So last weekend was the long-awaited corporate Open House for the new office building. It's kind of like Christmas, well except for the birth of a Savior. But for so long it was out there in the future, with lots of planning and preparation, and ta-da...here it is: Open House time! Last Thursday evening we had an employee dinner at the office. There was some rain and then some sun and then...a rainbow. Stephanie was Johnny...er..Janie on the spot to catch this picture. You could certainly say that this building is a pot of gold in the way it looks and functions.
There are probably lots more Open House pictures somewhere, including the building from the outside which I don't have here. But here are a few shots that I had of the events. Like on Friday was the open house for ag industry and government guests. Troy is seen giving a nice speech during the lunch. I guess it was such a big event that it could be called a "luncheon." This was out in the storage building behind the office.
After that it was the official ribbon cutting. Here are three generations of Bancrofts as well as Mrs. Cook doing the honors.
Saturday morning was the big public open house. Here are some employees out in the lobby prior to the door opening. It wasn't quite like Black Friday after Thanksgiving, but we did have over 4500 guests throughout the day. Everyone was impressed with the place and felt it made a nice addition to the town of St. Johns.
Here was my post, or at least within the Chemistry Lab itself. Chief chemist Chris and assistant Hudson described what goes on here. They put on a display of how AgroLiquid can overcome compatibility issues of calcium and magnesium with phosphate fertilizers. Probably should have taken a picture of that, but the room was constantly full.
Off to the side I talked about how we take experimental nutrient formulations from the lab and apply them out at the North Central Research Station. This is to see if any will become a new fertilizer product, as has been the case with a number of products in recent years. I also described how, since we are a nationwide business, that it is important to conduct field research experiments around the country on a variety of crops. Such is the basis for my many Fertilizer Missions. This was my picture display of some of the current plotwork. Most people were surprised that we sold fertilizer over such a wide area of the country, plus out of the country as well.
Here is a new display that was conceived by Renee in Marketing. It is like the family tree of Liquid, and serves as a room divider screen up on the second floor where it is prominently displayed. It is appropriate that Research is on the top branch. Very nice Renee.
Here is the living roof. These are succulent type plants that keep the roof cool and are watered by retained rainwater. They are supposed to survive the winter and re-grow in the spring. Looks nice, but you have to push roots off your desk if you are underneath on the first floor like I am.
Also out back is a collection of antique tractors on display. We also had our new equipment from the NCRS out there too. Troy, in orange, is so proud of this and everything about the day.
So that was that. The fanfare is gone, but hopefully if you missed the open house, you have the opportunity to see the new building someday. It will be quite a while before the newness wears off.
