World Grain - April 2021 - 54

FIRST-EVER
GEAPS ONLINE
CONFERENCE
WELL RECEIVED
Event earns favorable reviews as equipment suppliers report uptick in business

iven that it was the first time that the Grain
Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS)
hosted a virtual event in place of its regularly scheduled in-person Exchange, the GEAPS online
conference exceeded expectations, said Steve Records,
chief staff officer of GEAPS.
The conference, held Feb. 23-25, featured a virtual
trade show, virtual idea exchange, a virtual networking
lounge, and eight educational sessions. An in-person
GEAPS Exchange had been scheduled for that week
in Columbus, Ohio, US, but was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. It has been moved to Aug. 6-9.
" Feedback from both attendees and exhibitors has
been very positive, " Records said after the first day of the
conference. " We are seeing good interaction in our workshops and educational sessions, with people actively participating and asking questions. Our exhibitors seem very
pleased as well. We're hearing that there has been good
traffic on the virtual show floor and meaningful discussions from prescheduled meetings. "
Records said GEAPS is considering having more
virtual events in the future.
" There are a lot of logistics to work out, but we know
there are many in the grain industry who just can't travel to our in-person event each year, " he said. " Virtual
events like this are a great opportunity to execute our
mission and give these operators access to our network.
Whether it's in conjunction with, or in addition to, our
in-person event, I see virtual events as a key way to
engage and expand our member base. "
Improving business climate
Grain prices are rising, COVID-19 cases are falling,
and some hopeful signs are emerging for suppliers of

grain storage and handling equipment.
Speaking during a product presentation during the
online conference on Feb. 23, David Price, executive
vice president of Warrior Manufacturing, LLC, a grain
storage and handling equipment maker, said business is
moving in a positive direction.
" There seems to be an uptick in activity, not just
for us but for everybody in the industry, " Price said.
" Whether it's the rise in commodity prices or some
other factor, I'm not sure what's driving it, but projects
are being funded again and it's nice to see. "
Several others in the grain storage and processing
equipment sector agreed with Price's assessment.
Kirk Nelson, director of marketing and sales at
Behlen Mfg. Co., said there's been a recent surge in
order activity for both commercial and on-farm storage
bins, adding that he also could not pinpoint the precise
reason for the resurgence.
He said some of it could be attributed to " a sizable
number of bins that went down in Iowa during the
(derecho) windstorm last year, and these bins are now
getting replaced, which also takes up some of the capacity to manufacture 'new storage.' "
Nelson said that while the rise in grain prices is a
positive development that typically spurs the purchasing of grain storage and handling equipment, it has
been offset somewhat by soaring steel prices, which are
nearing record highs.
Steve Sukup, president and chief executive officer of
Sukup Manufacturing Co., noted that steel has doubled
in price, with some of the increase having to be passed
to the customer. A significant factor in the increase in
steel costs is the 25% tariffs on steel imports from a
number of countries that was imposed by former US
April 2021 / World Grain / World-Grain.com

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by Arvin Donley

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World Grain - April 2021

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