Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 0:41
This Whole Grain GEAPS podcast episode focuses on GEAPS Exchange 2025, the biggest and best show in the grain industry. GEAPS staff, along with representatives from the GEAPS International Board of Directors, will be featured as we inform and prepare you for all the upcoming excitement surrounding Exchange 2025. Hello and welcome to the show. Welcome to the Whole Grain Podcast. My name is Jim Lenz, your host and producer of the show and the Director of Global Education and Training at GEAPS. We’re the mission of the Grain Elevator and Processing Society to champion, connect and serve the global grain industry and our members at GEAPS. We work to be the global community and thought leader for the grain industry, which feeds and fuels the world. Thanks for listening today and for joining the network of thousands of other grain handling and processing professionals across the globe taking strategic steps to grow professionally. The Whole Grain Show will give you the competitive advantage to win at work so you can make more of an impact. Before we continue, here is a brief message from a sponsor of today’s message.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 1:45
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Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 2:36
Please be sure to share this episode with your colleagues and your greater network, as today’s Whole Grain Podcast episode is 100% focused on the biggest and best show in the grain industry GEAPS Exchange 2025. It’s taking place February 22nd through February 25th at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri of the United States. Our guest commentators for today’s episode will be led by John Caupert, GEAPS’ Executive Director, Adrianne Fierstad-Miller, director of Conference and Exhibitions, Betsy Polis, Director of Special Projects and Events, along with two representatives of the GEAPS International Board of Directors Chuck Kunisch, Board Chair, and Austin Carpenter, Board President. They’ll describe the structure, the detail and how you don’t want to miss all the fun at the biggest and best show in the grain industry Jeeps Exchange 2025. You’ll also want to follow along by visiting the event page at GEAPS. com/exchange. All that and more coming up next! To start the show off. We’re very excited to have our own GEAPS Executive Director John Caupert with us today. John welcome.
John Caupert, Executive Director: 3:47
Jim, great to be here. Looking very forward to discussing all things GEAPS Exchange 2025.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 3:54
What are you so excited about for GEAPS Exchange 2025? Let’s hear it.
John Caupert, Executive Director: 3:58
Sure Well, for all of our listeners out there, you know, for those that have been with us for a while and maybe those that are new to the Whole Grain Podcast, especially those that are new to the podcast Thank you for joining us and listening in. You know GEAPS Exchange it is the largest single site grain and grain industry conference in the world hours of education and technical sessions that are complemented by an expo that this year will probably see over 400 exhibitors representing every step in the value and the supply chain of grain and grain processing. In GEAPS Exchange 2024, we broke certain records. It was our largest exchange conference in history in terms of attendance. We had a completely sold out expo and listeners. What we heard was we heard the demand for more. We walked away from Exchange 2024 with a waiting list of more companies wanting to be part of the expo.
John Caupert, Executive Director: 4:55
Well, why do companies want to be part of the expo? As mentioned, it is the largest single site grain and grain processing conference in the world. It’s the largest single site grain and grain processing conference in the world and I emphasize the importance of that because when you think about GEAPS as an organization and perhaps even more importantly, when you think GEAPS members and their role in agriculture. When that farmer, when she or he, delivers their load of grain to a country grain elevator, a river terminal or a grain processing plant, the very first person that they encounter is a GEAPS member. And that is important because it is Jeeps members that are directly involved in the conversion of that grain into the food that feeds the world, the fuel that fuels our automobiles and the clothing that is upon our back. GEAPS members are directly involved in feeding, fueling and clothing the world and when you attend GEAPS Exchange all of that is there for you. One site, one location. So, Jim, I’m very excited about it and hope that our listeners are as well.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 6:04
Yeah, it’s a great overview. There are a number of new things that are going to be added this year.
John Caupert, Executive Director: 6:09
Jim, there is. You know, for those out there that know me, or for those that have heard me speak before, they know that I come from the ethanol industry. I’ve spent the last 20 years there, spent the 20 years previous to GEAPS in the ethanol industry. You know an industry that I saw grow from 1.2 billion gallons of production to nearly 17 billion gallons of production in my time there. Well, when you think about the ethanol industry, when you think about the biofuels industry, at the end of the day, what it is is it’s grain processing.
John Caupert, Executive Director: 6:41
It is taking an individual kernel of corn or an individual soybean and it is bioprocessing it into many products of value. We at GEAPS, we listened. We listened to the attendees of Exchange 2024. And equally important to listening to the attendees, we watched, we listened, we asked questions about what’s going on in industry, and what we hear time and time and time again is grain processing. So Exchange 2025 will bring its first ever grain processing track and we are very excited about that. We will have representatives from the major agricultural commodity associations, such as corn growers, soybean association, and those folks will have the opportunity to directly interact and engage and network with our Jeeps members and, at the end of the day, that’s one of the primary benefits and values of being a GEAPS member is just that networking. There’s one area that I would like to add. It is this transformational shift that we’re seeing in agriculture and for the listeners, I’d like to take a couple moments to talk about two areas in particular of a transformational shift.
Chuck Kunisch, Board Chair, GEAPS : 7:56
One is in the workforce.
John Caupert, Executive Director: 7:57
You know agriculture in general, from farmers to those that are working in the transformation of grain into the products that we consume on a daily basis. There is a transformational shift in the workforce. An aging workforce is being replaced slowly by folks who are maybe a little more non-traditional in agriculture. Maybe they didn’t grow up in rural America, they probably didn’t grow up on a farm. They most likely don’t have a degree or a background in agriculture. That is one transformational shift that is happening, and GEAPS Exchange, the 45 plus hours of education, training, technical sessions, as well as the innovation stations and the expo itself, are geared directly towards those types of folks.
John Caupert, Executive Director: 8:47
The other transformational shift that is happening is agriculture is bringing value-added products to market through grain processing, and the way that I like to describe it is grain processing is the pathway to prosperity in agriculture. Well, what does that really mean, this pathway to prosperity? Well, what it is is it is taking an individual kernel of corn, it is taking an individual bushel of soybeans and, through processing, developing many products, hundreds, if not thousands of products, out of that individual bushel, putting value on it every step of the way, and we will be bringing all that to Exchange 2025. So so many opportunities. If it sounds like I’m excited, it’s because I am.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 9:35
I love that and you’re a great supporter of the ethanol industry for so long. It’s a big part of what we do and we’re continuing to grow and put emphasis in that area, so this is a new opportunity to connect with the industry at large all components of the supply chain. So terrific. Thank you, John.
John Caupert, Executive Director: 9:53
Yeah, thank you, Jim.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 9:54
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Adrianne Fjerstad-Miller, Director of Conference and Exhibitions: 10:34
There’s so much to see, learn and do at GEAPS Exchange. The conference includes an expo hall filled with technology and services to make grain operations safer and more efficient, education on the latest trends and best practices, and social events that help reinforce business relationships and create new ones. The dates of Exchange 2025 are February 22nd through 25th that’s a Saturday through a Tuesday. It’s being held at the Kansas City Convention Center and we expect nearly 4,000 attendees and over 375 exhibiting companies. We’ll start with the basics of registration and housing and then delve into more detail about the Expo, education and social events. Registration is currently open. You can go to GEAPS Dot Com slash exchange to access the registration portal. We’re offering a special discount code for international attendees. Intl25kc can be entered during the registration process and will adjust the price to the member rate for whichever registration option is selected. There are multiple registration options available and attendees will want to register by January 28th to receive the best rates, as these are all our early bird prices. One option is an expo only pass, which allows access to the expo hall for whichever days are selected. With the international discount code, this would be completely free. It’s $35 per day for non-members who receive a coupon code from an exhibitor and $70 per day without the coupon. One notable thing about our Expo Hall is that lunch is included each day at no additional charge. Next, we have full conference registration, which is $435 for members and $670 for non-members. Again, the international discount code will offer those attendees the member rate on a full registration. A full conference registration includes all three days of Expo education sessions and special events, which we’ll talk about more in detail later. Lastly, there’s a daily education and expo hall pass. It’s $205 for members and $335 for non-members. This allows the attendee to access the expo hall and all education sessions on the day of their choice.
Adrianne Fjerstad-Miller, Director of Conference and Exhibitions: 12:57
Now we’ll move on to housing for Exchange 2025. We have three hotels with discounted rates for our attendees and exhibitors, and room reservations can be made during the reservation process. All hotels are within walking distance of the Convention Center. First, we have the Marriott, which is our host hotel, which means we have the largest number of hotel rooms blocked at this hotel. There is also the Lowe’s, which is a relatively new hotel opened just in 2020, and it is connected to the Convention Center. The Crowne Plaza is our most budget-friendly option and just a couple of blocks from the Convention Center. You can’t go wrong with any of these hotels. It just depends on your preference. Exchange is a great place to learn, and now we’ll move on to the education portion of the presentation and I’ll hand it off to my colleague, betsy Polis.
Betsy Polis,Director of Special Projects and Events: 13:49
I’m going to give you a summary and overview of some of the education you can find at GEAPS Exchange. So, first and foremost, we invite you to join us Sunday morning, February 23rd, for our keynote presentation by Pamela Barnum. She’s a former undercover police officer and nonverbal communication expert. Her talk on tactical influence will cover the first principles of leadership helping you unlock your potential as a leader. This will be followed by our most popular event, the Idea Exchange, where presenters will share new products and ideas in a fast-paced, dynamic event. We have four tracks of education. One is our newest track, being processing. The second is employee development. Third is safety and the fourth is green operations. The nice part about the tracks is that you can either follow along throughout the entire track of education or you can mix and match and choose sessions to your liking from a variety of these tracks.
Betsy Polis,Director of Special Projects and Events: 14:44
We’re going to start with the processing track. Like I mentioned, it’s our newest track and we’re very excited to be offering it to our attendees. The processing track offers valuable insights into extraction methods, safety regulations and grain quality. It will review soybean processing techniques and methods, as well as focus in on the role renewable oils play. Some of the sessions within this track are oil seed processing a crushing perspective. Soybean processing basics and beyond, how to harness oil seed value-added processes and growth potential. And ethanol production. In our employee development track, attendees can expect topics on effective hiring, succession planning, improving team performance and creating quality workplace culture. A few sessions in this track are how to create an incredible workplace that nobody wants to leave, three steps to succession planning success, a panel discussion on talent transformation, recruiting and building your team in a remote world, and the four pillars of effective hiring.
Betsy Polis,Director of Special Projects and Events: 15:52
Our third track is the safety track, which brings a blend of topics on railroad and barge safety, dust explosion prevention and fall protection. Some of these sessions you can find within our safety track include a dust explosion panel evaluating connection between heat stress and respiratory connection, a step-by-step guide to safely testing circuit breakers, best practices for loading grain barges, the reality of railroad safety and demystifying combustible dust explosions. And our final track this year is the grain operations track. The grain operations track has a wide variety of topics serving all industry professionals. Topics range from automation, project management, energy savings and facility maintenance. Some of these sessions include what to look for when increasing bucket elevator capacity, aeration and outside storage capacity, aeration and outside storage, ai readiness in green facilities, 13 ways to ruin a perfectly good gear reducer. And measurement in motion using flow sensors to future-proof your operation. This is just a snapshot of all of the great education that we have to offer. I encourage you to visit our website to really dive into our speakers, our subjects and more description on all of those categories.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 17:17
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Betsy Polis,Director of Special Projects and Events: 18:00
I’ll pass it back to Adrianne to talk a bit more about the Exchange Expo.
Adrianne Fjerstad-Miller, Director of Conference and Exhibitions: 18:05
Thanks, Betsy. The Expo Hall is a huge attraction of Exchange. It boasts over 80,000 square feet of booth space. Attendees will find a lot of innovation products, services and solutions on the show floor. Many customers use Exchange to debut new products and services for the industry. A lot of exhibitors bring real-life machinery and many equipment. Demonstrations are happening on the show floor.
Betsy Polis,Director of Special Projects and Events: 18:31
So there are four innovation stations featured throughout the Expo Hall. These are actually small, interactive and more demonstration based education. They are connected to our four tracks of education and a great way to get learning within the Expo Hall. We also have a grain entrapment rescue demonstration. This occurs five different times throughout the Expo Hall hours. It’s a very popular attraction and it’s returning again this year. With the help from Oklahoma State University, they will be hosting this comprehensive demonstration on the dangers of grain bins and life-saving safety measures.
Adrianne Fjerstad-Miller, Director of Conference and Exhibitions: 19:12
New this year we’ll have an international resource center booth right next to the GEAPS booth on the show floor. U. S Commercial Services will be housed in this space as a resource for international attendees and exhibitors. We’ll also have a Spanish and Portuguese translator to help attendees find exhibitors in the hall and answer questions about exchange and Jeep. As mentioned previously, lunch is served every day in the Expo Hall, so attendees don’t need to leave to find something to eat. There are also a lot of networking opportunities within the hall and lounges built in to relax and have a conversation. We’ll have over 375 exhibitors representing a variety of product and service solutions. This is a snapshot of popular product and service categories represented by our exhibitors, From cleaning and sorting equipment to processing to transportation. Attendees will find the solutions they’re looking for on the Expo Hall floor.
Adrianne Fjerstad-Miller, Director of Conference and Exhibitions: 20:09
All right Exchange has some great social events geared toward fun, relaxation and networking. That we’ll talk about next Saturday is where things begin. The Mixer is an event for first-time and international attendees. This event is free to those individuals. It’s a relaxed and smaller event that allows new and international attendees to get acquainted with Jeeps leaders and exchange veterans. GEAPS leaders will be in attendance to welcome attendees, answer questions and make introductions. Also, on Saturday evening, we have the Get Acquainted Party, which is considered the kickoff event to the conference. This year, the Get Acquainted Party will be held at the College Basketball Experience, which isn’t too far from the Convention Center. Admission will include two drink tickets, good food, access to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and more than 20 interactive exhibits. This event is included in a full registration, but can also be purchased a la carte. Shuttle service, although it’s not far, will be included from our three conference hotels and the convention center.
Adrianne Fjerstad-Miller, Director of Conference and Exhibitions: 21:13
Sunday, at the end of the first day of the Expo Hall being open, there will be a welcome reception on the Expo show floor. Attendees receive two drink tickets and free appetizers to celebrate the first day of the trade show and then, on Tuesday, to end the conference directly following the Expo Hall closing, we’ll be playing music bingo. Join us for a happy hour while exhibitors tear down their booths, and then we’ll let the games begin. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be an expert in music. It’s a game for all. There will be many great prizes to be won, donated by our generous exhibitors and sponsors. This is an event you don’t want to miss, as we held it last year for the first time and it received rave reviews. This event is included in full registration or admission can be purchased a la carte. That concludes our Exchange 2025 overview presentation. We hope that it was informative and we would love to see you at the event in February. Thank you, Thank you.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 22:14
Before we continue, here is a brief message from a sponsor of today’s message. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Interstates offers electrical construction, electrical engineering and control system solutions. For over 70 years, they have tackled complex challenges and developed innovative solutions for grain handling facilities around the country. Interstates brings their clients a wide breadth of experience in the grain industry, from greenfield builds to support for existing facilities, including upgrades, service calls and ongoing maintenance. They do what it takes to deliver your solution on schedule, on budget and on target with your needs. Come visit them at the GEAPS Exchange or contact them today at www. Interstates. com. All right, now we are joined by Chuck Kunisch. Chuck Kunisch is a longtime GEAPS member. He’s been going to Exchange, I think, for 25 years. He’ll tell us about that and a little bit how things evolved and why he is so excited about Exchange 2025. Chuck is also the board chair for the International Board of Directors of GEAPS. So, Chuck, thank you for joining us here on this episode to feature the upcoming Exchange. Are you excited?
Chuck Kunisch, Board Chair, GEAPS : 23:21
Thank you, Jim. Every year the Exchange gets better and better. Myself and a few of the other board members lived through the pandemic, which was really ugly, and to see us come out of that and not just maintain the status quo but to thrive and see the exchange grow is really, really exciting to me. Like you mentioned, this year I’m chairman of the board. I’ve been on the board for over 10 years. I’m going to term out this year, which is sort of bittersweet to me to not have a direct hand in the Exchange in GEAPS as much as I have. But it’s going to be a great exchange. I would very much encourage all of our regular members and associates to figure out how to get there. They’re going to benefit from it. The networking that exists. That exchange that I’ve taken part of has made my career, Jim, not just in GEAPS but with Michigan Ag Commodity and business I’ve done around the world. I can’t stress how useful the networking that comes out of exchanges.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 24:19
Yeah, you touched on that. In fact, I remember in a past episode you talked about networking a bit. Can you expand on that? You really have mastered networking and you, like other folks, have expressed how important that is. Just for those who are coming for the first time or those who’ve been going for years. Stretching yourself a little bit is important, even if it’s maybe not natural or is comfortable for you. But what is the significance of networking? How can it be done beforehand, leading up to exchange, and then, when you’re on site at exchange, what kind of networking opportunities, what kind of tips can you provide?
Chuck Kunisch, Board Chair, GEAPS : 24:56
Well, I’d say before, get the list of attendees, both regular members or all three regular members that are going to be there, that maybe you know that they might be doing something you’re interested in. With the size of the vendors, where we’re probably going to close on 400, there’s not enough time to go and touch and talk to everybody. Make a list, figure out who your primary ones are. If you’re coming with other members from your company, split and divide to be able to get the benefit of that. Those vendors, that’s what they’re there for. They’re trained in helping you get information that you’re looking for. So you know, like you said, if you’re not a real outgoing personality, you just got to show up and say, hey, I’m interested and those guys will help you In the education sessions. Definitely. Figure out which ones work for you and, as a first step, step out a little bit maybe after the session if you’re interested, go up and get the business card from the presenter.
Chuck Kunisch, Board Chair, GEAPS : 25:48
That’s a really good way to start networking and to get acquainted. The presenter that’s a really good way to start networking and to get acquainted. The mixer, the reception talk to people. You know that’s GEAPS’ greatest asset is its people, and so utilize that asset. As you do it, it’ll become easier and easier as you go along and you’ll reap the benefits of it. I can’t stress that enough.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 26:09
Yeah, great recap, great insights there, Chuck, thank you. In a little bit we’ll conclude the show with current GEAPS Board President, Austin Carpenter. He is on the associate side, vendor and supplier of the industry. You are not. You are considered a regular member. You worked in grain facilities for a number of years, especially with Michigan Ag Commodities. So from that perspective that you’re bringing to the table, can you expand on that a little bit more? How significant is this for those who work in grain facilities? What are some of those targets that you should be thinking about as you come in? There’s clearly projects that may be on the horizon. Maybe there’s skill development, knowledge gain from this. What are some of those things that one should think about?
Chuck Kunisch, Board Chair, GEAPS : 27:22
You’re right, Jim, with Austin, one of the new things that made the exchange getting better and better, and I think a big part, is that integration. We’re working together as one team, not as two teams. So, Austin, I’m sure will expound on that.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 27:35
How can regular members take advantage of Exchange?
Chuck Kunisch, Board Chair, GEAPS : 27:38
As I said before, figure out what vendors you want to see. Like, if you said, if you’re doing a new project or upgrading, you know, get those guys that are building silos and bins and supplying equipment but also just a ton of new technology. I’ve been on the education committee for longer than I’ve been on the board and for me that’s one of the big benefits. I sort of get early insight into what’s coming and so I see who the speakers are, which you can get off the website, because there’s a good description, and see if that person or that new technology might be something that you’re interested in and then seek them out. And then, of course, after the opening session, which, as you and I talked before, is really becoming a big event with Jeeps on Sunday morning, the speakers in the last three four that we’ve had have been excellent. It’s a standing room, only usually crowds, so get there early. There’s a lot of things that those people can help and we just get positive feedback all the time on that. But then, right after that, just before the opening of the Expo Hall, is the new idea. Those are ideas that people come with that are new to the North American industry in the last year and can be sold at the time of the exchange. So there are sort of two steps to that. One is the associates, the vendors that they’re presenting, and this is their new idea, and it can be on a myriad of subjects that it comes across. Just a quick one for a minute to get you acquainted so you can go to their booth and talk to them.
Chuck Kunisch, Board Chair, GEAPS : 29:18
But then also and I’ll put a little promo in here, because it’s sort of one of my pet projects is we have what we call I did why don’t you when regular members that work at the facilities come up with a new idea and have four minutes to present it and if they aren’t real comfortable getting up, we’ll help. One of the big benefits of that is you get $100 right there as you step off the podium for maybe having a little bit of fun while you’re there. So the ideas come fast and furious. It’s just being ready to take advantage of them and assimilate them and then use them when you get back to your facilities. Get signed up early, get your room early. If you need a room, we have, like Betsy and Adrian said, we have the room blocks but they fill. So get signed up and get ready to come and have three, maybe four days depending on when you come of getting knowledge and also having fun. There’s a lot of fun events that we have, and every year I have a ball and really look forward to it.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 30:18
Thank you, chuck, appreciate it. You’re welcome, Jim. All right, we now are with Austin Carpenter. Austin Carpenter is the GEAPS President of the International Board of Directors. What does that mean for you to be the first international board president of GEAPS who is an associate member? What does it
Austin Carpenter, Board President, GEAPS: 30:37
It means a lot. There’s been a lot of change with GEAPS, a lot of change in the infrastructure of how it’s being run. It’s been an honor. I’ve worked well with the regular members and sitting at the table with them and having what’s essentially an equal number of votes. We’ve gone a long way.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 30:53
Now let’s talk about Exchange. First let’s talk about the destination, where the location is Kansas City. What does that mean?
Austin Carpenter, Board President, GEAPS: 31:01
You know, I’ve looked at the GEAPS membership. I’ve mapped it out, I’ve studied it and Kansas City’s been a pretty central location to the majority of our membership. There are people out on the West Coast and East Coast and, I apologize, they have to fly in, but the majority of the membership is in the heartland of Kansas area. It’s been a great place to anchor the show. We’ve seen a record number of attendants. I’m thrilled to have Kansas City be the home of Jeeps as long as it has been and for the next couple of years, up until 2029.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 31:28
So let’s talk about how things have evolved a little bit in terms of attendance, in terms of an international presence. What’s your commentary about that?
Austin Carpenter, Board President, GEAPS: 31:37
You know we had this discussion on the board years ago about the international footprint. Looking at some other trade shows in the United States, they’ve grown significantly through the international side. So there was some efforts put in place years ago that have gotten us to where we’re at today. As of today, we have a record number of international attendees registered. There’s programs in place that will offer translation for them, that will offer support while they’re at the trade show. They help them get in the country for the event. The hard work has paid off. We’re starting to see people at the show. So it’ll be fascinating to see what future years have to come, but we’re seeing progress in a positive direction.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 32:16
This year there’s some new offerings. What are your thoughts on some of those new offerings? One of the big things is a processing track that didn’t exist before.
Austin Carpenter, Board President, GEAPS: 32:25
We’ve got an educational group that’s done a great job with education over the years. One of the things we’ve been missing and I think we nailed it when we kind of brought IOMSA into GEAPS is the processing side. There’s a gentleman by the name of Danny Lein who got involved with GEAPS. We we brought IMSA on board, put a lot of time in education and that side of things. He’s part of the education group. He’s driven the process sector. I know Jeff Trudell was a part of that, Chris Blair, some others. They’ve really put a lot of effort into building that processing track and this year we’re offering the golden ticket. That’s five full paid entries to to GEAPS for people in the processing world. All they have to do is apply. So it’s exciting to see that type of interest and that type of push for the processing group to come to GEAPS and see vendors and the associates that are there to see them.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 33:16
Excellent. And before we go, good to tell folks about the number four and why that’s significant.
Austin Carpenter, Board President, GEAPS: 33:22
Yeah, we hired an executive director with what I would call a nice vision, a beautiful vision, and it’s the theory of fours. A couple of the fours we’re hoping to hit this year. That’s 400 vendors, that’s 4,000 attendees. It’s a goal, it’s a plan. If you don’t have goals and plans, you know it’s hard to know if you’re making progress. So our goal this year is 4,000 people and 400 plus exhibitors. So I’m excited to see where we land.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 33:46
All right, we have Austin Carpenter, GEAPS Board President. You’re closing out the show. We left that for you. So what is the big closing message that you want people to know about Exchange?
Austin Carpenter, Board President, GEAPS: 33:58
Exchange is the place to go. It’s the buzz. That’s where you get the industry buzz. You get to meet the new vendors, you get to see the new equipment, you get to attend a lot of fun events. It’s the place to go network. If you can’t find the answer to what you’re looking for, it’s probably not in this industry then Awesome.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 34:12
Thank you so much, Austin. Thank you Whole Grain Podcast listeners. Thank you for making time in your day to listen to this very special GEAPS Exchange 2025 episode of the Whole Grain Podcast. Hey, don’t forget to share this important episode with your network. It’s a great fit for not only grain professionals like yourself, but also other members of your network. Whole Grain allows you to take learning on the go. You can catch up on all past Whole Grain Podcast episodes by going to www. GEAPS. com slash whole grain. You can also catch the show on your favorite podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify and more. Hit the subscribe button so you can catch up on past episodes, and when new episodes are released, you’ll be informed right away, as they will be available on your device.
Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training, GEAPS: 34:57
At this point, the show is two years in production. We have listeners from 81 different countries. We thank the entire grain handling and processing industry for doing your part to feed and fuel the world, as well as facilitate hundreds of other products that stem from grain. Your work is important. Stay informed and connected by visiting jeepscom. The Whole Grain Podcast offers a terrific opportunity to spotlight your business If you and your organization want to sponsor an episode and be a featured guest, or if you would like us to help you create and place an audio commercial on and for a future podcast episode of the show, please reach out to me, Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training at GEAPS, the Grain Elevator and Processing Society. My james@geaps. com, j-a-m-e-s at G-E-A-P-S dot com. We look forward to connecting with you. Have yourself a great day and thanks for listening to Whole Grain.
