By Madeline Moore

Education and communication are keys to success in any organization, therefore, Plains Cotton Cooperative Association held the second annual Young Producers Orientation on March 3, 2011. This new tradition in education for members is an opportunity for PCCA to share valuable cooperative information while providing an experience for both young producers and their spouses from around the region.

Young Producers Orientation (YPO) Class of 2011.

The objective of this event is to improve communications with the young members and to allow a view into the daily undertakings, projects and activities of PCCA. The young producers heard directly from PCCA staff about management efforts that affect the members’ operations along with the cotton and textile industries.

Presentations for the Orientation came from Dean Church, PCCA’s Vice President of Warehousing about the structure and governance of PCCA. A sales presentation along with the outlook for domestic cotton information was given by Director of Sales Grady Martin. Carlos Garcia, Export Sales Manager, gave an informative presentation about the international marketing network and cotton outlook. Sam Hill, Chief Financial Officer, covered a financial recap of PCCA’s operations. Information Systems Manager Radene Fuller talked about technology for the future. Jerry Jones of the Denim Sales and Marketing department discussed ‘field to fashion’. The afternoon was rounded out with a presentation titled “The Cooperative Advantage” by Wally Darneille, PCCA President and Chief Executive Officer.

Spouses of the young producers were invited to listen to a presentation from Lynette Wilson, PCCA Communication Manager, about the overall structure and format of PCCA and learned about denim trends from American Denimatrix Salesman Jerry Jones.