MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S. — The Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) Foundation reached its endowment goal of $4 million.  Investment income from the endowment fund will provide funding for new and existing professional development programs from GEAPS.

Mark Fedje, chairman of the GEAPS Foundation board, has been a GEAPS member for more than 30 years, and is proud of how the industry came together to fund the endowment.

“Our endowment goal was reached through the generous support of both corporate partners and individuals,” said Fedje, who is a plant manager at General Mills, Inc. “It shows the commitment the industry has to providing standardized training opportunities to help grain handling and processing professionals to work as safely and efficiently as possible.”

Steve Records, executive director of the GEAPS Foundation, said the timing for reaching the endowment goals fits in well with GEAPS’ strategic planning process.

“We are currently going through strategic planning to determine what professional development looks like for our industry today and in the future,” Records said. “Knowing that these funds will be available, we can continue refining our existing programs and creating new opportunities to fit the needs of our members and the industry at large.”

GEAPS current education programs include:

All of GEAPS’ educational programs are open to anyone, GEAPS members receive discounts on registration.

In all 16 companies and over 50 individuals made contributions to the fund. A complete list of corporate donors and individual contributions from 2019-2020 are available on the Foundation website.