REFLECTIONS

Admitting that the first year of transition to Cargill from Arkema in Blooming Prairie was a busy time, Cargill plant manager Michael Green says everyone “kind of forgot about the one-year anniversary,” which came and went on Dec. 31.

Green, speaking to the Cargill Citizens Advisory Panel on Jan. 11, at the BP City Center, gave a thorough roundup of what has happened at the former Arkema plant.

“It’s been a wild year,” Green further confessed. He said an open house will be scheduled sometime in the summer of 2023. Cargill (Arkema) is 53 years old.

The first half of 2022 “was excellent,” said Green. Production leveled off during the second half and prices also zoomed upward, he added.

Green pleased the CAP members by showing a schematic of a house, featuring Cargill products inside and outside of the house. “We are now classified as bio industrial,” he said.

Arkema started as a grain elevator and evolved into a chemical plant.

“We sell our products to other entities,” said Green.

“What is the end product,” Green asked rhetorically. “It is adhesives,” he answered.

Green said it has been a learning experience for all Cargill employees. “Things change like a blink of the eye,” Green related. Cargill, formerly Arkema, now has 47 employees and recently committed to adding 10 more workers.

The main mission of Cargill is to keep people safe, Green said. Plans are being made to have another safety drill sometime in April. The drill last year involved most Cargill Employees and First Responders (BP Police, BP Fire Department and BP Ambulance).

Loan Trinh coordinates the drill.

Business processes are different and this takes a lot of learning, Green explained.

New changes also include: Cargill Lifesaver Program, New Safe work permits, computer system, business processes, internal and external, rebranding and new reporting structure.

Showing a complex organizational chart, Green said Cargill is a lot more interactive with its people.

Cargill in Blooming Prairie is always introducing new products, Green reported. Cargill of BP also is making capital investments, about $5 million to be precise. These are needed improvements, Green emphasized.

Team development and community involvement were important to Arkema and they remain important to Cargill, said Green.

The Jan. 11 meeting was attended by 14 CAP members.

Next month’s meeting will be Wednesday, Feb. 8 with the Blooming Prairie Community Development Committee giving a presentation. On March 8, CAP will take a tour of the school district improvements in process. Well-known local humorist Al Batt of Hartland will speak on April 12.