As more front-line workers move into management positions, the Grain Elevator and Processing Society is responding with updated leadership training.
GEAPS will relaunch its Regional Leadership Training this December under a new name: Emerging Leaders Workshop. The one-day program focuses on practical skills for supervisors and managers in grain handling and processing facilities.
The organization will offer two sessions in December: Dec. 8 at the CNH Training Center in Nevada, Iowa, and Dec. 10 at Vortex in Salina, Kansas.
Dan Topf of Topf Business Learning will lead both workshops. He brings more than 20 years of experience helping leaders improve results in production settings. The curriculum covers leadership tools specific to grain operations, with peer discussions and a workbook participants can use after the session.
Jesse Rule, assistant project manager II at Interstates, attended an earlier version of the training. He said the program helped him think beyond his immediate work.
“One of the biggest takeaways for me is finding better ways to communicate with other business units,” Rule said. “You can get so focused on what’s happening within your own area, but there’s a lot of value in understanding how other parts of the organization operate.”
The workshop targets operations managers, maintenance managers, supervisors, shift leads, safety personnel and field superintendents. Learning and development professionals and human resources staff may also benefit from attending.
GEAPS designed the program to support the grain industry’s long-term needs. By offering regional sessions, the organization aims to make in-person training more accessible while building local professional networks.
Participants will develop leadership skills, gain confidence in decision-making and form connections with peers from other organizations.
