Crest operates on a fiscal year basis to avoid having everything happen at once at the end of the calendar year. As a result, our New Year’s Eve is on July 31st with August 1 being the start of our new year. Most people probably missed the count down, but year-end is always a good time to reflect a little on the past and anticipate what we might face in the coming year.
Many good people have retired in past year and while we’re sad to see them leave, we are grateful for all they have done for Crest over the years and are eager to see the accomplishments of those who have stepped up to fill their roles moving forward. Our customer base has also expanded in the past year. While we cherish our many business relationships that have lasted for over fifty years in some instances, it is always gratifying to welcome new customers knowing that they have trusted us to handle their business.
This past year we have seen all three divisions – Dairy Ingredients, Contract Packaging, Consumer Products – operating at historically high levels. This doesn’t always happen, in fact it is the exception rather than the rule. Much goes in to accomplishing such results – good planning, great execution, good relationships, and a little good luck. Whatever the circumstances, the combined efforts of all Crest employees left our customers confident in our abilities and almost unanimously in agreement that working with Crest is a very positive experience that doesn’t always happen in business today.
Expectations for our new fiscal year are to see similar results moving forward…in other words, we’ll be busy! The Dairy Ingredient Division will continue to focus on refining our service levels which are unique in our industry, trying to solve the complicated puzzle of sourcing ingredients in an unstable world market and pushing our levels of product innovation to bring new and unique products and services to our customers. The Packaging Division will focus on maintaining a busy schedule while bringing three new high speed lines into service over the course of the year. They will also focus on bringing productivity numbers up while solving nagging operational issues that go hand-in-hand with our level of activity. The Consumer Products Division will continue to focus on onboarding substantial new volume while maintaining service and operational standards that are expected by our customers.
All Divisions will also be challenged with the same issue…space. We’re busy and expecting to get busier. Space is becoming a challenge that will require creative thinking to resolve, but we’re just the people to do that. Far better to be challenged by where are we going to put it all than by what are we going to do to fill the time.
The future looks bright for Crest. Our culture remains intact and unique in the business world. Food continues to be a great industry. We’re positioned to continue to grow and thrive. Most importantly, we have 700+ dedicated people who are committed to Crest and each other. Bring it on!