Sunnyside Farms, featured in Hoard’s Dairyman.

Neil Rejman of Sunnyside Farms, a Red Wing Software customer, was featured in the September 10th, 2016 issue, of Hoard’s Dairyman. The story, entitled Rejman named Progressive Commercial Dairy Manager, gives details about Rejman recently being awarded the 2016 Progressive Commercial Dairy Farm Manager Grant Award. Rejman received a $2,000 travel grant, and plans on visiting several other progressive dairies around the country.

Lamont Fruit Farm/Fish Creek Orchards, featured in Fruit Grower News.

Lamont Fruit Farm/Fish Creek Orchards, a Red Wing Software customer, was featured in the September 2016 issue of Fruit Growers News in the story New York state growers adapt to changing markets. Lamont Fruit Farm owner, Rod Farrow describes methods used to increase efficiency within their operation.

Spiech Farms, featured in Fruit Grower News.

Red Wing Software customer Spiech Farms LLC was also included in the September 2016 issue of Fruit Grower News, in the story Spiech Farms invests more than $1 million in new products. Spiech Farms Chief Operating Officer / Owner, Tim Spiech explains plans for a new product line expansion for frozen produce.

Hillside Farms featured in Progressive Dairyman

Laura Flory of Hillside Farms, a Red Wing Software customer, shares some great advice and experiences about keeping a family farm on track, in the August 7, 2016, issue of Progressive Dairyman. In the story “Becoming the ‘A Team’: How a consultant′s repeated advice got our farm back on track”, Flory explains how a person′s roles, responsibilities, and expectations make such a difference within a farming organization.

• Katrina (Administrative Assistant), husband Josh and daughter Kyla enjoyed a Minnesota Twins Win!! It was Kyla’s first Twins game.
• Chad (Sales), his wife Rachel, and son welcomed the birth of their beautiful daughter Remi on July 21st. Congratulations to all.
• Mike (QA Manager/Project Manager), his wife Kathryn, and daughter Kadence on the shores of Lake Superior with their foreign exchange student from Japan, Hiyori, who was with them for a month.
• Jada (Support Technician) and her family Josh, Ava and Lane went on a road trip this summer that included a visit to the St. Louis Arch and the Hillclimb Nationals in Illinois which Lane participated in. He won two national championships, a second place, and the youth racer of the year award! Funny thing is he’s not afraid to speed up those hills but was too scared go up in the Arch.
• Dan (Design) and his wife Sue became grandparents for the first time to beautiful Lyla! Congratulations to all.
• Julie (Sales Engineer ) and her sons participated in a 70-mile bike ride in Boulder this past weekend. The ride is called the Bstrong ride and benefits the Boulder Community Hospital for Integrative Care which services cancer patients. Proceeds from this weekend ride will fund the center for an entire year. It is also benefits the George Karl Foundation.

September may seem like a strange time to talk about budgeting for your business, but actually, any time of year is a good time to review how your business is tracking against your projections. Whether it’s planning for next year, or comparing this year’s results to what you were planning, looking at your actual numbers compared to your business plan for the year should be something that happens on a regular basis.

To illustrate, I’ll use a couple Red Wing Software examples of why this is important. Each manager of their respective department is responsible for creating their budget for the coming year. Of course, not only expenses are projected, but revenue is also part of the budget. For example, each salesperson puts together the sales goals that they expect to achieve on a monthly basis, and how they expect to achieve those goals. Sales numbers are then measured throughout the year on a daily basis so we are aware of how we are performing compared to our projections. If sales numbers are not what we expected, (either lower or higher), it is important to know the reasons and react quickly to any discrepancy. Of course if sales numbers are higher than we expected, we want to know why, and keep making decisions that ensure continued success.

On the expense side, you obviously want to make sure you are not spending money that was not budgeted without a serious look as to why these expenses were increased. Also, and this may sound strange at first, you want to make sure you are spending all the money that is budgeted unless there is a good reason for not spending it. For instance, our Marketing Manager budgets to spend a certain amount on very specific items. Whether it’s advertising, trade shows, web presence, travel, or any number of other things, it is important to stick to this plan. If marketing dollars are not spent as planned, the result could very well be a decrease in revenue. It can be a delicate balancing act.

We are fortunate at Red Wing Software to have seasoned, experienced managers and staff that are very good at planning for their respective departments, and our revenue and expense numbers are typically within two percent of their projections. I believe with practice, discipline, and timely analysis, most businesses can be equally accurate in their planning process.

- Ken Hilton, President

CSA Software Solutions is a partner of Red Wing Software that sells and supports CenterPoint Fund Accounting software. The two companies team together, helping cities in the southern U.S. improve and streamline their accounting and payroll. Recently, CSA received a story of success from customer Charles Snap, the Mayor of the City of Walnut Ridge. Here Mayor Snap shares his story.

LOCATION:

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Population 4,925

CSA CLIENT SINCE:

January 1, 2016

CURRENT SOFTWARE:

CenterPoint Fund Accounting and Payroll

KEY BENEFITS OF CENTERPOINT:

• Budget Details
• Council Reports
• Support

“I took office in January of 2015, as did a new Clerk/Treasurer for Walnut Ridge. The former Clerk/Treasurer had given a notice that she was retiring, and the newly elected clerk had trained with the former clerk. At the point the new training started, the city had switched from a DOS-based system to an over-the counter-accounting program and we were having trouble keeping our records straight.”

“The new clerk’s solution was to purchase the CenterPoint Fund Accounting software by Red Wing Software. When I found out the cost, I refused to authorize purchase of the software, citing budget concerns for our community of under 5,000. In fact, I continued to refuse the software purchase for months, until I was forced to hire a CPA to help us sort through the city books, in an effort to come up with a working budget for 2016.”

“After the lack of budget details forced me into sitting down with CSA, a local company that sells and supports CenterPoint Software, I started to understand what the staff and their software could provide. In fact, I was quite impressed with the behind the scene options offered for support and help if my clerk was sick, to assure the city bills and payroll continued and the security of the system was another bonus. After all, as a small town we have a very limited staff.”

“We installed CenterPoint Fund Accounting and Payroll going in to the 2016 calendar year, and our paperwork improved immediately. My department heads didn’t doubt their monthly reports anymore, my budget committee was more than pleased with how the reports looked, and the details they were being provided. No doubt, we had made the right move in purchasing the system and then the unforeseen happened … our City Clerk had a stroke and was hospitalized.”

“The following Monday morning I contacted CSA and their backup plan was put to work. Within hours their staff was working with my assistant, to insure payroll checks were written and the bills were paid in a timely manner. The city’s credit rating was at risk and potential problems extended well beyond the city, which could have impacted each employee and their lives. While the accounting portion of CenterPoint Fund Accounting software had simplified the paperwork for Walnut Ridge, the CSA behind the scenes staff and their backup plan had saved the day! With this in mind, I welcome email, or phone calls if anyone has any questions concerning the City of Walnut Ridge’s experience with CenterPoint by Red Wing Software. I’ve made full circle from a skeptic, to shouting their praises from the mountain tops!”