Notes from the President

05 September 2019 khilton Notes from the President

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

It’s hard to believe, but summer is almost over. While we’re busy year-round at Red Wing Software, it does seem to let up a little in late summer. This gives many of our dedicated employees a chance to take a few, well-earned, days off, travel a little, and get ready for a busy winter. Based on the number of calls we get on our support lines, many of our customers are also not spending as much time on their recordkeeping and financial analysis.
Now that many of us have had a chance to rejuvenate, it’s time to get back focused on our business. Let’s take some time to make sure all information is up to date. Check inventory and verify that accounts receivable are not getting old. It’s a great time to check actual financial information compared to the budget for the year. Are we on track with revenue, and are expenses in line with projections? If numbers are a little off, there may still be time left in the year to get things back on track.
I hope everyone has had a chance to have a little down time, and if you’ve had that opportunity, now is a great time to get back focused on the business.

Notes from the President

07 August 2019 khilton Notes from the President

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

As I write this article, my wife, Pam, and I are halfway through a road trip. We haven’t been on a long road trip for some time, and now I remember why, but that’s a story for another time. We decided to drive to a meeting of the Farm Financial Standards Council in Durham, NC so we could stop near Dayton, OH to visit some customers, and tour the Airforce Museum, and then circle back through Michigan’s upper peninsula and stop by to see some relatives near Detroit.
We have several customers in the Dayton area, and because of time constraints, we were only able to visit two. Our first stop was Bowman and Landes Turkeys. I had earlier contacted long-time customer Stan Landes to see if we could get a quick tour of the operation. He was out of town during our visit and had arranged for Drew Bowman to show us around. While we expected a quick tour, Drew spent about two and a half hours with us, showing us the entire impressive operation. They raise turkeys from two days old and are vertically integrated all the way to selling whole turkeys and numerous deli products in their on-farm retail store. Bowman and Landes Turkeys is a real success story now, having their fourth generation of family involved in the business. If you live in the area or just passing through, you need to stop and get some of their awesome products.
Our second visit was with Lavy Enterprises. They started using our software in 1982, one of our first customers ever. They have used many products before the release of CenterPoint and have used CenterPoint Accounting for Agriculture for their crop operation and sod farm, CenterPoint Accounting for their equipment repair business, and CenterPoint Fund Accounting to keep track of financial records for their church. Ivan showed us around their operation, Lisa explained how they use CenterPoint in their business (and had a couple suggestions on how we could improve their user experience, which we always welcome), and Gary showed us the small but high-tech and very capable airplane they use to travel the country. We were honored to share dinner with the Lavys at a popular small-town eatery and enjoyed time reminiscing about all the changes we have been through over the years.
One thing that we noticed about both operations, and we believe all successful long-term businesses, is the great people that own, manage, and work at these companies. At Red Wing Software, we too take pride in hiring the best people, and are proud to be known as “the friendliest software company on the planet”.

Notes from the President

02 July 2019 khilton Notes from the President

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

As I write this, we are approaching a very important date in the history of the United States. This may sound a little strange at first, but I choose not to celebrate the Fourth of July. Don’t get me wrong, our offices will be closed and I will be taking the day off. However, I will be celebrating Independence Day; it happens to be on July 4th.
I feel we have developed a tendency to recognize, observe, and celebrate dates rather than the events that made the dates important to us. So, while I think it is important to remember the special events that happened on a date, it is even more important to recognize why that date matters.
These thoughts can carry into your business management as well. Every day, week, month, and year we run a variety of financial reports to track how our business is operating. We look at a Balance Sheet and get a snapshot of the financial health of our business, but do we dig into it and determine what actually caused the changes on this report? We run an Income Statement, P&L, Statement of Farming Activities, or Statement of Revenue and Expenditures (depending on your type of organization), but, do we take the time to drill down and determine why the business is heading in the direction it is?
Every country and business has events and reports that they recognize and review at certain times of the year. Let’s make it a point to remember the reason we are running these reports, and especially the reason we are celebrating these dates.

Notes from the President

10 June 2019 khilton Notes from the President

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

This year the employees at Red Wing Software are celebrating forty years of providing software and related services to our customers. There have been an amazing number of changes over the years, and a few of the people that make Red Wing Software what it is, have seen virtually all of these changes. While we constantly look for new, talented people to join our team, we have been fortunate to have retained many of the people that had the vision to start this journey and help get our company off the ground forty years ago.
Throughout the year we will be organizing events that our employees, customers, and local community will have an opportunity to get involved in. One thing you may notice is a change in our logo for this year. You will see it on our website, advertising, and other places we use the logo. We have also asked our employees and customers to relate stories of how things have changed over the last forty years. We will share stories in our newsletters throughout the year.
We consider all of our customers and employees (past and present) a part of the history and success of Red Wing Software and wish to thank every one of you for the many years of support and service that you have given us.

Notes from the President

06 May 2019 khilton Notes from the President

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

As I pointed out in last month’s newsletter, when you have team members who have been with the company for many years, they eventually get to the point of a well-deserved retirement. At the end of May, we have two additional team members that have reached that milestone. Dick and Marlene Moore have decided to embark on a new phase in their lives.
Having worked with the two of them since the early 1980s, I could fill all the space on the internet with stories and lessons I’ve learned from them, but I will try to keep it relatively short for this newsletter.
In 1979, Dick founded Farm Management, Inc. that eventually became one of the companies that merged to form Red Wing Software in 2003. Over the last 40 years, Dick has led the development effort for many software projects, and his influence will last far into the future. Not only has his talent shaped the software you use today, through his participation in outside organizations, he has had a lasting impact on the financial standards of an entire industry. Don’t be surprised to see his continued influence even after retirement. Rest assured that Dick has done an excellent job of transferring knowledge to the rest of the development team and has mentored Aaron in his new role as Development Manager.
Marlene has touched the lives of virtually every user of our software. Most of you have had the opportunity to work with Marlene as you put your financial records in order. Marlene has served in several roles in the organization: accountant, support technician, classroom instructor, and most recently defining and recording educational videos for our products. She has been a mentor to many new team members as they get up-to-speed on our software and the industries we serve. Marlene’s influence on our software, team members, and customers will last for years.
I anticipate Dick and Marlene will spend much of their new free time on their passion of keeping up with activities of their many grandchildren. In addition, I’m sure you will find Dick enjoying his other passion in his new woodworking shop. (Come to think of it, I could use some new kitchen cabinets.)
Please join me in wishing them the best in their new phase in life. They will be truly missed.