February 7, 2024 • 32 mins
Join Jim Lenz, host of the Whole Grain Podcast and GEAPS’ director of training and education, as he delves into the world of grain silo maintenance innovations with Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO and president of Custom Concrete Specialists (CCS Group). In this episode, Jim and Cheyenne explore the groundbreaking use of drone inspection services in the grain industry.
Discover the breadth and depth of CCS Group’s services as Cheyenne provides insights into their projects and the role of drone technology in grain silo maintenance. Gain a deeper understanding of the drone inspection process, from tailoring inspections to post-inspection data extraction and report generation.
Explore how drone inspections have transformed the grain silo inspection process, emphasizing efficiency, effectiveness and safety. Learn about the collaboration and decision-making involved in addressing critical issues uncovered by drone inspections.
As the episode ends, find out how you can connect with CCS Group to learn more about advancements in grain silo maintenance and catch them at the upcoming GEAPS Exchange. Plus, hear Cheyenne’s perspective on what it means to be part of the GEAPS family.
Tune in to Whole Grain for an engaging discussion on the future of grain silo maintenance and the role of innovative technologies like drone inspections.
Links:
- CCS Group Website: https://www.ccsgrouponline.com/
- Read CCS Group’s blog on The Drone Inspection Process: From Desire to Data Deliverables
- CCS Group’s Facebook Page
- CCS Group’s LinkedIn Page
- CCS Group on X
- CCS Group on Instagram
- Jim Lenz, Host/Producer of Whole Grain and GEAPS’ director of training and education: LinkedIn Page
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.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jim Lenz (00:05):
In this episode.
Buckle up as we take flightinto the world of grain silo
maintenance, where drones arethe new superheroes.
We'll soar into the sky withCheyenne Wohlford exploring the
groundbreaking world of droneinspection services in the grain
industry.
Hello and welcome to the show.
(00:27):
Welcome to the Whole GrainPodcast.
My name is Jim Lenz, your hostand producer of the show and the
director of global training andeducation at GEAPS, where the
mission of the grain elevatorand processing societies to
champion, connect and serve theglobal grain industry and our
members.
At GEAPS.
We work to be the globalcommunity and thought leader for
the grain industry, which feedsand fuels the world.
Thanks for listening today andfor joining the network of
(00:50):
thousands of other grainhandling and processing
professionals across the globetaking strategic steps to grow
professionally.
The Whole Grain show gives youthe competitive advantage to win
at work so you can make more ofan impact.
In this episode of Whole Grain,our guest is Cheyenne Wohlford.
Cheyenne is the CEO andpresident of CCS Group LLC, a
(01:11):
leader in structural assessmentsand maintenance for grain
elevators.
With a wealth of experience andaffiliations in the grain
industry, Cheyenne sharesinsights into the innovative
drone inspection servicesprovided by CCS Group.
Cheyenne delves into theadoption of drone inspection
services, discussing the initialbenefits and surprises
(01:31):
encountered during theirimplementation.
Listeners gain an understandingof tailoring inspection
processes to desired outcomes,along with the differences
between routine checks andemergency responses.
Cheyenne shares compellingexamples of how drone
inspections have uncoveredcritical issues and informed
repair decisions.
(01:52):
She also outlines thepost-inspection process,
including data extraction, videoediting and report generation.
He emphasizes how thesefindings drive key repair
decisions and points of interest.
We'll also discuss theimportance of collaboration and
informed decision making in therepair process His explorers
ensuring stakeholders areequipped with critical insights.
Cheyenne shares how droneinspections have revolutionized
(02:16):
grain silo maintenance,emphasizing their modern and
innovative solutions thatstreamline decision making and
enhance safety.
Join us as we explore thecutting edge advancements in
grain silo maintenance withCheyenne Wohlford.
Let's get started All right.
(02:43):
Our guest for today is a verywell connected individual within
the grain industry.
Cheyenne Wohlford is a graduateof the American Concrete
Institute and founded CCS GroupLLC in 2009.
As CEO and president of customconcrete specialists, Cheyenne
leads a talented team and set ofteams in structural assessments
(03:03):
, preventative maintenance andemergency repairs for terminal
and country grain elevators.
He is a member of GEAPS, theNational Grain and Feed
Association, the AmericanShotcrete Association and the
American Concrete Institute.
That's why it's exciting towelcome Cheyenne Wohlford to the
show.
Thank you for yourparticipation and whole grain
(03:23):
Cheyenne.
Thank you, Jim.
Thanks for the opportunity.
We're excited to be here.
The organization plays acritical role in the grain
handling and processing industry.
We'll get into that and we'lltalk a specific sector of what
you do here in this particularepisode.
But to allow our listeners toget to know you, to add a bit of
positive spirit to Cheyenne,could you share with our
listeners a mantra or a successquote that you live by
(03:45):
professionally?
Cheyenne Wohlford, C (03:46):
Absolutely Jim.
My team can tell you.
Probably one of our biggestmantras is worry about the
what's and not the what ifs.
So we're here to educate andobviously worry about the what's
and not the what ifs.
Jim Lenz (03:59):
Wonderful.
Thank you for sharing.
Now, to provide some contextfor our whole grain listeners
who are joining us today fromreally all around the world,
cheyenne, could you provide abrief overview of your
organization, ccs Group?
Our listeners may be curious ofthe actual depth and scope of
your services.
Big picture wise, what are someexamples of the projects that
(04:19):
your team works on?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Pre (04:21):
Yeah , jim, big picture wise.
We repair concrete grainelevators all throughout the US,
which would include exteriorconcrete and spalling repair,
shock-free liner installation,hopper repair and hopper
installation, beam pocket repairutilizing carbon fiber
technology.
Catastrophic and rupturerepairs, unfortunately when
(04:42):
needed.
And of course the topic today,the drug technology, so kind of
a turnkey in the grain industryas far as a repair aspect.
Jim Lenz (04:51):
Concrete silos have been such a staple for the
industry.
They have a long life, but careneeds to be taken and make sure
the long life continues, andyour organization has played
such a crucial role.
So most of the rest of ourconversation here will focus on
one particular area, and it ison innovations in grain silo
maintenance, in particular,drone inspections and services.
(05:13):
Cheyenne CCS Group currentlyoffers drones for grain silo
maintenance right and as youinitially explore the potential
adoption of drone inspectionservices, what were some
benefits of using drones forin-depth visual inspections, and
are you seeing some of thosesame benefits now that you are
(05:35):
executing the use of drones forinspection services?
Has anything surprised you?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Pre (05:41):
Yeah , that's a great question, Jim.
Kind of back to our mantras,worrying about the what's and
not the what ifs.
This technology allows us todetermine exactly what the
what's are and so as we startedto explore utilizing drones.
As far as our inspectionprocess, you know, obviously
we're looking at the safetyaspect of it not having to lower
myself particularly inside thesilos anymore to capture those
(06:05):
videos or to make thoseinspections.
You know, to make thoseinspections more timely so that
we can go out and hopefullyinspect an entire facility
either in a day or a couple days, versus spending a week and
maybe really causing adisruption to the facility and
then also just getting the morein-depth piece of that, so that
(06:25):
what we're capturing is betterthan a dusty video or a picture
of me swinging from a Boseman'schair inside of a bin.
So that was really thehighlights of when we started to
explore this.
As far as part two of thatquestion has it come to fruition
, it's exactly what we expectedand more.
The capabilities to slow downand get a better quality picture
(06:48):
or video of an area obviouslyhas been crucial.
The amount of time it actuallytakes to inspect these silos has
been minimized quite profusely.
It's kind of been eye-openingnow that we're spending 15 to 30
minutes inside of a bin andactually getting then what used
to take us an hour to two hours,with all the safety protocols
(07:09):
of the rigging and fallprotection and such.
So we've been extremely happywith that and, of course, the 4k
video and high-def pictures andthe light art point cloud has
just been a great addition tothis.
So, yeah, we're really excitedabout taking the leap of faith
and pulling the trigger on that.
Jim Lenz (07:29):
Oh, that's fantastic.
And now that listenersunderstand the clear purpose on
the use of the drones in theinspection process, can you
discuss the importance oftailoring the inspection process
?
You know, customizing that tothe desired outcome?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Pre (07:44):
Yeah , absolutely.
Each drone inspection that isrequested of CCS kind of comes
with a specific purpose.
It's either a 911 call ofhaving a very specific issue
either concrete being locatedinside of the grade man or
plugging up a conveyor ordischarge or sometimes we've
(08:05):
gotten phone calls of woodpieces being found and, of
course, the client wanting toknow where all this debris is
coming from.
Other times it's from apreventative maintenance aspect,
where we tailor it with a fullpackage of the GPR scanning and
the visual inspections.
Where they're more wanting toget a baseline health check, if
you will, they want to get aphysical done on their silos.
(08:28):
So we're able to kind of tailorour response to exactly what
the either engineer or client'srequest is specifically.
Jim Lenz (08:37):
We'll be back after a brief message.
Custom concrete specialist hasyou covered with concrete silo
repairs.
Having completed over 1500projects, ccs is a nation's
leader in structural assessments, preventative maintenance and
emergency repairs for terminaland country grade elevators.
Ccs is dedicated to providingadvanced evaluation technology,
(08:58):
a skilled and experienced teamand unwavering commitment to
safety.
Ccs provides nationwideservices of shot creek liners,
catastrophic failure repairs,carbon fiber solutions, crack
and spalling repairs, hopperinstallation and repairs and
rough coatings.
Visit their website at www.
CCSgrouponlinecom.
Earlier, you alluded to thedifferent sort of use cases of
(09:24):
drones.
Can you share how theinspection process differs based
on whether it's a routinehealth check or an emergency
response situation?
Cheyenne Wohlford, C (09:34):
Absolutely as far as a routine health
check or a physical, if you will.
These flights are typicallylonger in duration and we're
trying to collect as much dataas possible.
So we're really not in therelooking for anything in
particular, we're just checkingblood pressure and heartbeat.
So we're using that information, potentially for future repair
(09:54):
or future review, if you will.
So that type of inspectionallows you to have a time
stamped data collection processthat you can then go back maybe
any year's time and refly thatexact location and see if
there's any changes or anydramatic features that are
starting to show their face overthe course of a set period of
(10:16):
time, whereas an emergencyresponse piece it's usually
where they're looking for a veryspecific damaged area.
They're needing to make a veryquick decision.
Either it's do we replace therough cap or do we install new
rough beams in the structure.
So we're really flying in thereto determine what's existing
(10:37):
and what its condition is, andso therefore, the data can be
kind of localized for whateverthe specific case is.
So, like I said, the healthcheck version is usually a
longer, in depth flight.
We're just flying and seeing ifwe see any anomalies, any
issues.
We're not specifically going toone location.
Whereas the emergency responseis usually quick, it's very
(10:59):
effective in and out, gatheringthe data, typically meeting with
the engineer, sometimes on site, and pulling that data off
right there in real time andhaving a team of professionals
with us that can deliver thatASAP.
Jim Lenz (11:13):
That's a great summary of the different scenarios.
I'd love to dive a little bitdeeper into the different
examples that could come aboutthat drones may discover in the
inspection process and youmentioned a couple of things,
but can you provide sort ofexamples of how drone
inspections have beeninstrumental in uncovering
(11:33):
unknown issues and facilitating,ultimately, key repair
decisions?
Cheyenne Wohlford, C (11:38):
Absolutely Just here recently, jam, we
inspected a facility whichentailed 38 silos in total and
delivered that information notonly to the client but to the
client's third party engineer,which then helped determine
which silo caps actually neededto be fully removed or replaced
or what structural beams neededto be either reinstalled or
(12:01):
having some additional supportadded so that it wouldn't be a
full-on roof cap removal.
In the end we're able to narrowdown the repair scope,
obviously save the client apretty significant amount of
money but furthermore helpminimize the facility downtime
by not having to remove all theentire rough structure of a
(12:21):
facility.
We were actually very specificand narrowed it down to two of
the rough caps, versus removingthe whole entire 38, what I
would call the whole annex roughcap and exposing way more than
what was necessary.
So in the end it was kind ofwin-win for everybody.
It was a win for the client but, like I said, to reduce that
(12:42):
financial aspect of the outlayof the expenditure.
It was a win for the engineerbecause we really give them
great detailed information thatthey felt confident and not
necessarily having to lean backon their conservativeness of
just saying, well, it went inquestion, just replace it.
They were really felt confidentin the decision-making of we
(13:04):
are still being conservative,but we have real, accurate data
that's allowing us to be thataccurate and conservative.
And then, of course, for us,for my team when I send the
repair team in to make thoserepairs the crews they know
exactly what they're looking for, where it's not a blind leading
the blind and we're not doingexploratory type repairs, we're
(13:28):
very surgical and removingpieces and parts.
We've seen the benefits on ourcrews and the specialization of
just knowing exactly wherethey're headed and what they're
doing.
So it's been a great tool foreverybody in our opinion.
Jim Lenz (13:42):
We'll be back after a brief message.
Located in Sioux Center, Iowa,Interstates offers electrical
construction, electricalengineering and control system
solutions.
For over 70 years they havetackled complex challenges and
developed innovative solutionsfor grain handling facilities
around the country.
Interstate brings their clientsa wide breadth of experience in
the grain industry, fromgreenfield builds to support for
(14:05):
existing facilities, includingupgrades, service calls and
ongoing maintenance.
They do what it takes todeliver your solution on
schedule, on budget and ontarget with your needs.
Come visit them at the GEAPSExchange or contact them today
at www.
interstates.
com.
So CCS Group doing great work.
You upped your game even morewith drone inspections.
(14:27):
If you can provide clarity foryour clients and you said the
word confidence a lot that'ssuch a good feeling and downtime
is so critical in facilities.
You mentioned that it would bekind of neat to take a sort of
trip in the day in the life of adrone inspection your
auditorially at this pointthrough the podcast here, but I
(14:50):
would imagine our whole grainpodcast listeners may be curious
on that aspect.
In a day in the life of droneinspection, cheyenne, could you
offer some understanding of thepost inspection process,
including data extraction andreport generation?
Cheyenne Wohlford, C (15:04):
Absolutely yeah.
So you know it's a great timethat's one of my favorite times
is to be on site and interactwith the client collecting that
data.
It's neat to see that all kindof in bold in your eyes, but the
job's not done there.
It's actually the harder piececomes into play of actually
downloading that data collectedin the field and of course those
are large data files that takea very specific software and
(15:26):
team to kind of digest.
So once the inspection is donein field, I would say that's 10%
of our job.
The other 90% is remaining iscoming back and utilize our
marketing director and a veryspecific software that allows
her to make the edits to thedrone videos.
She takes a lot of pride inediting all my crashes bouncing
(15:49):
against the wall out of thoseflight, but it doesn't look
chaotic in the moment.
She then turns that into a verynice streamlined deliverable to
our clients.
So downloading that informationand into a Dropbox link that
hopefully is easy to open andshare with the team, but it even
gets a little bit further downin detail.
(16:11):
We utilize a software that thenallows us to do a point cloud
from a light art version.
The newest addition to ourdrone team is the Yelios 3, and
it actually has a light art hubattached to the drone.
So it's constantly collecting apoint cloud or point of
interest, and that enabled us to3D map the silo as well.
(16:34):
So it's kind of neat.
You can actually see a liveview of the drone as it's in
flight and she's foot screamsthat and puts it into the light
art view, the point cloud, ifyou will, or the 3D model.
So in one particular screen youcan see what the drone is
seeing in live view as it'scollected.
And if you look to your leftyou can see where the drone is
(16:56):
located in that specific bin,what direction it's facing, what
the view like is of the droneif it's turned to the left or
the right, if it's side lit, ifit's fully lit.
It's really neat to kind of seethat unfold.
So again, she takes great pridein developing that and putting
those videos together so thatyou're never asked the question.
You know, okay, I see thatthere's a major chunk of
(17:18):
concrete missing in this bin.
Where are we at?
Here?
You can automatically look andsee the location of the drone,
the height from the ceiling orthe height from the hopper or
the floor, if it's the northwall, south wall, whatever that
is.
It's really a great view ofthat.
That's just one piece.
A second piece is actually afull-on written report, if you
(17:40):
will.
That includes all the POIs orthe points of interest that we
see in our view.
So if we're flying and we see,you know, a major chunk of
concrete missing or a hopperconnection that is not correct
or something, while we're in themoment in flying we can then
take still shots of thosespecific areas and those still
(18:02):
shots are kind of chronographedwith a timeline down below in
the software.
If you will that again you cansee the exact location, where
that drone was and where he waslooking or what direction.
And so this POI report that wedelivered to the client in a PDF
view or a PDF document thenexplains each individual point
(18:24):
of interest that we feel isnecessary to share.
Or sometimes an engineer wouldmaybe request that we put a very
specific photo on that reportand then in turn, at the end of
that that allows us to write ascope or repair for that piece,
which would be including a costassociated to make that repair.
So our clients really enjoythat full report, the PDF report
(18:47):
, not just of the videos, butthe full PDF report of here's
what we found, here's how we'regoing to fix it and here's what
it's going to cost.
It gives them the turnkeypartnership piece of it.
That's kind of a neatdeliverable at the end that the
clients are really kind of cometo expecting now.
So we're kind of setting ourown standards, if you will, as
(19:07):
we're paving the way here.
Jim Lenz (19:09):
That is amazing.
You're right Setting your ownstandard.
I think, coming into thisinterview and probably a lot of
listeners out there, when youhear about drone inspections,
they're primarily talking aboutvideo and really high quality
video, and people have gainedunderstanding.
You can access things, you canbe efficient.
But you just mentioned anotherof different things about report
(19:31):
generation and data extraction.
You talked about lighter pointclouds.
You talked about points ofinterest, pois.
I'm kind of blown away by this.
In fact, I was just watching ashow where there are
archaeologists who are usingthese same things to locate and
(19:52):
confirm native settlements inthe rainforest.
You're using these same thingshere, and that was my first with
some of the terminology thatyou mentioned.
So not only did you invest inthe equipment or hardware, you
invested in the software thatgoes along with the hardware and
the drones, but you invested inyour team in terms of training
(20:16):
and communicating anddeciphering, and you are
leveraging technology and thepeople skills to make really
sound decisions and wow, whatconfidence again that brings.
So let's talk a little bit moreabout collaboration decision
making.
Now a lot of criticalinformation is collected.
As you said, I would imaginethis leads to a meeting so all
(20:37):
parties can fully comprehend thesituation.
This leads to collaborationbetween organizations and,
ultimately, decision making.
You provide an insider'sperspective on that decision
making process.
You alluded to that.
Can you provide a little moredetail?
How do you ensure that allstakeholders are well informed
(20:58):
for a successful repair process?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Pres (21:01):
And Jim, that's you're absolutely
right, it's a lot of information.
And one thing I failed tomention earlier a new addition,
as we're doing the drone flights, that we found was necessary is
actually adding a secondarytablet connected directly to the
drone so that you can have ateam of people actually viewing
the live view.
And so the engineering clientshave really found favor in this
(21:25):
because they can be huddledaround a tablet, not necessarily
looking over your shoulderwhere I'm trying to make flight
decisions, and they can stop meand say, hey, can you back up a
little bit or pitch up or pitchthe camera down and take a
picture of that?
And so that's been a greataddition.
But, as you said, you'reabsolutely right, it's a lot of
information.
It's a very large storagepieces of it, and so the
(21:47):
collaboration piece, theinformation, like I said, what
we're finding is it's reallybeen requested in two folds.
It's not uncommon for us to godo a flight inside of a bin and
the whole entire team wants tomeet immediately on site.
Cameron, our marketing directortravels very well equipped with
her laptop and the softwaredownloaded and to actually make
(22:10):
those pull those videos upimmediately.
And what's been nice is is ifwe flew a bin or a silo and we
didn't collect the exactinformation that was expected.
We can go back and redo it.
That's what's nice aboutactually being able to go and
download that immediately, pullthat up and make that decision.
Like you know, we need to do aretake here, or, now that we see
(22:35):
this, can we go back up andlook at the other end of the
beam or something of that nature.
So we really like that view ofit is being able to unload that
immediately right into theclient or to the engineer and
then, once there's been the nodof the head that this is exactly
what we've been looking for,then obviously we can come back
and provide all that information, like I was telling you earlier
(22:56):
.
So what's nice is, in ouropinion, you can have as many
people on a presentation or inthe room as possible and it
doesn't leave anythingunanswered, as a lot of our and
I'm not, you know, I'm not goingto lie a lot of our past
inspections used to leave apretty big gap and it was pretty
(23:17):
impossible to go back and resetthe tripod up and reinstall the
fall protection Typicallyanother day of travel, something
of that nature.
So it wasn't always, you know,the most desirable outcome, but
if I didn't collect the rightpicture, or if it was too dusty
or, and of course, theinformation that the drone is
collecting?
Versus a, the typical camerathat I was equipped with is way
(23:41):
more intense and it's got thedifferent lighting and dust
proof lighting, so againequipping us with tools that we
typically didn't have.
But what I like about that islike you can include as many
people as possible anybody thatmay have any effects by the
repair process, meaning cleardown to the grain marketers or
the operations team.
(24:01):
You can involve pretty muchanybody in this and they can ask
the questions that they feelnecessary and we can hopefully
get them the answers assolutions, as we see it there.
So, yes, it's great you caninvolve the whole entire team.
Jim Lenz (24:16):
Yeah, you're talking about evidence based decision
making, and you did that before,but your team is leveraging
what is out there, what iscapable.
How can we improve as anorganization?
We serve a lot of clients, butyou feel the gap, as you just
said there.
So that's incredible Serving asa leader Cheyenne, such a
(24:36):
highly experienced team who hasseen so much and accomplished so
much when it comes to thisniche of the industry.
Big picture wise, how havedrone inspections transformed
the grain silo inspectionprocess?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/P (24:52):
That's great question.
If I had to summarize that oneanswer, I would say having
everybody on the same page atthe same time has streamlined
the repair process and mitigateda lot of unnecessary repairs.
So what we found is, oftentimeswe go into that inspection
process thinking we know whatthe issue is, or we think we
(25:14):
know the extent of the damage,and what we end up with is the
reality of exactly what needs tobe repaired or replaced, and so
that's been a benefiting factorto our clients as well.
Oftentimes we find that theissue is not as big of an issue
as they suspected.
Or and that's a great feelingtoo we're not just there to sell
(25:35):
our services, we're there tofully get everybody on the same
page at the same time and makethose real life decisions kind
of immediately.
So yeah, it's been a great toolfor us.
Jim Lenz (25:49):
Yeah, concrete silos are long-term investments,
obviously support, you know, bigrevenue come in and value for
the organization.
But you've been reallyinnovative as an organization.
Innovation comes in all shapesand sizes.
Can we work more efficiently?
Can we work more effectively?
Can we be safer?
The impact of drones seems tohit all these marks.
(26:12):
Drones certainly support thelongevity of concrete structures
in the grain handling industry.
Now, cheyenne, you and yourentire team at CCS Group play
such a critical role in thegrain handling processing
industry.
That's why it's been such atreat to have you as a guest on
the Jeeps Whole Grain Show Today.
You've shared insights into theinnovative drone inspection
(26:32):
services that your organizationoffers Whole grain listeners.
The information you've gatheredfrom this conversation might be
reaching your ears at just theright time.
You may want to learn more.
So, cheyenne, if listeners wantto further explore these
advancements in grain silomaintenance, what are the best
ways to connect with the team atCCS Group?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Presi (26:54):
Oh , Jim, there's a couple of
different opportunities.
Obviously, we do direct you toour website, which is www.
CCSGrouponline.
com.
You can always reach out at ourtoll-free number, which is
855-752-5047.
Or if you're coming up in thevery near future as our
obviously our GEAPS Exchange,we're excited to be an exhibitor
(27:15):
and a presenter at that.
Our booth number is 2426 at theexchange, so really looking
forward to seeing everybody.
Jim Lenz (27:23):
Yeah, very exciting big event coming up for the
industry.
You can't miss CCS Group whenyou're at exchange.
You'll know where they're at.
But that's good that youmentioned the number there,
Cheyenne, we have Jeeps Exchangecoming up, so listeners are
hearing this for the first time.
It's the biggest andbest-showing in the
grain-handling and processingindustry, GEAPS Exchange.
(27:43):
It's filled with incredibleeducation sessions, a huge trade
show floor and an assortment ofother networking activities as
well that are a lot of fun.
Listeners can find out moreinformation at www.
GEAPS.
com/exchange.
Cheyenne, you and members ofyour team at CCS Group will be
at Exchange.
Are you excited for it?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Presi (28:04):
We are it's.
Numerous meetings have been had, clear down to the dress attire
where are we eating and whereare we staying?
And the buzz has started, soit's becoming a reality.
We always look forward to theGEAPS Exchange.
It's a great time to reconnectwith everybody, see familiar
faces, meet the new people.
(28:25):
It's a great time.
We're excited.
So, yeah, we're really lookingforward to that Awesome.
Jim Lenz (28:30):
We're excited as well.
I'm glad you've been such a bigpart of it.
We thank you for your support.
The links that you just heard,listeners, they are in the show
notes.
If you're not familiar withthat, this show is broadcast in
all major podcast directories,so find your favorite podcast
app, but it's also found atjeepscom forward slash full
grain.
There's a dedicated page forthis episode.
(28:51):
There You'll see a wonderfulpicture of Cheyenne.
In this imagery there's anaudio player.
There's links in those shownotes.
So what Cheyenne mentioned andother links.
We can also include a link tothe blog of the article this
subject matter from theirwebsite as well.
In the show notes You'll seethat there.
Other things I want to mentionis just, generally speaking, you
(29:11):
and your team have given somuch to advance the grain
handling and processing industry.
You are really one of those biginnovators in the industry and
I think listeners haveunderstood that continues and
it's growing and you're fillingin gaps.
CCS Group has been highlyactive in terms of your
involvement with the GEAPS, thegrain elevator and processing
(29:31):
society.
Now, with that in mind, I'dlike to start a sentence.
Cheyenne, I'd love for you toconclude the sentence, and here
it is being part of the GEAPSfamily means.
.
.
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Presid (29:46):
I would say being connected to
some of the best people and whatI think is in the best industry
.
Jim Lenz (29:52):
Awesome, wonderful.
Thank you for that, Cheyenne.
Thank you for serving as guestson Whole Grain.
On behalf of the entire GEAPSteam, we thank you for your
commitment to GEAPS and thegreater grain handling and
processing industry.
We also thank all the membersof your team as well.
They're terrific and they dogreat work, as we all heard here
today.
It's been an honor and apleasure to connect with you.
Thank you for spending timewith Whole Grain listeners.
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Pre (30:14):
Very good.
Thank you, Jim.
It's been an honor.
I appreciate it.
Jim Lenz (30:18):
Is this the first time you're listening to the Whole
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If so, we thank you for joiningus.
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(30:39):
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You can also catch up on allWhole Grain podcast episodes on
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Forward slash whole grain.
The Whole Grain show is aproduction of GEAPS, the Grain
Elevator Processing Society'slargest organization dedicated
(31:01):
to advancing the grain handlingand processing industry.
Be sure to check out www.
GEAPS.
com.
That's G E, A, P S dot com.
As you've heard in this show,whole Grain offers a terrific
opportunity to spotlight yourbusiness through audio ads.
You can also be featured as aglobal thought leader by serving
as a guest in the show as wework to advance the grain
(31:21):
handling and processing industry, if you and your organization
want to sponsor an episode andbe a featured guest in the show?
Please reach out to me.
Jim Lenz, director of globaltraining and education at the
Grain Elevator and ProcessingSociety and host and producer of
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We do offer an in-house audioproduction studio that can serve
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(31:42):
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Just reach out to us with anyquestions or comments, or
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My email is james@geaps.
com.
We look forward to connectingwith you.
Continue listening, share thenews of the show with your
(32:04):
friends and colleagues.
Have yourself a great day andthanks for listening to Whole
Grain.
In this episode.
Buckle up as we take flightinto the world of grain silo
maintenance, where drones arethe new superheroes.
We'll soar into the sky withCheyenne Wohlford exploring the
groundbreaking world of droneinspection services in the grain
industry.
Hello and welcome to the show.
(00:27):
Welcome to the Whole GrainPodcast.
My name is Jim Lenz, your hostand producer of the show and the
director of global training andeducation at GEAPS, where the
mission of the grain elevatorand processing societies to
champion, connect and serve theglobal grain industry and our
members.
At GEAPS.
We work to be the globalcommunity and thought leader for
the grain industry, which feedsand fuels the world.
Thanks for listening today andfor joining the network of
(00:50):
thousands of other grainhandling and processing
professionals across the globetaking strategic steps to grow
professionally.
The Whole Grain show gives youthe competitive advantage to win
at work so you can make more ofan impact.
In this episode of Whole Grain,our guest is Cheyenne Wohlford.
Cheyenne is the CEO andpresident of CCS Group LLC, a
(01:11):
leader in structural assessmentsand maintenance for grain
elevators.
With a wealth of experience andaffiliations in the grain
industry, Cheyenne sharesinsights into the innovative
drone inspection servicesprovided by CCS Group.
Cheyenne delves into theadoption of drone inspection
services, discussing the initialbenefits and surprises
(01:31):
encountered during theirimplementation.
Listeners gain an understandingof tailoring inspection
processes to desired outcomes,along with the differences
between routine checks andemergency responses.
Cheyenne shares compellingexamples of how drone
inspections have uncoveredcritical issues and informed
repair decisions.
(01:52):
She also outlines thepost-inspection process,
including data extraction, videoediting and report generation.
He emphasizes how thesefindings drive key repair
decisions and points of interest.
We'll also discuss theimportance of collaboration and
informed decision making in therepair process His explorers
ensuring stakeholders areequipped with critical insights.
Cheyenne shares how droneinspections have revolutionized
(02:16):
grain silo maintenance,emphasizing their modern and
innovative solutions thatstreamline decision making and
enhance safety.
Join us as we explore thecutting edge advancements in
grain silo maintenance withCheyenne Wohlford.
Let's get started All right.
(02:43):
Our guest for today is a verywell connected individual within
the grain industry.
Cheyenne Wohlford is a graduateof the American Concrete
Institute and founded CCS GroupLLC in 2009.
As CEO and president of customconcrete specialists, Cheyenne
leads a talented team and set ofteams in structural assessments
(03:03):
, preventative maintenance andemergency repairs for terminal
and country grain elevators.
He is a member of GEAPS, theNational Grain and Feed
Association, the AmericanShotcrete Association and the
American Concrete Institute.
That's why it's exciting towelcome Cheyenne Wohlford to the
show.
Thank you for yourparticipation and whole grain
(03:23):
Cheyenne.
Thank you, Jim.
Thanks for the opportunity.
We're excited to be here.
The organization plays acritical role in the grain
handling and processing industry.
We'll get into that and we'lltalk a specific sector of what
you do here in this particularepisode.
But to allow our listeners toget to know you, to add a bit of
positive spirit to Cheyenne,could you share with our
listeners a mantra or a successquote that you live by
(03:45):
professionally?
Cheyenne Wohlford, C (03:46):
Absolutely Jim.
My team can tell you.
Probably one of our biggestmantras is worry about the
what's and not the what ifs.
So we're here to educate andobviously worry about the what's
and not the what ifs.
Jim Lenz (03:59):
Wonderful.
Thank you for sharing.
Now, to provide some contextfor our whole grain listeners
who are joining us today fromreally all around the world,
cheyenne, could you provide abrief overview of your
organization, ccs Group?
Our listeners may be curious ofthe actual depth and scope of
your services.
Big picture wise, what are someexamples of the projects that
(04:19):
your team works on?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Pre (04:21):
Yeah , jim, big picture wise.
We repair concrete grainelevators all throughout the US,
which would include exteriorconcrete and spalling repair,
shock-free liner installation,hopper repair and hopper
installation, beam pocket repairutilizing carbon fiber
technology.
Catastrophic and rupturerepairs, unfortunately when
(04:42):
needed.
And of course the topic today,the drug technology, so kind of
a turnkey in the grain industryas far as a repair aspect.
Jim Lenz (04:51):
Concrete silos have been such a staple for the
industry.
They have a long life, but careneeds to be taken and make sure
the long life continues, andyour organization has played
such a crucial role.
So most of the rest of ourconversation here will focus on
one particular area, and it ison innovations in grain silo
maintenance, in particular,drone inspections and services.
(05:13):
Cheyenne CCS Group currentlyoffers drones for grain silo
maintenance right and as youinitially explore the potential
adoption of drone inspectionservices, what were some
benefits of using drones forin-depth visual inspections, and
are you seeing some of thosesame benefits now that you are
(05:35):
executing the use of drones forinspection services?
Has anything surprised you?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Pre (05:41):
Yeah , that's a great question, Jim.
Kind of back to our mantras,worrying about the what's and
not the what ifs.
This technology allows us todetermine exactly what the
what's are and so as we startedto explore utilizing drones.
As far as our inspectionprocess, you know, obviously
we're looking at the safetyaspect of it not having to lower
myself particularly inside thesilos anymore to capture those
(06:05):
videos or to make thoseinspections.
You know, to make thoseinspections more timely so that
we can go out and hopefullyinspect an entire facility
either in a day or a couple days, versus spending a week and
maybe really causing adisruption to the facility and
then also just getting the morein-depth piece of that, so that
(06:25):
what we're capturing is betterthan a dusty video or a picture
of me swinging from a Boseman'schair inside of a bin.
So that was really thehighlights of when we started to
explore this.
As far as part two of thatquestion has it come to fruition
, it's exactly what we expectedand more.
The capabilities to slow downand get a better quality picture
(06:48):
or video of an area obviouslyhas been crucial.
The amount of time it actuallytakes to inspect these silos has
been minimized quite profusely.
It's kind of been eye-openingnow that we're spending 15 to 30
minutes inside of a bin andactually getting then what used
to take us an hour to two hours,with all the safety protocols
(07:09):
of the rigging and fallprotection and such.
So we've been extremely happywith that and, of course, the 4k
video and high-def pictures andthe light art point cloud has
just been a great addition tothis.
So, yeah, we're really excitedabout taking the leap of faith
and pulling the trigger on that.
Jim Lenz (07:29):
Oh, that's fantastic.
And now that listenersunderstand the clear purpose on
the use of the drones in theinspection process, can you
discuss the importance oftailoring the inspection process
?
You know, customizing that tothe desired outcome?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Pre (07:44):
Yeah , absolutely.
Each drone inspection that isrequested of CCS kind of comes
with a specific purpose.
It's either a 911 call ofhaving a very specific issue
either concrete being locatedinside of the grade man or
plugging up a conveyor ordischarge or sometimes we've
(08:05):
gotten phone calls of woodpieces being found and, of
course, the client wanting toknow where all this debris is
coming from.
Other times it's from apreventative maintenance aspect,
where we tailor it with a fullpackage of the GPR scanning and
the visual inspections.
Where they're more wanting toget a baseline health check, if
you will, they want to get aphysical done on their silos.
(08:28):
So we're able to kind of tailorour response to exactly what
the either engineer or client'srequest is specifically.
Jim Lenz (08:37):
We'll be back after a brief message.
Custom concrete specialist hasyou covered with concrete silo
repairs.
Having completed over 1500projects, ccs is a nation's
leader in structural assessments, preventative maintenance and
emergency repairs for terminaland country grade elevators.
Ccs is dedicated to providingadvanced evaluation technology,
(08:58):
a skilled and experienced teamand unwavering commitment to
safety.
Ccs provides nationwideservices of shot creek liners,
catastrophic failure repairs,carbon fiber solutions, crack
and spalling repairs, hopperinstallation and repairs and
rough coatings.
Visit their website at www.
CCSgrouponlinecom.
Earlier, you alluded to thedifferent sort of use cases of
(09:24):
drones.
Can you share how theinspection process differs based
on whether it's a routinehealth check or an emergency
response situation?
Cheyenne Wohlford, C (09:34):
Absolutely as far as a routine health
check or a physical, if you will.
These flights are typicallylonger in duration and we're
trying to collect as much dataas possible.
So we're really not in therelooking for anything in
particular, we're just checkingblood pressure and heartbeat.
So we're using that information, potentially for future repair
(09:54):
or future review, if you will.
So that type of inspectionallows you to have a time
stamped data collection processthat you can then go back maybe
any year's time and refly thatexact location and see if
there's any changes or anydramatic features that are
starting to show their face overthe course of a set period of
(10:16):
time, whereas an emergencyresponse piece it's usually
where they're looking for a veryspecific damaged area.
They're needing to make a veryquick decision.
Either it's do we replace therough cap or do we install new
rough beams in the structure.
So we're really flying in thereto determine what's existing
(10:37):
and what its condition is, andso therefore, the data can be
kind of localized for whateverthe specific case is.
So, like I said, the healthcheck version is usually a
longer, in depth flight.
We're just flying and seeing ifwe see any anomalies, any
issues.
We're not specifically going toone location.
Whereas the emergency responseis usually quick, it's very
(10:59):
effective in and out, gatheringthe data, typically meeting with
the engineer, sometimes on site, and pulling that data off
right there in real time andhaving a team of professionals
with us that can deliver thatASAP.
Jim Lenz (11:13):
That's a great summary of the different scenarios.
I'd love to dive a little bitdeeper into the different
examples that could come aboutthat drones may discover in the
inspection process and youmentioned a couple of things,
but can you provide sort ofexamples of how drone
inspections have beeninstrumental in uncovering
(11:33):
unknown issues and facilitating,ultimately, key repair
decisions?
Cheyenne Wohlford, C (11:38):
Absolutely Just here recently, jam, we
inspected a facility whichentailed 38 silos in total and
delivered that information notonly to the client but to the
client's third party engineer,which then helped determine
which silo caps actually neededto be fully removed or replaced
or what structural beams neededto be either reinstalled or
(12:01):
having some additional supportadded so that it wouldn't be a
full-on roof cap removal.
In the end we're able to narrowdown the repair scope,
obviously save the client apretty significant amount of
money but furthermore helpminimize the facility downtime
by not having to remove all theentire rough structure of a
(12:21):
facility.
We were actually very specificand narrowed it down to two of
the rough caps, versus removingthe whole entire 38, what I
would call the whole annex roughcap and exposing way more than
what was necessary.
So in the end it was kind ofwin-win for everybody.
It was a win for the client but, like I said, to reduce that
(12:42):
financial aspect of the outlayof the expenditure.
It was a win for the engineerbecause we really give them
great detailed information thatthey felt confident and not
necessarily having to lean backon their conservativeness of
just saying, well, it went inquestion, just replace it.
They were really felt confidentin the decision-making of we
(13:04):
are still being conservative,but we have real, accurate data
that's allowing us to be thataccurate and conservative.
And then, of course, for us,for my team when I send the
repair team in to make thoserepairs the crews they know
exactly what they're looking for, where it's not a blind leading
the blind and we're not doingexploratory type repairs, we're
(13:28):
very surgical and removingpieces and parts.
We've seen the benefits on ourcrews and the specialization of
just knowing exactly wherethey're headed and what they're
doing.
So it's been a great tool foreverybody in our opinion.
Jim Lenz (13:42):
We'll be back after a brief message.
Located in Sioux Center, Iowa,Interstates offers electrical
construction, electricalengineering and control system
solutions.
For over 70 years they havetackled complex challenges and
developed innovative solutionsfor grain handling facilities
around the country.
Interstate brings their clientsa wide breadth of experience in
the grain industry, fromgreenfield builds to support for
(14:05):
existing facilities, includingupgrades, service calls and
ongoing maintenance.
They do what it takes todeliver your solution on
schedule, on budget and ontarget with your needs.
Come visit them at the GEAPSExchange or contact them today
at www.
interstates.
com.
So CCS Group doing great work.
You upped your game even morewith drone inspections.
(14:27):
If you can provide clarity foryour clients and you said the
word confidence a lot that'ssuch a good feeling and downtime
is so critical in facilities.
You mentioned that it would bekind of neat to take a sort of
trip in the day in the life of adrone inspection your
auditorially at this pointthrough the podcast here, but I
(14:50):
would imagine our whole grainpodcast listeners may be curious
on that aspect.
In a day in the life of droneinspection, cheyenne, could you
offer some understanding of thepost inspection process,
including data extraction andreport generation?
Cheyenne Wohlford, C (15:04):
Absolutely yeah.
So you know it's a great timethat's one of my favorite times
is to be on site and interactwith the client collecting that
data.
It's neat to see that all kindof in bold in your eyes, but the
job's not done there.
It's actually the harder piececomes into play of actually
downloading that data collectedin the field and of course those
are large data files that takea very specific software and
(15:26):
team to kind of digest.
So once the inspection is donein field, I would say that's 10%
of our job.
The other 90% is remaining iscoming back and utilize our
marketing director and a veryspecific software that allows
her to make the edits to thedrone videos.
She takes a lot of pride inediting all my crashes bouncing
(15:49):
against the wall out of thoseflight, but it doesn't look
chaotic in the moment.
She then turns that into a verynice streamlined deliverable to
our clients.
So downloading that informationand into a Dropbox link that
hopefully is easy to open andshare with the team, but it even
gets a little bit further downin detail.
(16:11):
We utilize a software that thenallows us to do a point cloud
from a light art version.
The newest addition to ourdrone team is the Yelios 3, and
it actually has a light art hubattached to the drone.
So it's constantly collecting apoint cloud or point of
interest, and that enabled us to3D map the silo as well.
(16:34):
So it's kind of neat.
You can actually see a liveview of the drone as it's in
flight and she's foot screamsthat and puts it into the light
art view, the point cloud, ifyou will, or the 3D model.
So in one particular screen youcan see what the drone is
seeing in live view as it'scollected.
And if you look to your leftyou can see where the drone is
(16:56):
located in that specific bin,what direction it's facing, what
the view like is of the droneif it's turned to the left or
the right, if it's side lit, ifit's fully lit.
It's really neat to kind of seethat unfold.
So again, she takes great pridein developing that and putting
those videos together so thatyou're never asked the question.
You know, okay, I see thatthere's a major chunk of
(17:18):
concrete missing in this bin.
Where are we at?
Here?
You can automatically look andsee the location of the drone,
the height from the ceiling orthe height from the hopper or
the floor, if it's the northwall, south wall, whatever that
is.
It's really a great view ofthat.
That's just one piece.
A second piece is actually afull-on written report, if you
(17:40):
will.
That includes all the POIs orthe points of interest that we
see in our view.
So if we're flying and we see,you know, a major chunk of
concrete missing or a hopperconnection that is not correct
or something, while we're in themoment in flying we can then
take still shots of thosespecific areas and those still
(18:02):
shots are kind of chronographedwith a timeline down below in
the software.
If you will that again you cansee the exact location, where
that drone was and where he waslooking or what direction.
And so this POI report that wedelivered to the client in a PDF
view or a PDF document thenexplains each individual point
(18:24):
of interest that we feel isnecessary to share.
Or sometimes an engineer wouldmaybe request that we put a very
specific photo on that reportand then in turn, at the end of
that that allows us to write ascope or repair for that piece,
which would be including a costassociated to make that repair.
So our clients really enjoythat full report, the PDF report
(18:47):
, not just of the videos, butthe full PDF report of here's
what we found, here's how we'regoing to fix it and here's what
it's going to cost.
It gives them the turnkeypartnership piece of it.
That's kind of a neatdeliverable at the end that the
clients are really kind of cometo expecting now.
So we're kind of setting ourown standards, if you will, as
(19:07):
we're paving the way here.
Jim Lenz (19:09):
That is amazing.
You're right Setting your ownstandard.
I think, coming into thisinterview and probably a lot of
listeners out there, when youhear about drone inspections,
they're primarily talking aboutvideo and really high quality
video, and people have gainedunderstanding.
You can access things, you canbe efficient.
But you just mentioned anotherof different things about report
(19:31):
generation and data extraction.
You talked about lighter pointclouds.
You talked about points ofinterest, pois.
I'm kind of blown away by this.
In fact, I was just watching ashow where there are
archaeologists who are usingthese same things to locate and
(19:52):
confirm native settlements inthe rainforest.
You're using these same thingshere, and that was my first with
some of the terminology thatyou mentioned.
So not only did you invest inthe equipment or hardware, you
invested in the software thatgoes along with the hardware and
the drones, but you invested inyour team in terms of training
(20:16):
and communicating anddeciphering, and you are
leveraging technology and thepeople skills to make really
sound decisions and wow, whatconfidence again that brings.
So let's talk a little bit moreabout collaboration decision
making.
Now a lot of criticalinformation is collected.
As you said, I would imaginethis leads to a meeting so all
(20:37):
parties can fully comprehend thesituation.
This leads to collaborationbetween organizations and,
ultimately, decision making.
You provide an insider'sperspective on that decision
making process.
You alluded to that.
Can you provide a little moredetail?
How do you ensure that allstakeholders are well informed
(20:58):
for a successful repair process?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Pres (21:01):
And Jim, that's you're absolutely
right, it's a lot of information.
And one thing I failed tomention earlier a new addition,
as we're doing the drone flights, that we found was necessary is
actually adding a secondarytablet connected directly to the
drone so that you can have ateam of people actually viewing
the live view.
And so the engineering clientshave really found favor in this
(21:25):
because they can be huddledaround a tablet, not necessarily
looking over your shoulderwhere I'm trying to make flight
decisions, and they can stop meand say, hey, can you back up a
little bit or pitch up or pitchthe camera down and take a
picture of that?
And so that's been a greataddition.
But, as you said, you'reabsolutely right, it's a lot of
information.
It's a very large storagepieces of it, and so the
(21:47):
collaboration piece, theinformation, like I said, what
we're finding is it's reallybeen requested in two folds.
It's not uncommon for us to godo a flight inside of a bin and
the whole entire team wants tomeet immediately on site.
Cameron, our marketing directortravels very well equipped with
her laptop and the softwaredownloaded and to actually make
(22:10):
those pull those videos upimmediately.
And what's been nice is is ifwe flew a bin or a silo and we
didn't collect the exactinformation that was expected.
We can go back and redo it.
That's what's nice aboutactually being able to go and
download that immediately, pullthat up and make that decision.
Like you know, we need to do aretake here, or, now that we see
(22:35):
this, can we go back up andlook at the other end of the
beam or something of that nature.
So we really like that view ofit is being able to unload that
immediately right into theclient or to the engineer and
then, once there's been the nodof the head that this is exactly
what we've been looking for,then obviously we can come back
and provide all that information, like I was telling you earlier
(22:56):
.
So what's nice is, in ouropinion, you can have as many
people on a presentation or inthe room as possible and it
doesn't leave anythingunanswered, as a lot of our and
I'm not, you know, I'm not goingto lie a lot of our past
inspections used to leave apretty big gap and it was pretty
(23:17):
impossible to go back and resetthe tripod up and reinstall the
fall protection Typicallyanother day of travel, something
of that nature.
So it wasn't always, you know,the most desirable outcome, but
if I didn't collect the rightpicture, or if it was too dusty
or, and of course, theinformation that the drone is
collecting?
Versus a, the typical camerathat I was equipped with is way
(23:41):
more intense and it's got thedifferent lighting and dust
proof lighting, so againequipping us with tools that we
typically didn't have.
But what I like about that islike you can include as many
people as possible anybody thatmay have any effects by the
repair process, meaning cleardown to the grain marketers or
the operations team.
(24:01):
You can involve pretty muchanybody in this and they can ask
the questions that they feelnecessary and we can hopefully
get them the answers assolutions, as we see it there.
So, yes, it's great you caninvolve the whole entire team.
Jim Lenz (24:16):
Yeah, you're talking about evidence based decision
making, and you did that before,but your team is leveraging
what is out there, what iscapable.
How can we improve as anorganization?
We serve a lot of clients, butyou feel the gap, as you just
said there.
So that's incredible Serving asa leader Cheyenne, such a
(24:36):
highly experienced team who hasseen so much and accomplished so
much when it comes to thisniche of the industry.
Big picture wise, how havedrone inspections transformed
the grain silo inspectionprocess?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/P (24:52):
That's great question.
If I had to summarize that oneanswer, I would say having
everybody on the same page atthe same time has streamlined
the repair process and mitigateda lot of unnecessary repairs.
So what we found is, oftentimeswe go into that inspection
process thinking we know whatthe issue is, or we think we
(25:14):
know the extent of the damage,and what we end up with is the
reality of exactly what needs tobe repaired or replaced, and so
that's been a benefiting factorto our clients as well.
Oftentimes we find that theissue is not as big of an issue
as they suspected.
Or and that's a great feelingtoo we're not just there to sell
(25:35):
our services, we're there tofully get everybody on the same
page at the same time and makethose real life decisions kind
of immediately.
So yeah, it's been a great toolfor us.
Jim Lenz (25:49):
Yeah, concrete silos are long-term investments,
obviously support, you know, bigrevenue come in and value for
the organization.
But you've been reallyinnovative as an organization.
Innovation comes in all shapesand sizes.
Can we work more efficiently?
Can we work more effectively?
Can we be safer?
The impact of drones seems tohit all these marks.
(26:12):
Drones certainly support thelongevity of concrete structures
in the grain handling industry.
Now, cheyenne, you and yourentire team at CCS Group play
such a critical role in thegrain handling processing
industry.
That's why it's been such atreat to have you as a guest on
the Jeeps Whole Grain Show Today.
You've shared insights into theinnovative drone inspection
(26:32):
services that your organizationoffers Whole grain listeners.
The information you've gatheredfrom this conversation might be
reaching your ears at just theright time.
You may want to learn more.
So, cheyenne, if listeners wantto further explore these
advancements in grain silomaintenance, what are the best
ways to connect with the team atCCS Group?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Presi (26:54):
Oh , Jim, there's a couple of
different opportunities.
Obviously, we do direct you toour website, which is www.
CCSGrouponline.
com.
You can always reach out at ourtoll-free number, which is
855-752-5047.
Or if you're coming up in thevery near future as our
obviously our GEAPS Exchange,we're excited to be an exhibitor
(27:15):
and a presenter at that.
Our booth number is 2426 at theexchange, so really looking
forward to seeing everybody.
Jim Lenz (27:23):
Yeah, very exciting big event coming up for the
industry.
You can't miss CCS Group whenyou're at exchange.
You'll know where they're at.
But that's good that youmentioned the number there,
Cheyenne, we have Jeeps Exchangecoming up, so listeners are
hearing this for the first time.
It's the biggest andbest-showing in the
grain-handling and processingindustry, GEAPS Exchange.
(27:43):
It's filled with incredibleeducation sessions, a huge trade
show floor and an assortment ofother networking activities as
well that are a lot of fun.
Listeners can find out moreinformation at www.
GEAPS.
com/exchange.
Cheyenne, you and members ofyour team at CCS Group will be
at Exchange.
Are you excited for it?
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Presi (28:04):
We are it's.
Numerous meetings have been had, clear down to the dress attire
where are we eating and whereare we staying?
And the buzz has started, soit's becoming a reality.
We always look forward to theGEAPS Exchange.
It's a great time to reconnectwith everybody, see familiar
faces, meet the new people.
(28:25):
It's a great time.
We're excited.
So, yeah, we're really lookingforward to that Awesome.
Jim Lenz (28:30):
We're excited as well.
I'm glad you've been such a bigpart of it.
We thank you for your support.
The links that you just heard,listeners, they are in the show
notes.
If you're not familiar withthat, this show is broadcast in
all major podcast directories,so find your favorite podcast
app, but it's also found atjeepscom forward slash full
grain.
There's a dedicated page forthis episode.
(28:51):
There You'll see a wonderfulpicture of Cheyenne.
In this imagery there's anaudio player.
There's links in those shownotes.
So what Cheyenne mentioned andother links.
We can also include a link tothe blog of the article this
subject matter from theirwebsite as well.
In the show notes You'll seethat there.
Other things I want to mentionis just, generally speaking, you
(29:11):
and your team have given somuch to advance the grain
handling and processing industry.
You are really one of those biginnovators in the industry and
I think listeners haveunderstood that continues and
it's growing and you're fillingin gaps.
CCS Group has been highlyactive in terms of your
involvement with the GEAPS, thegrain elevator and processing
(29:31):
society.
Now, with that in mind, I'dlike to start a sentence.
Cheyenne, I'd love for you toconclude the sentence, and here
it is being part of the GEAPSfamily means.
.
.
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Presid (29:46):
I would say being connected to
some of the best people and whatI think is in the best industry
.
Jim Lenz (29:52):
Awesome, wonderful.
Thank you for that, Cheyenne.
Thank you for serving as guestson Whole Grain.
On behalf of the entire GEAPSteam, we thank you for your
commitment to GEAPS and thegreater grain handling and
processing industry.
We also thank all the membersof your team as well.
They're terrific and they dogreat work, as we all heard here
today.
It's been an honor and apleasure to connect with you.
Thank you for spending timewith Whole Grain listeners.
Cheyenne Wohlford, CEO/Pre (30:14):
Very good.
Thank you, Jim.
It's been an honor.
I appreciate it.
Jim Lenz (30:18):
Is this the first time you're listening to the Whole
Grain show?
If so, we thank you for joiningus.
You'll find the show on yourfavorite podcast app just to
search for Whole Grain, then hitthe subscribe button.
That way, you'll be notified assoon as an episode is released.
Plus, you can check out all thepast episodes as well.
We'd appreciate it if you couldleave a five star rating and a
comment on the podcast app Ifyou're choosing, as it enables
(30:39):
others to more easily find theshow.
Don't forget to share the WholeGrain podcast with your network
.
You can also catch up on allWhole Grain podcast episodes on
the Jeep's website and the GrainElevator Processing Society's
website by going to jeepstcom.
Forward slash whole grain.
The Whole Grain show is aproduction of GEAPS, the Grain
Elevator Processing Society'slargest organization dedicated
(31:01):
to advancing the grain handlingand processing industry.
Be sure to check out www.
GEAPS.
com.
That's G E, A, P S dot com.
As you've heard in this show,whole Grain offers a terrific
opportunity to spotlight yourbusiness through audio ads.
You can also be featured as aglobal thought leader by serving
as a guest in the show as wework to advance the grain
(31:21):
handling and processing industry, if you and your organization
want to sponsor an episode andbe a featured guest in the show?
Please reach out to me.
Jim Lenz, director of globaltraining and education at the
Grain Elevator and ProcessingSociety and host and producer of
the show.
We do offer an in-house audioproduction studio that can serve
your needs, all from thecomfort of a virtual environment
(31:42):
.
Just reach out to us with anyquestions or comments, or
perhaps let us know what youthink about the show.
We could feature your audiocommentary in a future Whole
Grain podcast episode.
Please reach out to me.
My email is james@geaps.
com.
We look forward to connectingwith you.
Continue listening, share thenews of the show with your
(32:04):
friends and colleagues.
Have yourself a great day andthanks for listening to Whole
Grain.
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