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By Lois Kerr  The staff at Holly Sugar hosted a very successful open house on July 18. The open house, held in honor of Holly Sugar’s 75 years of operation in the community, attracted over 600 visitors. Dave Cummings, technical services manager and chairman of the 75th anniversary committee, remarks, “At least 600 people came through the gate. We kept the display area open all afternoon, and we had visitors who came to see the displays right up until closing time at 5:00.” Cummings estimates that over 300 people took the opportunity to tour the factory and warehouse area. Holly Sugar served approximately 550 meals over the lunch hour. A successful open house doesn’t just happen. It requires work and dedication from employees. In this case, the Holly Sugar 75th anniversary committee spent six months in planning, preparation and work to ensure a successful 75th open house celebration. “We started planning for this in February,” Cummings remarks. “We asked for volunteers from the staff to serve on committees, then we held several brainstorming sessions and put together the basic plan for both the open house and the staff barbecue.” He laughs and adds, “We had six months of preparation, with regular meetings and attention to details in advance. I was happy to be involved with the planning, I’m happy with how the day went, but I’m also relieved we won’t have to plan for something like this again until the 100th anniversary.” Employees from all departments, along with the union president, worked on the open house plans. Committee members took responsibility for certain aspects of the event, made assignments and got the job done. As well, every department had a hand in the display. “Every department contributed to the display,” Cummings remarks. “Each department had input, and selected the items they felt best showcased their department.” Cummings believes three major factors contributed to the success of the 75th anniversary open house: commitment, communication and support. “Three things made this work,” Cummings notes. “First, we had the commitment of the volunteers and employees on the committee, plus the commitment of regular employees who showed up, did the work and got the job done. Committee members did the planning and groundwork, but employees pitched in and made this occasion a success. It shows the type of employee we have here in this factory.” He continues, “Second, communications remained open, with people always available to handle any problems that arose. And third, we couldn’t have done this without support from management, both here and at the Sugar Land corporate office. Local management really got it all going for us.” Cummings also points out that Russ Fullmer, Holly Sugar ag manager, did an excellent job at communicating with the community. “Russ did a great job in getting the community involved,” Cummings comments. Cummings also credits Russ Wells, owner and publisher of the Roundup and the Ag Roundup, with some excellent ideas for the open house. “Russ was a member of the 75th anniversary committee. He brought a lot of good ideas to the table, ideas that the rest of us would never have considered without Russ’s input.” Cummings also thanks the community for their participation in the open house. “We were happy to have the opportunity to invite the community to visit, to tour the factory and to talk with the people who work here. Visitors enjoyed the display, the excellent food and we heard many favorable comments about the day.” He continues, “The open house was a big distraction from normal work. This was not a normal summer, but it is important to hold these types of events to increase awareness of the factory and of the length of time this factory has been a part of the community.” Cummings reminds people that Holly Sugar still has some souvenir items available for sale at cost. “We still have some souvenir items,” Cummings says. “People can stop by the ag department if they are interested. Souvenirs are available at cost, so prices will remain the same until all items are sold.”
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