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Mayor
Harold Mercer said it all Tuesday during his brief address to
hundreds of people gathered to celebrate Holly Sugar's 75th
anniversary and open house.
"Appreciation is like an insurance policy, it has to be
renewed every once in a while - that's why we're here today."
Mercer was referring, of course, to the area's appreciation for
Holly Sugar and its impact on the community. The feeling of
appreciation from the community, however, was mutual from the
employees of Holly Sugar as they served up a free meal of
slushburgers, salad, potato chips, coffee and pop. Beet-shaped
cookies and a birthday cake topped off the meal.
Mercer, the first speaker of the afternoon's program, referred to
the Sidney Holly Sugar refinery as the lifeblood of the lower
Yellowstone valley. "Without Holly Sugar," Mercer said,
"we could take the sunrise out of the Sidney slogan."
Craig Herbert, president of the Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce and
Agriculture, considers 75 years just the start. "With the vast
resources that Holly Sugar has at its disposal, 75 years means a
great beginning," Herbert told the crowd. "This company
has a great advantage for the future; it has this great community
behind it."
The afternoon program was emceed with considerable humor by
former personnel manager Heidi Kranker, who is now working in
Sugarland, Texas. Kranker also provided a running narrative of the
changes that the factory has undergone through the years. She
complimented the crowd for attending. More than 700 attended.
"This turnout is absolutely terrific. It's such a wonderful
show of support," she said.
After Herbert concluded his speech, Kranker introduced grower
representative Harold Schlothauer, longtime area beet producer.
Schlothauer pointed out many of the dramatic changes in the sugar
industry since he began farming. He also used his time at the podium
to describe the important relationship between the growers and Holly
Sugar.
"The Growers Association and Holly Sugar need each other. We
have always shown an ability to work together to overcome our
differences," Schlothauer said.
Union representative Mark Deming followed Schlothauer, reminding
the audience that working in today's difficult sugar industry isn't
easy for Holly Sugar's union members, which number nearly 80 year
round and more than 350 during campaign. "It takes a lot of
dedication, but we always do the best we can," he said. Deming
thanked the workers for their support of him, particularly during
negotiations.
The open house program culminated with remarks from Holly Sugar
district manager Don Gorsek, who promptly acknowledged all the
different people that made the 75th anniversary open house possible.
After the applause finally ended, Gorsek launched into an outline of
the refinery's plans. He emphasized that despite the difficult
markets, the Sidney plant is well-positioned to take advantage of
future opportunities.
"We have made a commitment to expanding the capacity of the
plant," Gorsek said. "We will also eventually increase
acres." Gorsek explained the challenge to improve the factory
in order to fully utilize the recently-installed 8000-ton tower
diffuser. With new technologies and maintenance systems, Gorsek
predicted that the factory could dramatically improve its
efficiency. Specifically, he hopes to improve the facility's juice
evaporation capacity with a continuous vacuum pan, a project he
hopes to tackle within the next five years.
"Much will depend on the next farm bill and the direction
that the sugar industry takes. History tells us that things will
turn around," Gorsek said. "Holly Sugar in Sidney will be
ready to compete when that happens." Gorsek ended his speech
and the afternoon program by thanking the crowd for coming and their
support of Holly Sugar. He also invited the audience to take
advantage of the various tours offered throughout the day.
Photo: Holly Sugar District Manager Don Gorsek speaks to the
crowd at the anniversary celebration Tuesday. Photo by Chris Foster.
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