ABOUT US
Michigan Agricultural
Commodities (MAC) is a privately held, for-profit corporation, which
buys, sells and stores agricultural commodities throughout the United
States and Canada. More than thirty years ago a small grain trading
office opened its doors near Capital City Airport in Lansing. Herm Geers,
wife Shirley and son Dave founded Michigan Agricultural Commodities. It
was a grain trading business for its first 10 years. Today, MAC is
Michigan’s largest grain handler with 10 elevators, 30 million bushels
of storage and 110 employees. The first rental property where the
original office location held residence was demolished for airport
expansions. They moved to another location on Grand River and MAC now
conducts its central operations in a new building on Lansing’s west
side.
Creating an Opportunity
In the mid-1970’s, Herm was working as a grain
merchandiser for Michigan Elevator Exchange, the marketing arm for
cooperatives, including Michigan Farm Bureau, when polybromobiphenyl was
advertently added to animal feed instead of magnesium oxide. This made
everyone uneasy and Herm decided it was time to leave. (In 1976) He put
together some capital and since he had connections with Farm Bureau and
the cooperatives he had a head start and much opportunity at his
fingertips.
|
|
AN OLD
photo shows the Geers – Dave, Herm and Shirley – when they started
Michigan Agricultural Commodities 30 years ago.
The Elevator Business
During the 1980’s,
government was in the grain business, and storage was a big thing. Being
an exclusive grain trader presented challenges. With retained earnings
set aside, MAC began buying facilities as they became available. In
1985, MAC bought its first facility – a 1.5 million-bushel storage
elevator in Newaygo. It now has a 3.1 million-bushel capacity. Newaygo
was a train-loader that originated grain from outside the area – not a
nucleus for grain. However, MAC’s second purchase a year later in
Middleton was in a prime production area – Gratiot County. Middleton
originally was just a 200,000-bushel capacity but now has grown to 4.4
million bushels of storage. It’s also the only MAC-owned facility that
carries fertilizer and chemicals. MAC went almost another six years
before buying another elevator: Blissfield and its sister facility,
Jasper, in 1992. In 1997, MAC bought their Marlette facility from
Southern Thumb Cooperative. Two years after that, MAC bought the Brown
City facility, which is 11 miles from Marlette. In 2001, MAC had its
biggest purchase, the former B&W Cooperative in Breckenridge.
In 1985 a wholly owned subsidiary
of MAC was formed with the purpose of marketing both US and Canadian
grain known as London Agricultural Commodities (LAC). The idea developed
because of there was a trading connection in Ontario established and
shared trading opportunities were available.
What started as a grain
trading company has grown into 10 grain elevators in Michigan under MAC,
with two additional elevators and two trading offices in Canada under
London Agricultural Commodities. Today they are an international
operation founded with values revolving around slow, measured growth,
integrity and trust, and the ability to allow people to bloom.
Slow, Measure
Growth: We believe in careful, considered investing. That stability
is vital to producers who entrust their crops to us, storing the fruit
of their labors until they’re ready to sell.
Integrity and Trust:
We’ve earned a reputation in the industry for strong moral values, a
reputation for keeping our word.
Allow People to
Bloom: MAC people are given the authority to do their jobs and to
carry out their responsibilities in ways they believe are best for the
customers we serve.
|
