I can say it again a littleslower there are more things in
heaven and earth, horatio, thanare dreamt of in your philosophy
.
It's a great quote for mebecause it reminds me that the
world will always surprise you,to be open-minded and to
understand that everybody has adifferent experience and
(04:10):
everything that you see and findcan kind of show you something
new every day.
And it's a quote that I havelived by and have enjoyed
literally since, like highschool or college, and it's one
that always pops back into myhead.
So it's just one that I had toshare.
Jim Lenz, Director of Glob (04:25):
That is a beautiful sentiment.
Thank you for sharing that.
I feel bad for everybody who'sa guest afterwards, because when
they listen to your responseand you're quoting Shakespeare,
oh boy See that's what I wasconcerned about.
No one else has ever puttogether Shakespeare with the
grain industry before.
That I'm aware of, at leastthat I've encountered.
April-Hope Wareham (04:47):
He was the playwright for the masses.
It was just a few hundred yearsago, yeah.
Jim Lenz, Director of Glo (04:52):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Now, April, to provide somecontext for our listeners, could
you provide a bit more detailon your journey in the grain
industry?
I think listeners will find itvery interesting.
April-Hope Wareham (05:03):
Yes.
So I have been quite a numberof places and I joke that I
definitely don't look old enoughfor everything that.
I've done and everywhere I'vebeen, but I can promise you I am
.
So I started with Cargill alittle over 10 years ago and
that was kind of where my careerofficially started.
I was studying technicalsystems management at the
University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign, that's in the
(05:25):
ag engineering department thereand it's kind of a mix of ag
engineering and ag businessclasses and in the College of
ACES, so a line I represent.
I had an associate's degreealready, had worked for a couple
of years.
I thought that what I reallywanted to get into was food
production, and so that's why Istudied TSM.
I was only there for foursemesters and two semesters in.
(05:46):
I got the opportunity for asummer internship with Cargill
in Pipestone, minnesota.
It was at one of our farmservice centers, which is what
we called them back at that time, so grain elevator.
We also did crop inputs there.
So at the time Cargill stillowned our crop inputs business
in the United States and so youknow our fertilizer, herbicide,
pesticide, fungicide, seed.
(06:07):
I think we did a little bit ofseed there.
If I remember correctly, I mightbe wrong.
I realized that I just reallyfell in love with this side of
the industry.
I had always thought that Iwould be more in the production
side but I ended up being justkind of loving the place in the
supply chain.
That it was, that it was closerto the farmer, closer to
production, but at the same timesort of at this entry point to
(06:30):
the market where things couldkind of go anywhere and be
anything, where the grain couldgo anywhere and be anything.
I really really enjoyed it, hada great time, took every
opportunity that I could tolearn more about the industry.
I didn't grow up in a farmingfamily or a farming background,
so just really took a lot ofopportunity to learn what I
could and got offered afull-time position with Cargill.
(06:50):
So I started my traineeship.
Then, after finishing at U of Iand getting my bachelor's degree
, I started at Seneca, illinois,where we unloaded trucks and
loaded barges up on the IllinoisRiver and we also loaded
containers at that time.
So I got the opportunity to seekind of a different part of the
business as well, did mytraineeship in Seneca, was there
(07:11):
for about nine months and thengot sent to Scholesburg,
wisconsin, where I managed thatfacility.
I was supposed to be there fora few weeks, ended up being
there for eight or nine months,I think it was, which is the way
that things sometimes go andended up managing that facility
for that long.
That was also a grain and cropinputs facility and during the
(07:33):
time that I was there was whenCargill divested our crop inputs
business.
So I was there through thatdivestiture and that was another
fantastic experience.
So here I am, like barely ayear out of college and already
dealing with a huge plantdivestiture and going through
that, and really was a greatexperience for me and really
(07:55):
showed what Cargill is and wasas a company.
Because they said hey, you knowwhat, we believe in you, we
believe you can do this, we'regoing to give you the resources.
I was definitely on the phonewith lots of people every day
asking a lot of questions andthere were some fantastic people
who were really helpful duringthat time.
And, yeah, so after thatdivestiture I kind of had a few
(08:16):
different opportunities withinCargill but chose that the next
place I wanted to go was toexport and had some feedback
from folks Robert Taylor somefolks who've been around Jeeps
for a while probably know himand he'd been my manager or my
one-up manager for a couple ofyears and he said, hey, I think
(08:38):
you would really really like theGulf and so took a chance, went
down to West Wigo, louisiana.
I was a production supervisorthere for a couple of years,
learned stevedoring, which isthe shiploading process and
shiploading management that'show it's referred to in the
United States and really reallyloved that part of the business.
I loved export so much I wantedto see another part of it.
(08:59):
So I got the opportunity to goout to our joint venture, temco,
in Tacoma, washington.
I was out there for a few years,mostly as a stevedore.
Superintendent was what the jobrole was, but it was also a
production supervisor type role.
So various different operationsmanagement roles, took a couple
months and did a tempassignment and helped out at our
Tampa facility.
(09:20):
We used to have a facility inTampa, florida.
We did citrus pulp pelletsthrough there with very unique
for grain elevator experienceand then a few years ago got
asked to step into this role.
This continuous improvementlead role is a newly created
regional role for interior grainelevators and so ended up back
in this role and I live now inSt Paul, minnesota, and I helped
(09:44):
out 31 plants across 10 states.
Jim Lenz, Director of Globa (09:48):
Wow , so that's a great show.
Thank you for sharing that.
April-Hope Wareham (09:52):
It's a long story.
Jim Lenz, Director of Glob (09:54):
Yeah , it's diverse in such a short
period of time Kind of showcasesnumber one your curiosity in
general.
Two you aren't afraid to getafter things, learn new things,
educate yourself, ask questions,inquire and be open to new
opportunities and newperspectives.
That is really reallyinteresting background.
April-Hope Wareham (10:16):
Absolutely.
I've had a lot of really greatopportunities.
Jim Lenz, Director of Glob (10:18):
It's so nice.
Cargill has supported you andyou support Cargill and all the
team members there.
Now, as we kind of move alonghere in the conversation, I want
to provide some moreinformation about an
organization that you areinvolved with and that is the
Women in Maritime Operations.
It's a membership association.
You're definitely committed tothe organization.
(10:40):
You offer support to others,but I bet you get a lot of
return from your participationwith the organization.
You offer support to others,but I bet you get a lot of
return from your participationwith the organization as well,
not just offering to others, butI'm just curious about that.
If it's okay with you, I'd lovefor you to take this whole
grain podcast platform to sharewith others the work of Women in
Maritime Operations.
Tell us about the organization,april, and how it supports
(11:02):
others with networking,education, any other resources.
April-Hope Wareham (11:06):
Absolutely.
I would love to talk about WMOS.
So WMOS is short for Women inMaritime Operations.
It's an organization that wasformed when I was in New Orleans
and so I got to kind of beboots on the ground.
I wasn't one of the foundingmembers, but joined pretty soon
after, within a few months, andhelped kind of start it up.
So it's a very specificorganization.
(11:27):
It is geared toward women whowork in maritime operations
roles.
So that would be women who workfor companies that own, operate
charter vessels or otherwiseprovide some kind of services on
the water emergency services,engineering, essentially folks
who spend time on the water,whether that's at the terminal
level or sailing.
We also have a number of USCoast Guard members, some Navy
(11:50):
as well, some militarycontractors and Army Corps of
Engineers.
So we do offer free membershipto active duty military as well,
which has been really, reallyfantastic.
So the goal of WMOS is and hasalways been to bring women
together who work in maritimeoperations, to educate, engage
and elevate women in maritimeoperations, and so we are.
(12:14):
First and foremost we're aneducation organization.
We have now chapters all overthe country in different places.
It's not just a SouthernLouisiana thing anymore.
We're in the process of gettinga Twin Cities chapter started,
actually, and we have veryactive and busy chapters in
Houston area, Corpus Christiarea, west Kentucky, pacific
(12:34):
Northwest Ohio, river Valley, aswell as a number of other
chapters elsewhere.
So we just hit over a thousandmembers worldwide.
So we do have a few membersoutside of the US as well, and
we do things everywhere, fromopportunities for our members to
spend time in a simulator foropportunities for our members to
learn more about other parts ofthe industry.
(12:56):
For example, we've done someeducation sessions on tanker
barges for women who work onlyin bulk, maybe for their whole
career, or who have worked onlyblue water for most of their
career.
So you can learn a little bitabout a different part of the
industry.
And then, finally, there's alsojust this huge benefit in
networking.
One of the reasons that Wemoswas started we we sort of say is
(13:17):
golf.
We found that you know there'sa lot of things that happen out
on the golf course, that a lotof the time, women in the
industry and this is somethingwe see in grain as well right,
just don't get the opportunityto go and do, because we haven't
ever had the opportunity tolearn how to golf.
I learned how to golf throughWemos, and now I've been at a
(13:38):
number of events, whetherthey're Jeeps events or other
maritime specific events allover the country, because of all
the places I've lived andthat's because of Wemos and
that's gotten me the opportunityto be in front of people that I
wouldn't be able to be in frontof as well, to network with
people, and that's anotherreally fantastic thing.
So we do some of that.
We call it the sportingeducation type things as well,
(14:00):
as well as just generalnetworking, which sometimes is
really really important just tosee somebody who kind of looks
like you and might beexperiencing some of the same
stuff you have.
Wemos has been a huge success.
It was really came in at theright time.
We've seen a huge change in theindustry in the last decade and
I think Wemos is a big part ofthat.
We need it.
(14:21):
It's and we're able to help alot of people.
Fantastic mentorship program aswell.
So just a lot of really, reallycool things coming out of Wemos
.
We started our first juniorchapter at Texas A&M Galveston
this year, so just a lot ofreally great things.
I feel like I just talked a lotabout WMOS and I didn't really
take it in any particulardirection, but a really, really
(14:43):
great organization.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global (14:45):
I was just going to ask.
I know you said mentorshipprogram for someone maybe newer,
but also I was going to inquireabout post-secondary education
program.
So you did mention that it'salready getting started, so you
were one of the early members ofthe organization.
When did the organization start?
April-Hope Wareham (15:02):
2017.
We just, we just hit sevenyears Yep.
July of 2017.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global (15:07):
If I listen to you correctly, I
think you said there's athousand people.
April-Hope Wareham (15:11):
Yep, we have a thousand members, we hit a
thousand members earlier thisyear.
Jim Lenz, Director of Glob (15:15):
Yeah Wow, how'd you do that?
How'd the organization do that?
April-Hope Wareham (15:18):
A lot of word of mouth.
We definitely host recruitmentevents in the chapter areas
where where we're trying to grow, but a lot of of Wemos
membership came through word ofmouth, when one woman would join
and she, you know, found that,oh my goodness, I had the
opportunity to take a golflesson and you know, I paid dues
of.
You know, at this time dues are$250 for a year, right, and
(15:42):
everything is included once youpay that.
So, hey, I paid my dues and Igot the opportunity to learn
golf.
I got the opportunity to learnclay shooting.
I got the opportunity to go anddo a tour of a really, really
cool shipyard near me that Ididn't even know existed.
I got the opportunity to meet abunch of other people who I
wouldn't have had the chance tomeet otherwise, and she spreads
(16:04):
that to other women at hercompany or other women who she
works with, and it was a lot ofword of mouth for our initial
membership.
For sure, we have actively takena focus on recruitment in the
past year as well, with tryingto host recruitment events at
our local chapters that exist,as well as taking a greater
focus on what we call our seedchapters or areas of interest,
(16:25):
which is essentially hey, we'vegot an area of interest, We've
got a few women who areinterested and they're willing
to start a chapter here, solet's give them the resources
that they need and work towardsstarting a chapter in this area,
which is why we've been able toexpand so quickly.
So a couple of different things, but, honestly, the
organization really speaks foritself and it's been like I said
(16:46):
, I've been with theorganization since very close to
the beginning.
I was the national secretarythe first national secretary
that we had and I just started asecond term I guess it was
about a year ago now and so thatwill be my final term, because
we do two terms of five yearsand so I have been able to see
this organization grow fromsomething that was kind of a,
(17:10):
you know, small maybe we had 12,14 people who were, you know,
meeting up to just thepowerhouse that it is today.
That has the opportunity toreally touch a lot of lives and
bring a lot of people into thisindustry that we love, right,
Because that's really, reallyimportant.
Right now we have a hard timefinding workers, as it is for
these types of industries, andif you can find people who are
(17:37):
excited and who are reallywanting to break into the
industry and they just need amentor.
They're really wanting to breakinto the industry and they're
debating what should their majorbe in college?
They're looking for a careerchange.
All of that they're coming outof the military.
They're coming out of activeduty in the military and looking
for a civilian side job Allthese types of things WMOS has
had the opportunity to helppeople with as well.
Jim Lenz, Director of Glob (17:58):
That is fantastic.
What a wonderful organization.
I hope some of the listenershere of this Jeep's Whole Grain
podcast listen to it and theymay want to be involved.
Or, just as good, maybe theyknow someone who can lead them
there.
So that just leads to the nextquestion.
Perhaps some of our listenersmay be interested in know
somebody, in being a member ofthe organization who can join
(18:20):
women in maritime operations.
How do they become a member?
April-Hope Wareham (18:23):
Yeah.
So if a woman's interested inbecoming a member again have to
work for a company that doesmaritime operations, right.
And if you're interested or youthink you may or may not
qualify as a member or just havequestions, you can go to
WIMOSorg, w-i-m-o-sorg, andthere's a form that you can
submit for membership andthere's also a form that you can
(18:44):
submit if you know.
Hey, I'm not going to qualifyas a member, but I want to keep
up with what Wemos is doing.
I want to get the newsletters.
I want to get information aboutupcoming fundraisers and our
upcoming golf tournament.
I'll put in a plug for that iscoming up in a few weeks in
October, down in near NewOrleans for those types of
(19:04):
things.
You can also sign up for thatnewsletter on our website as
well.
Jim Lenz, Director of (19:09):
Fantastic .
All right, that's an importantmessage.
Now let's kind of lookingforward to our conversation here
as well on continuousimprovement.
Let's start by definingcontinuous improvement in the
grain industry.
What does it mean?
In your role?
What are some of the key areasfor focus for continuous
(19:30):
improvement at grain terminalsin particular?
April-Hope Wareham (19:34):
Yeah.
So that's a fantastic question.
I will say that continuousimprovement kind of takes on a
different flavor depending onthe industry that you're looking
at.
It's going to look reallydifferently, for example, in a
large hospital system than it isin a massive protein plant,
which means it's going to lookdifferent at a grain elevator
and you know.
So some of the things that wesee as this very, very
(19:56):
traditional continuousimprovement right, this you know
, constant push for rateprogression, constant push for
improvement, improvement,improvement over times, over
quality may not exactly fitpuzzle piece into a grain
elevator.
However, there are a lot ofthings from that basic
(20:19):
continuous improvement and leanmethodology that we can use at
grain elevators.
So the first step that I wouldtalk about is the word kaizen,
which probably a lot of peoplemay or may not have heard, but
we use it a lot of the time inthe US with regard to having a
very specific process change,continuous improvement, discrete
(20:40):
event.
But the word kaizen it's aJapanese word.
It means good change and itessentially is the basis and the
backbone for a lot of themodern lean methodologies that
we use today.
It means that change is goodand that we want to try new
things essentially, the basisbehind Kaizen is a really good
(21:01):
one, and it's just listening andunderstanding and truly
understanding the people who dothe work and the job that we do.
So one of the things that Ireally think is a huge benefit
if you're wanting to start somesort of a continuous improvement
or lean methodology at yourgreen elevators is, if you've
got people in charge of it,bring people who've done the
work, and I think that thatmakes a huge difference.
(21:22):
And if they're not peoplewho've done the work but you say
, hey, I want this personbecause they've got a really
great perspective.
They're kind of an outsider,but, man, it seems like they
know a lot.
Make sure that that's someonewho's willing to listen,
understand, respect what we'vebuilt.
The grain industry is literallyone of the oldest industries,
possibly the oldest industry inthe world, right, if we're
(21:46):
looking at when people startedstoring grain 10,000 years ago,
we are still doing some of thesame things.
So there are some things thatwork.
So understand what we built,understand that legacy of grain
operations, while alsochallenging ourselves and
leaving room for the new and forleaving room to try new things.
Grain, this organization, thisindustry, is always changing.
(22:08):
We aren't the same as we were30 or 50 years ago.
And you know we're not going tobe the same in 50 years from
now.
There's going to be things thatare going to change.
There's going to be newtechnologies that are going to
become available, the workforceis changing, the way that we
relate to the world is changing,and so I would say there's so
(22:30):
much that you can do with acontinuous improvement
methodology in the grainindustry, while kind of really
respecting that old but alsokind of focusing on the new.
One big thing for us over thelast few years and I know that
this is the case in Cargill, Ialso know because I talked to CI
folks at other grain companiesis that we're really trying to
(22:52):
move toward a little bit more ofa data-driven focus.
For many years we just kind ofhey, we do what we can do, but
trying to move towardunderstanding our mix and blend
on a tighter level, becausethat's what our customers want.
Now, right, trying tounderstand hey, what does our
cycle time look like?
How fast are we able to dumptrucks and get farmers out of
(23:13):
here so that they can get backto the field and get back to
doing what they need to do?
The younger generation offarmers.
They want that right.
So trying to kind of get alittle bit more of a data-driven
approach where we can and tryand upgrade our systems where we
can, we can and try and upgradeour systems where we can.
Well, at the same timeunderstanding that, you know, we
(23:37):
really need to understand thatwe're not a business effort
that's going to make lots andlots and lots of money.
So working with what we have isalso a big part of the
continuous improvementmethodology that I've worked
with in Green.
Jim Lenz, Director of Globa (23:46):
Now for someone working in the
field of continuous improvementor is considering a career in
this area.
What are some common challengesfaced when implementing
continuous improvementstrategies, or are there never
any challenges?
April-Hope Wareham (24:00):
Oh my goodness.
Well, first of all, I would notbe in this job if there were
never any challenges, because Iwould be so bored.
But yeah, so I think probablyone of the big challenges is the
financial aspect.
Right, that's always going tobe a challenge in every business
that you ever work for, whetheryou're working at a university
(24:21):
or you're working at SpaceX.
Right, cost is always going tobe a constraint and a bit
ingrained.
We tend to see that a littlebit more, especially just as
margins get tighter and as wekind of keep a closer eye on our
pocketbooks, right, so that'salways going to be a big
challenge is how can we workwith what we have?
How can we do something in away that is safe and that is
(24:44):
also really efficient, but we'renot going to break the bank and
we're not going to be doingthis huge capital expenditure
that maybe we want and need butdon't need as badly.
So there's a lot of costbenefit analysis that goes on in
this side of the business.
For that I would say.
Another big challenge,especially when I was starting
(25:05):
in continuous improvement, isthat continuous improvement
tends to sometimes leave a badtaste in people's mouths, and
that's why I talked about itbeing so, so important to listen
and understand and respect whatwe've built when starting at
some sort of a lean practice inyour business, because green in
particular sometimes has beenthe recipient of a
(25:27):
one-size-fits-all.
Hey, we're going to try thislean methodology and we're just
going to like, force it on us.
And it doesn't work right,because it was designed for a
protein plant that's running 24hours a day, seven days a week,
always doing the same thing.
Or a crush plant that you know,24 hours a day, seven days a
week.
Hey, we have a minimum amountof oil that we need to produce
(25:50):
for our customers.
And in grain, that's different,right?
Continuous improvementliterally looks different at
different times of the yearDuring harvest, for example, or
during your busier season, likeif you're on the Illinois River,
your busier season's a littleoutside of harvest, for example,
but during those busy times,continuous improvement is maybe
going to look a little bit morelike that.
You know how fast can we gettrucks through and do it safely
(26:13):
and do it without breakingthings.
But continuous improvementduring other times of the year
might look a little bit morelike problem solving or might
look a little bit more liketrying to use your resources in
a bit more of a creative way.
I think that that's one of thebig challenges coming in is that
, hey, like we've done CI in thepast, we've done Lean in the
(26:36):
past, it doesn't work for GrainEndgame.
I don't want to listen to youand instead figuring out okay,
hey, there are some gems in this, how do we fit that to Grain?
And that's been one of the bigchallenges over the years and
has been a lot of fun.
We've messed up on a lot ofthings, we've tried a lot of
things and been like man, youknow what?
This just is not working.
We're going to throw it out thewindow and try something new.
(26:58):
So challenges, but a lot of funwhen you, when you have the
opportunity to try new thingsand throw them out the window if
they don't work that's, that'sthe best kind of job.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global (27:12):
So yeah, wonderful Thanks.
Now, what opportunities existfor growth and efficiency gains
in the grain and maritimesectors?
April-Hope Wareham (27:16):
Oh my gosh.
So there is so much.
It's such an interesting timeto be in food production in
general.
So I'm, like I said, no shameabout my age.
I was born in 1990.
The world population when I wasborn 5.3 billion.
The world population now justover 8 billion.
That is an insane amount ofgrowth right.
(27:38):
We are experiencing exponentialpopulation growth and somewhere
around to 10% of the world'spopulation is experiencing food
insecurity right now, whichmeans they are not sure where
their next meal is coming from.
They're hungry.
We have a lot of opportunitiesto be sort of this, to change
(27:59):
that right, because we sit,we're kind of the center of the
food supply chain.
We have this really goodopportunity right now to create
a more sustainable, moreresilient food system.
So a lot of what opportunitiesexist right now and this is
something that Cargill is reallyfocused on is trying to drive
that global food security,nourish the world in a safe,
(28:22):
responsible and sustainable way.
So I'll give some example ofsome things that Cargill is
doing to kind of meet theseopportunities.
So one really cool thing thatwe've been doing is we have the
RegenConnect program thatrewards farmers for positive
environmental outcomes, soessentially rewards farmers for
adopting carbon neutralstrategies or regenerative
(28:43):
agriculture practices.
We also are exploring somereally cool opportunities with
crops like winter camelina.
I got the opportunity to kindof see that at our crush plant
in West Fargo a couple of yearsago.
It's just this tiny, tinylittle seed, but very oil rich
seed and something that can alsobe planted off season and can
help with soil quality.
(29:05):
And we're also doing someexperimentation with pennycress,
which is another crop that canbe grown to as a decarbonization
crop, can improve soil quality,gives farmers a cash crop and
it acts like a cover crop.
So that's something that's alittle bit newer.
I think pennycress has like a30% oil content or something
like that.
So, again, really greatopportunity for renewable fuel.
(29:28):
And when I'm talking about oilwith regard to Camelino or
pennycress, that's a greatopportunity for renewable fuel.
So biodiesel, renewable airlinefuel, things like that.
So there's a lot ofopportunities right now to kind
of figure out what are thelatest food trends as well.
What do our customers want?
Our customers who everybody fromthe family that's sitting down
(29:50):
at the table to eat dinner atnight to the parent, who's, you
know, driving as fast as theycan to pick up three different
kids from three differentpractices in the evening and
wants a quick meal.
To our customers who areproducers and who want something
safe for their livestock, toour renewable energy customers
and also to our worldwidecustomers Cargill's in over 60
(30:12):
countries.
We have a lot of differentcustomer needs as well.
So in general, just going backto kind of outside of Cargill
and just looking at us globally,looking at the supply chain
globally, there's a lot ofopportunities to serve new
customer bases as people's needschange, as people's habits
change and as we develop newtrends.
(30:34):
So there's definitely a lotthat's going on and I know we're
going to talk kind of aboutinnovations and future trends in
a little bit, so I won't jumpon that too much.
I'll focus a little bit more onelevators specifically in the
next question.
But globally, I think a lot ofthe opportunities that we have
right now as grain elevators isthat we just have this really
really cool time in historywhere we have the opportunity to
(30:56):
figure out how can we mostefficiently, most sustainably,
grow the most amount of food,because the world population is
exploding and we really, reallyneed it.
Jim Lenz, Director of Globa (31:09):
Wow , fantastic, and there's some
incredible initiatives andprograms that Cargill has taken
on and other organizations aswell, so that's really special
to hear from you Now, as aresult of this conversation, you
may be I think you are and itwill be inspiring listeners to
consider a career in the grainand maritime industries, and
(31:31):
maybe there's even folks incollege who are listening to
this and they want to know moreabout continuous improvement in
that field.
What skills and qualificationsare essential for a successful
career in these fields?
What advice do you have foryoung professionals and those
looking to transition into theindustry?
April-Hope Wareham (31:50):
So I think one of the first things I would
say is yes, this is for you.
Traditionally, this is a careerpath that, a lot of times,
people don't even know about ordon't have the opportunity to
pursue, unless you have grown upin that industry already.
For example, you have a parentwho worked in an elevator.
You have parents orgrandparents who are farmers.
(32:12):
What we're seeing is that weneed more and more people
because this is such animportant industry.
This is literally the career ofthe future.
You get to feed the world.
You get to figure out how to doit in a sustainable way, even
if this isn't something thatyou've heard of before or this
isn't something that you haveever considered before.
We need people like that.
As the world changes, as wekind of try and do more with
(32:35):
less, like I was talking about,as we try and make a difference
and as we try and feed more andmore people, we need as many
different perspectives as we canfind, and so I think that what
we really need is somebody who'scurious, wants to ask a lot of
questions and interested inpursuing a career in just this
really, really unique way and,as you can see with my career
(32:57):
personally.
It can take you a lot ofdifferent places and you can
really get some greatopportunities through that.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global (33:03):
I also want to jump on a question
about working in continuousimprovement within the industry.
How does their job align withsafety and sustainability
efforts of an organization?
April-Hope Wareham (33:14):
Ooh, that's a great question.
So I would say that the kind ofcool thing is, if you're
working in operations or you'reworking in continuous
improvement, you kind of get tobe on the front end of those
innovations and future trends.
So, for example, you would getthe opportunity to play around
with new safety innovations.
Some cool examples would be.
Well, I'll give an exportexample and then I'll give an
(33:36):
interior example.
So in export, we have a reallyfantastic team down at our
Reserve Louisiana Grain Elevator.
Heather Brewer is at theforefront of that team and she
worked with a company recentlyto create a new type of crane
essentially it's called a spidercolloquially that can lift the
top off of barges without peoplehaving to climb all over the
(33:59):
barges, where we used to, andthrow heavy chains.
So that's just a really coolexample of, hey, you get to work
with companies to develop a newtechnology and to hone it in
and to work with it and to makeit really, really cool.
And it is definitely a safetyinnovation as well.
One of the most dangerous thingsthat we do in this industry and
everybody who works in thisindustry knows if you work with
(34:20):
barges, one of the mostdangerous things you do is work
on barges, and if you work onrail cars one of the with rail
cars, one of the most dangerousthings you do is working with
rail cars.
So another cool thing that we'vegotten the opportunity to play
around with in the US are theGreenbrier pneumatically
operated rail cars.
So it's the hatches on top thatare pneumatically operated.
(34:40):
They hook up to plant aircompressors and, without
individuals having to put ontheir fall protection, climb on
top of rail cars to open andclose.
All you have to do is, at theground level, hook up.
That same individual who wouldnormally have been on top of the
rail car at the ground level,hooks up air to the top of the
hatch and opens up the hatch,and so we've had the opportunity
(35:00):
to work with that company onthose as well.
It's actually technology that'sused and is really prevalent in
Australia, for example, buthasn't quite hit the US yet.
So if you work whether it's inoperations, whether it's in
continuous improvement you getthe opportunity to work with
some of those really really coolfront of the line sort of
safety innovation that are a lotof fun.
(35:21):
That's what I can kind of thinkof off the top of my head, but
I'm sure that there's definitelymore.
Jim Lenz, Director of Globa (35:26):
Wow , that's very exciting.
Yeah, You're kind ofeliminating that human being
from some of those verydangerous jobs loading grain,
unloading grain.
That's great that you showcasethat, because maybe someone
heading into this area may notrealize.
I mean the grain industry.
They're innovators and Cargillcertainly is and working and
partnering with organizationsthat are looking to make those
(35:48):
improvements and safety as well.
April-Hope Wareham (35:50):
Yeah, absolutely.
I love the idea that, like mykids or my family's kids, like
if they're working at a grainelevator in the future, they're
still going to have a job right,Because we're not necessarily
eliminating people, but they'regoing to have a much safer job.
Their job is going to be in acab operating a crane, as
opposed to working on a bar,which can be very dangerous, for
example.
So I really really love beingable to do that kind of gift to
(36:13):
the future.
Jim Lenz, Director of Gl (36:14):
Likely .
We have all heard the phraselifelong learner.
I think you emulate that phrase.
What value does continuouslearning and professional
development mean to you?
April-Hope Wareham (36:26):
So, yes, I'm a very curious person.
I would say that for sure.
I think one of the best thingsthat you can do is just continue
to learn, whether it'sprofessional development and how
do I improve as a person, howdo I improve as a leader?
Or technical education andtechnical skills, because if
you're not constantly wanting toimprove on those, then you're
going to be stuck in the pastpretty darn soon.
(36:48):
A lot of what we've beentalking about with this whole
podcast today and this wholeconversation is just how quickly
this industry is moving forwardright now and how there's so
much of a need for it.
I think curiosity is one of thebest qualities anyone can have.
I would much rather have acurious worker than a genius
worker, right?
I think that that's one of thebest things you can do.
I am a continuous learner in alot of ways.
(37:09):
I love this industry.
I love different aspects of it.
Obviously, I'm a big part ofthe maritime industry as well,
just because of the work that Ido and what I work on.
So grain maritime, but I'm alsocurrently working on learning
Spanish.
My colleagues in Mexico wouldtell you that I'm not very good
yet.
They're correct, but justalways kind of trying to work on
(37:29):
new things.
I think the more that I learnabout the world, the more that I
learn that I don't know aboutthe world, and that's an
absolutely wonderful thing.
So I think that everybodyshould always, always be looking
for what they can learn next towhat they can find out, and
it's a absolutely wonderfulfeeling to know that you will
never know close to anything.
Jim Lenz, Director of Gl (37:49):
That's what curiosity does, or a
person who's highly curious,it's just, it's a continuous
improvement.
Hey, that's what we're talkingabout.
You know personally,professionally, and there's a
whole bunch of layers to that,whether it's academics from a
traditional institution, likeyou got your master's, or
through associations and you'reinvolved in multiple ones
(38:10):
through networking, learning newlanguages, to better support
team members, and that'sfantastic.
To better support team members,and that's fantastic.
April, we want to thank you forbeing a member of Gr ain
Elevator and Processing Societyand for your contribution to
International Education ProgramCommittee for Jeeps.
We know many of individualslistening to today's show are
Jeeps members, but we also havemany listeners who are not Jeeps
(38:34):
members at this time.
So, before we conclude, I'dlove to start a sentence and I'd
like for you to conclude thesentence.
April-Hope Wareham (38:41):
Being a Jeeps member means staying
connected to the industrythrough friends and education.
Jim Lenz, Director of (38:49):
Wonderful concise and it says a whole lot
right there.
April Hope, it was a specialtreat having you on the show to
discuss the exciting role ofcontinuous improvement as well
as your perspective on inclusion, advocacy and career
development in the grain andmaritime industries.
Thank you for serving as aguest on Whole Grain and
spending valuable time with theJeep's Whole Grain podcast
(39:09):
listeners.
April-Hope Wareham (39:10):
Thank you Really, appreciate your time as
well.
Jim Lenz, Director of Globa (39:13):
The Whole Grain Show is a
production of Jeep's the GrainElevator and Processing Society.
The Grain Elevator andProcessing Society is the
largest organization dedicatedto advancing the grain handling
and processing industry.
To learn more about how Jeepscan support you, your career and
your organization, be sure tovisit geaps.
com.
That's G-E-A-P-S dot com.
(39:34):
If you are a vendor or supplierof the industry, the Whole
Grain Podcast offers a terrificopportunity to spotlight your
business.
If you are interested in usdeveloping audio ads to support
your product or service, or ifyou and your organization want
to sponsor an episode and be afeatured guest, please reach out
to me.
Jim Lenz, director of GlobalEducation and Training at the
Grain Elevator ProcessingSociety and host and producer of
(39:57):
the show.
Education and training at theGrain Elevator Processing
Society and host and producer ofthe show.
My email is james at jeepscom,j-a-m-e-s at G-E-A-P-S dot com.
We look forward to connectingwith you.
Have yourself a great day andthanks for listening to Whole
Grain.
Curious about how the grain industry is
getting better every day?
Join us, as April- Hope Warehamshares, how continuous
improvement is making operationsmore efficient, boosting safety
, enhancing sustainability,adopting new technologies and
ensuring food quality like neverbefore.
Hello, food quality like neverbefore.
(00:26):
Hello, thank you for making theWhole Grain Podcast part of
your day.
Welcome, my name is Jim Lenz,your host and producer of the
show and the director of globaleducation and training at GEAPS,
where the mission of the GrainElevator and Processing Society
is to champion, connect andserve the global grain industry
and our members At Jeeps.
We work to be the globalcommunity and thought.
Serve the global grain industryand our members At Chiefs.
We work to be the globalcommunity and thought leader for
(00:47):
the grain industry, which feedsand fuels the world.
Thanks for listening today andfor joining the network of
thousands of other grainhandling and processing
professionals across the globetaking strategic steps to grow
professionally.
The Whole Grain Show will giveyou the competitive advantage to
win at work so you can makemore of an impact.
At the time of this episoderelease, it signifies a two-year
(01:08):
mark when we made the publicannouncement of the Whole Grain
Podcast, a forum for grainindustry professionals like you
to connect with this educationalchannel that takes learning on
the go.
Many of you listen to the showon your drive to work and some
listen while exercising.
We're excited to have you, nomatter what and how you connect
with the show, as we're excitedto announce that we've drawn
(01:28):
listeners from 76 countries injust two years of production.
We encourage you to share thisresource with other grain
professionals like you.
Be sure to catch up on pastWhole Grain podcast episodes.
We also encourage you to hitthe subscribe button on your
favorite podcast app so you'resure to receive the latest
episode on your phone as soon asit is released.
You can also connect with theshow at jeepscom forward slash
(01:52):
wholegrain.
Here you can see the show notesand the transcript of the show,
along with the audio player.
Now let's get ready to explorehow continuous improvement
practices are supporting thegrain industry.
Let's get started All right.
(02:20):
Our guest for today is theContinuous Improvement Grain
Lead for 30-plus interior grainterminals along and east of the
Mississippi River.
April- Hope Wareham has over adecade of barge blue water
shipping and rail operationsexperience.
She has also managed foodsafety for multiple grain
facilities.
She recently earned herMaster's of Science degree in
Supply Chain Management, with afocus on grain transportation.
From Michigan State University,april is also the National
(02:41):
Executive Secretary for Women inMaritime Operations Membership
Association and sits on theInternational Education
Programming Committee for JEEPS,and that's why everyone in the
JEEPS organization is so excitedto have April- Hope Wareham as
a featured guest on the show.
Thank you for your Whole Grain.
April-Hope Wareham (02:58):
Hey, thank you so much for having me.
I'm really excited to be here.
Jim Lenz, Director of Globa (03:01):
You have been so involved with
Jeeps, a lot of our members arevery aware of you and, if not
the work that you've done toproduce a lot of great education
for the biggest event in thegrain industry called the Jeeps
Exchange.
So we thank you for that.
To allow our listeners to getto know you and to start the
show with a bit of positivespirit, could you share with our
listeners perhaps a mantra orsuccess quote that you live by
(03:24):
professionally?
April-Hope Wareham (03:25):
Yes.
So you asked me to come up withthis one and I honestly, I'm
just going to say the first onethat I thought of, even though I
thought of a bunch of otherones after that, because it is
something that I literally thinkalmost every day, even though I
don't know.
I think it might sound a littlebit fancy, but it is a
Shakespeare quote.
It's from Hamlet, which is oneof my favorite plays there are
(03:47):
more things in heaven and earth,horatio, than are dreamt of in
your philosophy.
I can say it again a littleslower there are more things in
heaven and earth, horatio, thanare dreamt of in your philosophy
.
It's a great quote for mebecause it reminds me that the
world will always surprise you,to be open-minded and to
understand that everybody has adifferent experience and
(04:10):
everything that you see and findcan kind of show you something
new every day.
And it's a quote that I havelived by and have enjoyed
literally since, like highschool or college, and it's one
that always pops back into myhead.
So it's just one that I had toshare.
Jim Lenz, Director of Glob (04:25):
That is a beautiful sentiment.
Thank you for sharing that.
I feel bad for everybody who'sa guest afterwards, because when
they listen to your responseand you're quoting Shakespeare,
oh boy See that's what I wasconcerned about.
No one else has ever puttogether Shakespeare with the
grain industry before.
That I'm aware of, at leastthat I've encountered.
April-Hope Wareham (04:47):
He was the playwright for the masses.
It was just a few hundred yearsago, yeah.
Jim Lenz, Director of Glo (04:52):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Now, April, to provide somecontext for our listeners, could
you provide a bit more detailon your journey in the grain
industry?
I think listeners will find itvery interesting.
April-Hope Wareham (05:03):
Yes.
So I have been quite a numberof places and I joke that I
definitely don't look old enoughfor everything that.
I've done and everywhere I'vebeen, but I can promise you I am
.
So I started with Cargill alittle over 10 years ago and
that was kind of where my careerofficially started.
I was studying technicalsystems management at the
University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign, that's in the
(05:25):
ag engineering department thereand it's kind of a mix of ag
engineering and ag businessclasses and in the College of
ACES, so a line I represent.
I had an associate's degreealready, had worked for a couple
of years.
I thought that what I reallywanted to get into was food
production, and so that's why Istudied TSM.
I was only there for foursemesters and two semesters in.
(05:46):
I got the opportunity for asummer internship with Cargill
in Pipestone, minnesota.
It was at one of our farmservice centers, which is what
we called them back at that time, so grain elevator.
We also did crop inputs there.
So at the time Cargill stillowned our crop inputs business
in the United States and so youknow our fertilizer, herbicide,
pesticide, fungicide, seed.
(06:07):
I think we did a little bit ofseed there.
If I remember correctly, I mightbe wrong.
I realized that I just reallyfell in love with this side of
the industry.
I had always thought that Iwould be more in the production
side but I ended up being justkind of loving the place in the
supply chain.
That it was, that it was closerto the farmer, closer to
production, but at the same timesort of at this entry point to
(06:30):
the market where things couldkind of go anywhere and be
anything, where the grain couldgo anywhere and be anything.
I really really enjoyed it, hada great time, took every
opportunity that I could tolearn more about the industry.
I didn't grow up in a farmingfamily or a farming background,
so just really took a lot ofopportunity to learn what I
could and got offered afull-time position with Cargill.
(06:50):
So I started my traineeship.
Then, after finishing at U of Iand getting my bachelor's degree
, I started at Seneca, illinois,where we unloaded trucks and
loaded barges up on the IllinoisRiver and we also loaded
containers at that time.
So I got the opportunity to seekind of a different part of the
business as well, did mytraineeship in Seneca, was there
(07:11):
for about nine months and thengot sent to Scholesburg,
wisconsin, where I managed thatfacility.
I was supposed to be there fora few weeks, ended up being
there for eight or nine months,I think it was, which is the way
that things sometimes go andended up managing that facility
for that long.
That was also a grain and cropinputs facility and during the
(07:33):
time that I was there was whenCargill divested our crop inputs
business.
So I was there through thatdivestiture and that was another
fantastic experience.
So here I am, like barely ayear out of college and already
dealing with a huge plantdivestiture and going through
that, and really was a greatexperience for me and really
(07:55):
showed what Cargill is and wasas a company.
Because they said hey, you knowwhat, we believe in you, we
believe you can do this, we'regoing to give you the resources.
I was definitely on the phonewith lots of people every day
asking a lot of questions andthere were some fantastic people
who were really helpful duringthat time.
And, yeah, so after thatdivestiture I kind of had a few
(08:16):
different opportunities withinCargill but chose that the next
place I wanted to go was toexport and had some feedback
from folks Robert Taylor somefolks who've been around Jeeps
for a while probably know himand he'd been my manager or my
one-up manager for a couple ofyears and he said, hey, I think
(08:38):
you would really really like theGulf and so took a chance, went
down to West Wigo, louisiana.
I was a production supervisorthere for a couple of years,
learned stevedoring, which isthe shiploading process and
shiploading management that'show it's referred to in the
United States and really reallyloved that part of the business.
I loved export so much I wantedto see another part of it.
(08:59):
So I got the opportunity to goout to our joint venture, temco,
in Tacoma, washington.
I was out there for a few years,mostly as a stevedore.
Superintendent was what the jobrole was, but it was also a
production supervisor type role.
So various different operationsmanagement roles, took a couple
months and did a tempassignment and helped out at our
Tampa facility.
(09:20):
We used to have a facility inTampa, florida.
We did citrus pulp pelletsthrough there with very unique
for grain elevator experienceand then a few years ago got
asked to step into this role.
This continuous improvementlead role is a newly created
regional role for interior grainelevators and so ended up back
in this role and I live now inSt Paul, minnesota, and I helped
(09:44):
out 31 plants across 10 states.
Jim Lenz, Director of Globa (09:48):
Wow , so that's a great show.
Thank you for sharing that.
April-Hope Wareham (09:52):
It's a long story.
Jim Lenz, Director of Glob (09:54):
Yeah , it's diverse in such a short
period of time Kind of showcasesnumber one your curiosity in
general.
Two you aren't afraid to getafter things, learn new things,
educate yourself, ask questions,inquire and be open to new
opportunities and newperspectives.
That is really reallyinteresting background.
April-Hope Wareham (10:16):
Absolutely.
I've had a lot of really greatopportunities.
Jim Lenz, Director of Glob (10:18):
It's so nice.
Cargill has supported you andyou support Cargill and all the
team members there.
Now, as we kind of move alonghere in the conversation, I want
to provide some moreinformation about an
organization that you areinvolved with and that is the
Women in Maritime Operations.
It's a membership association.
You're definitely committed tothe organization.
(10:40):
You offer support to others,but I bet you get a lot of
return from your participationwith the organization.
You offer support to others,but I bet you get a lot of
return from your participationwith the organization as well,
not just offering to others, butI'm just curious about that.
If it's okay with you, I'd lovefor you to take this whole
grain podcast platform to sharewith others the work of Women in
Maritime Operations.
Tell us about the organization,april, and how it supports
(11:02):
others with networking,education, any other resources.
April-Hope Wareham (11:06):
Absolutely.
I would love to talk about WMOS.
So WMOS is short for Women inMaritime Operations.
It's an organization that wasformed when I was in New Orleans
and so I got to kind of beboots on the ground.
I wasn't one of the foundingmembers, but joined pretty soon
after, within a few months, andhelped kind of start it up.
So it's a very specificorganization.
(11:27):
It is geared toward women whowork in maritime operations
roles.
So that would be women who workfor companies that own, operate
charter vessels or otherwiseprovide some kind of services on
the water emergency services,engineering, essentially folks
who spend time on the water,whether that's at the terminal
level or sailing.
We also have a number of USCoast Guard members, some Navy
(11:50):
as well, some militarycontractors and Army Corps of
Engineers.
So we do offer free membershipto active duty military as well,
which has been really, reallyfantastic.
So the goal of WMOS is and hasalways been to bring women
together who work in maritimeoperations, to educate, engage
and elevate women in maritimeoperations, and so we are.
(12:14):
First and foremost we're aneducation organization.
We have now chapters all overthe country in different places.
It's not just a SouthernLouisiana thing anymore.
We're in the process of gettinga Twin Cities chapter started,
actually, and we have veryactive and busy chapters in
Houston area, Corpus Christiarea, west Kentucky, pacific
(12:34):
Northwest Ohio, river Valley, aswell as a number of other
chapters elsewhere.
So we just hit over a thousandmembers worldwide.
So we do have a few membersoutside of the US as well, and
we do things everywhere, fromopportunities for our members to
spend time in a simulator foropportunities for our members to
learn more about other parts ofthe industry.
(12:56):
For example, we've done someeducation sessions on tanker
barges for women who work onlyin bulk, maybe for their whole
career, or who have worked onlyblue water for most of their
career.
So you can learn a little bitabout a different part of the
industry.
And then, finally, there's alsojust this huge benefit in
networking.
One of the reasons that Wemoswas started we we sort of say is
(13:17):
golf.
We found that you know there'sa lot of things that happen out
on the golf course, that a lotof the time, women in the
industry and this is somethingwe see in grain as well right,
just don't get the opportunityto go and do, because we haven't
ever had the opportunity tolearn how to golf.
I learned how to golf throughWemos, and now I've been at a
(13:38):
number of events, whetherthey're Jeeps events or other
maritime specific events allover the country, because of all
the places I've lived andthat's because of Wemos and
that's gotten me the opportunityto be in front of people that I
wouldn't be able to be in frontof as well, to network with
people, and that's anotherreally fantastic thing.
So we do some of that.
We call it the sportingeducation type things as well,
(14:00):
as well as just generalnetworking, which sometimes is
really really important just tosee somebody who kind of looks
like you and might beexperiencing some of the same
stuff you have.
Wemos has been a huge success.
It was really came in at theright time.
We've seen a huge change in theindustry in the last decade and
I think Wemos is a big part ofthat.
We need it.
(14:21):
It's and we're able to help alot of people.
Fantastic mentorship program aswell.
So just a lot of really, reallycool things coming out of Wemos
.
We started our first juniorchapter at Texas A&M Galveston
this year, so just a lot ofreally great things.
I feel like I just talked a lotabout WMOS and I didn't really
take it in any particulardirection, but a really, really
(14:43):
great organization.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global (14:45):
I was just going to ask.
I know you said mentorshipprogram for someone maybe newer,
but also I was going to inquireabout post-secondary education
program.
So you did mention that it'salready getting started, so you
were one of the early members ofthe organization.
When did the organization start?
April-Hope Wareham (15:02):
2017.
We just, we just hit sevenyears Yep.
July of 2017.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global (15:07):
If I listen to you correctly, I
think you said there's athousand people.
April-Hope Wareham (15:11):
Yep, we have a thousand members, we hit a
thousand members earlier thisyear.
Jim Lenz, Director of Glob (15:15):
Yeah Wow, how'd you do that?
How'd the organization do that?
April-Hope Wareham (15:18):
A lot of word of mouth.
We definitely host recruitmentevents in the chapter areas
where where we're trying to grow, but a lot of of Wemos
membership came through word ofmouth, when one woman would join
and she, you know, found that,oh my goodness, I had the
opportunity to take a golflesson and you know, I paid dues
of.
You know, at this time dues are$250 for a year, right, and
(15:42):
everything is included once youpay that.
So, hey, I paid my dues and Igot the opportunity to learn
golf.
I got the opportunity to learnclay shooting.
I got the opportunity to go anddo a tour of a really, really
cool shipyard near me that Ididn't even know existed.
I got the opportunity to meet abunch of other people who I
wouldn't have had the chance tomeet otherwise, and she spreads
(16:04):
that to other women at hercompany or other women who she
works with, and it was a lot ofword of mouth for our initial
membership.
For sure, we have actively takena focus on recruitment in the
past year as well, with tryingto host recruitment events at
our local chapters that exist,as well as taking a greater
focus on what we call our seedchapters or areas of interest,
(16:25):
which is essentially hey, we'vegot an area of interest, We've
got a few women who areinterested and they're willing
to start a chapter here, solet's give them the resources
that they need and work towardsstarting a chapter in this area,
which is why we've been able toexpand so quickly.
So a couple of different things, but, honestly, the
organization really speaks foritself and it's been like I said
(16:46):
, I've been with theorganization since very close to
the beginning.
I was the national secretarythe first national secretary
that we had and I just started asecond term I guess it was
about a year ago now and so thatwill be my final term, because
we do two terms of five yearsand so I have been able to see
this organization grow fromsomething that was kind of a,
(17:10):
you know, small maybe we had 12,14 people who were, you know,
meeting up to just thepowerhouse that it is today.
That has the opportunity toreally touch a lot of lives and
bring a lot of people into thisindustry that we love, right,
Because that's really, reallyimportant.
Right now we have a hard timefinding workers, as it is for
these types of industries, andif you can find people who are
(17:37):
excited and who are reallywanting to break into the
industry and they just need amentor.
They're really wanting to breakinto the industry and they're
debating what should their majorbe in college?
They're looking for a careerchange.
All of that they're coming outof the military.
They're coming out of activeduty in the military and looking
for a civilian side job Allthese types of things WMOS has
had the opportunity to helppeople with as well.
Jim Lenz, Director of Glob (17:58):
That is fantastic.
What a wonderful organization.
I hope some of the listenershere of this Jeep's Whole Grain
podcast listen to it and theymay want to be involved.
Or, just as good, maybe theyknow someone who can lead them
there.
So that just leads to the nextquestion.
Perhaps some of our listenersmay be interested in know
somebody, in being a member ofthe organization who can join
(18:20):
women in maritime operations.
How do they become a member?
April-Hope Wareham (18:23):
Yeah.
So if a woman's interested inbecoming a member again have to
work for a company that doesmaritime operations, right.
And if you're interested or youthink you may or may not
qualify as a member or just havequestions, you can go to
WIMOSorg, w-i-m-o-sorg, andthere's a form that you can
submit for membership andthere's also a form that you can
(18:44):
submit if you know.
Hey, I'm not going to qualifyas a member, but I want to keep
up with what Wemos is doing.
I want to get the newsletters.
I want to get information aboutupcoming fundraisers and our
upcoming golf tournament.
I'll put in a plug for that iscoming up in a few weeks in
October, down in near NewOrleans for those types of
(19:04):
things.
You can also sign up for thatnewsletter on our website as
well.
Jim Lenz, Director of (19:09):
Fantastic .
All right, that's an importantmessage.
Now let's kind of lookingforward to our conversation here
as well on continuousimprovement.
Let's start by definingcontinuous improvement in the
grain industry.
What does it mean?
In your role?
What are some of the key areasfor focus for continuous
(19:30):
improvement at grain terminalsin particular?
April-Hope Wareham (19:34):
Yeah.
So that's a fantastic question.
I will say that continuousimprovement kind of takes on a
different flavor depending onthe industry that you're looking
at.
It's going to look reallydifferently, for example, in a
large hospital system than it isin a massive protein plant,
which means it's going to lookdifferent at a grain elevator
and you know.
So some of the things that wesee as this very, very
(19:56):
traditional continuousimprovement right, this you know
, constant push for rateprogression, constant push for
improvement, improvement,improvement over times, over
quality may not exactly fitpuzzle piece into a grain
elevator.
However, there are a lot ofthings from that basic
(20:19):
continuous improvement and leanmethodology that we can use at
grain elevators.
So the first step that I wouldtalk about is the word kaizen,
which probably a lot of peoplemay or may not have heard, but
we use it a lot of the time inthe US with regard to having a
very specific process change,continuous improvement, discrete
(20:40):
event.
But the word kaizen it's aJapanese word.
It means good change and itessentially is the basis and the
backbone for a lot of themodern lean methodologies that
we use today.
It means that change is goodand that we want to try new
things essentially, the basisbehind Kaizen is a really good
(21:01):
one, and it's just listening andunderstanding and truly
understanding the people who dothe work and the job that we do.
So one of the things that Ireally think is a huge benefit
if you're wanting to start somesort of a continuous improvement
or lean methodology at yourgreen elevators is, if you've
got people in charge of it,bring people who've done the
work, and I think that thatmakes a huge difference.
(21:22):
And if they're not peoplewho've done the work but you say
, hey, I want this personbecause they've got a really
great perspective.
They're kind of an outsider,but, man, it seems like they
know a lot.
Make sure that that's someonewho's willing to listen,
understand, respect what we'vebuilt.
The grain industry is literallyone of the oldest industries,
possibly the oldest industry inthe world, right, if we're
(21:46):
looking at when people startedstoring grain 10,000 years ago,
we are still doing some of thesame things.
So there are some things thatwork.
So understand what we built,understand that legacy of grain
operations, while alsochallenging ourselves and
leaving room for the new and forleaving room to try new things.
Grain, this organization, thisindustry, is always changing.
(22:08):
We aren't the same as we were30 or 50 years ago.
And you know we're not going tobe the same in 50 years from
now.
There's going to be things thatare going to change.
There's going to be newtechnologies that are going to
become available, the workforceis changing, the way that we
relate to the world is changing,and so I would say there's so
(22:30):
much that you can do with acontinuous improvement
methodology in the grainindustry, while kind of really
respecting that old but alsokind of focusing on the new.
One big thing for us over thelast few years and I know that
this is the case in Cargill, Ialso know because I talked to CI
folks at other grain companiesis that we're really trying to
(22:52):
move toward a little bit more ofa data-driven focus.
For many years we just kind ofhey, we do what we can do, but
trying to move towardunderstanding our mix and blend
on a tighter level, becausethat's what our customers want.
Now, right, trying tounderstand hey, what does our
cycle time look like?
How fast are we able to dumptrucks and get farmers out of
(23:13):
here so that they can get backto the field and get back to
doing what they need to do?
The younger generation offarmers.
They want that right.
So trying to kind of get alittle bit more of a data-driven
approach where we can and tryand upgrade our systems where we
can, we can and try and upgradeour systems where we can.
Well, at the same timeunderstanding that, you know, we
(23:37):
really need to understand thatwe're not a business effort
that's going to make lots andlots and lots of money.
So working with what we have isalso a big part of the
continuous improvementmethodology that I've worked
with in Green.
Jim Lenz, Director of Globa (23:46):
Now for someone working in the
field of continuous improvementor is considering a career in
this area.
What are some common challengesfaced when implementing
continuous improvementstrategies, or are there never
any challenges?
April-Hope Wareham (24:00):
Oh my goodness.
Well, first of all, I would notbe in this job if there were
never any challenges, because Iwould be so bored.
But yeah, so I think probablyone of the big challenges is the
financial aspect.
Right, that's always going tobe a challenge in every business
that you ever work for, whetheryou're working at a university
(24:21):
or you're working at SpaceX.
Right, cost is always going tobe a constraint and a bit
ingrained.
We tend to see that a littlebit more, especially just as
margins get tighter and as wekind of keep a closer eye on our
pocketbooks, right, so that'salways going to be a big
challenge is how can we workwith what we have?
How can we do something in away that is safe and that is
(24:44):
also really efficient, but we'renot going to break the bank and
we're not going to be doingthis huge capital expenditure
that maybe we want and need butdon't need as badly.
So there's a lot of costbenefit analysis that goes on in
this side of the business.
For that I would say.
Another big challenge,especially when I was starting
(25:05):
in continuous improvement, isthat continuous improvement
tends to sometimes leave a badtaste in people's mouths, and
that's why I talked about itbeing so, so important to listen
and understand and respect whatwe've built when starting at
some sort of a lean practice inyour business, because green in
particular sometimes has beenthe recipient of a
(25:27):
one-size-fits-all.
Hey, we're going to try thislean methodology and we're just
going to like, force it on us.
And it doesn't work right,because it was designed for a
protein plant that's running 24hours a day, seven days a week,
always doing the same thing.
Or a crush plant that you know,24 hours a day, seven days a
week.
Hey, we have a minimum amountof oil that we need to produce
(25:50):
for our customers.
And in grain, that's different,right?
Continuous improvementliterally looks different at
different times of the yearDuring harvest, for example, or
during your busier season, likeif you're on the Illinois River,
your busier season's a littleoutside of harvest, for example,
but during those busy times,continuous improvement is maybe
going to look a little bit morelike that.
You know how fast can we gettrucks through and do it safely
(26:13):
and do it without breakingthings.
But continuous improvementduring other times of the year
might look a little bit morelike problem solving or might
look a little bit more liketrying to use your resources in
a bit more of a creative way.
I think that that's one of thebig challenges coming in is that
, hey, like we've done CI in thepast, we've done Lean in the
(26:36):
past, it doesn't work for GrainEndgame.
I don't want to listen to youand instead figuring out okay,
hey, there are some gems in this, how do we fit that to Grain?
And that's been one of the bigchallenges over the years and
has been a lot of fun.
We've messed up on a lot ofthings, we've tried a lot of
things and been like man, youknow what?
This just is not working.
We're going to throw it out thewindow and try something new.
(26:58):
So challenges, but a lot of funwhen you, when you have the
opportunity to try new thingsand throw them out the window if
they don't work that's, that'sthe best kind of job.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global (27:12):
So yeah, wonderful Thanks.
Now, what opportunities existfor growth and efficiency gains
in the grain and maritimesectors?
April-Hope Wareham (27:16):
Oh my gosh.
So there is so much.
It's such an interesting timeto be in food production in
general.
So I'm, like I said, no shameabout my age.
I was born in 1990.
The world population when I wasborn 5.3 billion.
The world population now justover 8 billion.
That is an insane amount ofgrowth right.
(27:38):
We are experiencing exponentialpopulation growth and somewhere
around to 10% of the world'spopulation is experiencing food
insecurity right now, whichmeans they are not sure where
their next meal is coming from.
They're hungry.
We have a lot of opportunitiesto be sort of this, to change
(27:59):
that right, because we sit,we're kind of the center of the
food supply chain.
We have this really goodopportunity right now to create
a more sustainable, moreresilient food system.
So a lot of what opportunitiesexist right now and this is
something that Cargill is reallyfocused on is trying to drive
that global food security,nourish the world in a safe,
(28:22):
responsible and sustainable way.
So I'll give some example ofsome things that Cargill is
doing to kind of meet theseopportunities.
So one really cool thing thatwe've been doing is we have the
RegenConnect program thatrewards farmers for positive
environmental outcomes, soessentially rewards farmers for
adopting carbon neutralstrategies or regenerative
(28:43):
agriculture practices.
We also are exploring somereally cool opportunities with
crops like winter camelina.
I got the opportunity to kindof see that at our crush plant
in West Fargo a couple of yearsago.
It's just this tiny, tinylittle seed, but very oil rich
seed and something that can alsobe planted off season and can
help with soil quality.
(29:05):
And we're also doing someexperimentation with pennycress,
which is another crop that canbe grown to as a decarbonization
crop, can improve soil quality,gives farmers a cash crop and
it acts like a cover crop.
So that's something that's alittle bit newer.
I think pennycress has like a30% oil content or something
like that.
So, again, really greatopportunity for renewable fuel.
(29:28):
And when I'm talking about oilwith regard to Camelino or
pennycress, that's a greatopportunity for renewable fuel.
So biodiesel, renewable airlinefuel, things like that.
So there's a lot ofopportunities right now to kind
of figure out what are thelatest food trends as well.
What do our customers want?
Our customers who everybody fromthe family that's sitting down
(29:50):
at the table to eat dinner atnight to the parent, who's, you
know, driving as fast as theycan to pick up three different
kids from three differentpractices in the evening and
wants a quick meal.
To our customers who areproducers and who want something
safe for their livestock, toour renewable energy customers
and also to our worldwidecustomers Cargill's in over 60
(30:12):
countries.
We have a lot of differentcustomer needs as well.
So in general, just going backto kind of outside of Cargill
and just looking at us globally,looking at the supply chain
globally, there's a lot ofopportunities to serve new
customer bases as people's needschange, as people's habits
change and as we develop newtrends.
(30:34):
So there's definitely a lotthat's going on and I know we're
going to talk kind of aboutinnovations and future trends in
a little bit, so I won't jumpon that too much.
I'll focus a little bit more onelevators specifically in the
next question.
But globally, I think a lot ofthe opportunities that we have
right now as grain elevators isthat we just have this really
really cool time in historywhere we have the opportunity to
(30:56):
figure out how can we mostefficiently, most sustainably,
grow the most amount of food,because the world population is
exploding and we really, reallyneed it.
Jim Lenz, Director of Globa (31:09):
Wow , fantastic, and there's some
incredible initiatives andprograms that Cargill has taken
on and other organizations aswell, so that's really special
to hear from you Now, as aresult of this conversation, you
may be I think you are and itwill be inspiring listeners to
consider a career in the grainand maritime industries, and
(31:31):
maybe there's even folks incollege who are listening to
this and they want to know moreabout continuous improvement in
that field.
What skills and qualificationsare essential for a successful
career in these fields?
What advice do you have foryoung professionals and those
looking to transition into theindustry?
April-Hope Wareham (31:50):
So I think one of the first things I would
say is yes, this is for you.
Traditionally, this is a careerpath that, a lot of times,
people don't even know about ordon't have the opportunity to
pursue, unless you have grown upin that industry already.
For example, you have a parentwho worked in an elevator.
You have parents orgrandparents who are farmers.
(32:12):
What we're seeing is that weneed more and more people
because this is such animportant industry.
This is literally the career ofthe future.
You get to feed the world.
You get to figure out how to doit in a sustainable way, even
if this isn't something thatyou've heard of before or this
isn't something that you haveever considered before.
We need people like that.
As the world changes, as wekind of try and do more with
(32:35):
less, like I was talking about,as we try and make a difference
and as we try and feed more andmore people, we need as many
different perspectives as we canfind, and so I think that what
we really need is somebody who'scurious, wants to ask a lot of
questions and interested inpursuing a career in just this
really, really unique way and,as you can see with my career
(32:57):
personally.
It can take you a lot ofdifferent places and you can
really get some greatopportunities through that.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global (33:03):
I also want to jump on a question
about working in continuousimprovement within the industry.
How does their job align withsafety and sustainability
efforts of an organization?
April-Hope Wareham (33:14):
Ooh, that's a great question.
So I would say that the kind ofcool thing is, if you're
working in operations or you'reworking in continuous
improvement, you kind of get tobe on the front end of those
innovations and future trends.
So, for example, you would getthe opportunity to play around
with new safety innovations.
Some cool examples would be.
Well, I'll give an exportexample and then I'll give an
(33:36):
interior example.
So in export, we have a reallyfantastic team down at our
Reserve Louisiana Grain Elevator.
Heather Brewer is at theforefront of that team and she
worked with a company recentlyto create a new type of crane
essentially it's called a spidercolloquially that can lift the
top off of barges without peoplehaving to climb all over the
(33:59):
barges, where we used to, andthrow heavy chains.
So that's just a really coolexample of, hey, you get to work
with companies to develop a newtechnology and to hone it in
and to work with it and to makeit really, really cool.
And it is definitely a safetyinnovation as well.
One of the most dangerous thingsthat we do in this industry and
everybody who works in thisindustry knows if you work with
(34:20):
barges, one of the mostdangerous things you do is work
on barges, and if you work onrail cars one of the with rail
cars, one of the most dangerousthings you do is working with
rail cars.
So another cool thing that we'vegotten the opportunity to play
around with in the US are theGreenbrier pneumatically
operated rail cars.
So it's the hatches on top thatare pneumatically operated.
(34:40):
They hook up to plant aircompressors and, without
individuals having to put ontheir fall protection, climb on
top of rail cars to open andclose.
All you have to do is, at theground level, hook up.
That same individual who wouldnormally have been on top of the
rail car at the ground level,hooks up air to the top of the
hatch and opens up the hatch,and so we've had the opportunity
(35:00):
to work with that company onthose as well.
It's actually technology that'sused and is really prevalent in
Australia, for example, buthasn't quite hit the US yet.
So if you work whether it's inoperations, whether it's in
continuous improvement you getthe opportunity to work with
some of those really really coolfront of the line sort of
safety innovation that are a lotof fun.
(35:21):
That's what I can kind of thinkof off the top of my head, but
I'm sure that there's definitelymore.
Jim Lenz, Director of Globa (35:26):
Wow , that's very exciting.
Yeah, You're kind ofeliminating that human being
from some of those verydangerous jobs loading grain,
unloading grain.
That's great that you showcasethat, because maybe someone
heading into this area may notrealize.
I mean the grain industry.
They're innovators and Cargillcertainly is and working and
partnering with organizationsthat are looking to make those
(35:48):
improvements and safety as well.
April-Hope Wareham (35:50):
Yeah, absolutely.
I love the idea that, like mykids or my family's kids, like
if they're working at a grainelevator in the future, they're
still going to have a job right,Because we're not necessarily
eliminating people, but they'regoing to have a much safer job.
Their job is going to be in acab operating a crane, as
opposed to working on a bar,which can be very dangerous, for
example.
So I really really love beingable to do that kind of gift to
(36:13):
the future.
Jim Lenz, Director of Gl (36:14):
Likely .
We have all heard the phraselifelong learner.
I think you emulate that phrase.
What value does continuouslearning and professional
development mean to you?
April-Hope Wareham (36:26):
So, yes, I'm a very curious person.
I would say that for sure.
I think one of the best thingsthat you can do is just continue
to learn, whether it'sprofessional development and how
do I improve as a person, howdo I improve as a leader?
Or technical education andtechnical skills, because if
you're not constantly wanting toimprove on those, then you're
going to be stuck in the pastpretty darn soon.
(36:48):
A lot of what we've beentalking about with this whole
podcast today and this wholeconversation is just how quickly
this industry is moving forwardright now and how there's so
much of a need for it.
I think curiosity is one of thebest qualities anyone can have.
I would much rather have acurious worker than a genius
worker, right?
I think that that's one of thebest things you can do.
I am a continuous learner in alot of ways.
(37:09):
I love this industry.
I love different aspects of it.
Obviously, I'm a big part ofthe maritime industry as well,
just because of the work that Ido and what I work on.
So grain maritime, but I'm alsocurrently working on learning
Spanish.
My colleagues in Mexico wouldtell you that I'm not very good
yet.
They're correct, but justalways kind of trying to work on
(37:29):
new things.
I think the more that I learnabout the world, the more that I
learn that I don't know aboutthe world, and that's an
absolutely wonderful thing.
So I think that everybodyshould always, always be looking
for what they can learn next towhat they can find out, and
it's a absolutely wonderfulfeeling to know that you will
never know close to anything.
Jim Lenz, Director of Gl (37:49):
That's what curiosity does, or a
person who's highly curious,it's just, it's a continuous
improvement.
Hey, that's what we're talkingabout.
You know personally,professionally, and there's a
whole bunch of layers to that,whether it's academics from a
traditional institution, likeyou got your master's, or
through associations and you'reinvolved in multiple ones
(38:10):
through networking, learning newlanguages, to better support
team members, and that'sfantastic.
To better support team members,and that's fantastic.
April, we want to thank you forbeing a member of Gr ain
Elevator and Processing Societyand for your contribution to
International Education ProgramCommittee for Jeeps.
We know many of individualslistening to today's show are
Jeeps members, but we also havemany listeners who are not Jeeps
(38:34):
members at this time.
So, before we conclude, I'dlove to start a sentence and I'd
like for you to conclude thesentence.
April-Hope Wareham (38:41):
Being a Jeeps member means staying
connected to the industrythrough friends and education.
Jim Lenz, Director of (38:49):
Wonderful concise and it says a whole lot
right there.
April Hope, it was a specialtreat having you on the show to
discuss the exciting role ofcontinuous improvement as well
as your perspective on inclusion, advocacy and career
development in the grain andmaritime industries.
Thank you for serving as aguest on Whole Grain and
spending valuable time with theJeep's Whole Grain podcast
(39:09):
listeners.
April-Hope Wareham (39:10):
Thank you Really, appreciate your time as
well.
Jim Lenz, Director of Globa (39:13):
The Whole Grain Show is a
production of Jeep's the GrainElevator and Processing Society.
The Grain Elevator andProcessing Society is the
largest organization dedicatedto advancing the grain handling
and processing industry.
To learn more about how Jeepscan support you, your career and
your organization, be sure tovisit geaps.
com.
That's G-E-A-P-S dot com.
(39:34):
If you are a vendor or supplierof the industry, the Whole
Grain Podcast offers a terrificopportunity to spotlight your
business.
If you are interested in usdeveloping audio ads to support
your product or service, or ifyou and your organization want
to sponsor an episode and be afeatured guest, please reach out
to me.
Jim Lenz, director of GlobalEducation and Training at the
Grain Elevator ProcessingSociety and host and producer of
(39:57):
the show.
Education and training at theGrain Elevator Processing
Society and host and producer ofthe show.
My email is james at jeepscom,j-a-m-e-s at G-E-A-P-S dot com.
We look forward to connectingwith you.
Have yourself a great day andthanks for listening to Whole
Grain.
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