If there's one thing in life that's certain, it's that things will change. Change just means things are moving forward, and what you do with that progress is really up to you. As Tony Robbins said, "Change is inevitable. Progress is optional." My friends Peggy Smith and Sue Conley recently made a big change, selling Cowgirl Creamery, the company they started some twenty years ago, to Swiss dairy company Emmi. I'm delighted that these two great companies found the right partnership to allow them to effect this change and lay the groundwork for major progress. This step ensures continued growth and improvement for the Cowgirl Creamery brand excellence, to which Peg and Sue are absolutely committed. Max De Pree said, "We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are."

 

One change can sometimes ripple down to other changes, and such is the case with this recent merger. The ACS Board of Directors strives for transparency and works hard to uphold the word and spirit of its bylaws. One key aspect of the bylaws which exists to ensure fair representation of our membership is that "no more than one representative of any firm, corporation, or organization...shall serve on the Board of Directors at any one time." As Peg sits on the board for another year, this means that, sadly, one of our other Board members, Marc Druart of Emmi-Roth USA, will be leaving his board service two months early, on May 31, after 5 years and 10 months on the board. The depth of Marc's knowledge of the art and science of cheese has been invaluable to ACS. He has expressed his opinions openly, logically, and honestly (with scientific explanations far above my pay grade) -- always willing to discuss the hard issues, and always just as ready to engage in the camaraderie and community that this board is so fortunate to share. I'm sure those two months will come in handy as Marc's family prepares for the arrival of a new baby boy! On behalf of the ACS Board and Staff, I want to thank Marc for his many years of dedicated service to this organization and the entire cheese community. Mille mercis, Marc!

I'm delighted that so many of you have already registered to join us in Des Moines this summer for "Cheese in the Heartland" -- if you haven't, I encourage you to do so right away. We've worked hard to make ACS's Annual Conference & Competition an event you won't want to miss, and we appreciate your participation. Last year's Conference drew over 1,200 of you to Providence, Rhode Island: a 20% increase over the prior year. As you can imagine, when any business sees 20% growth, there are bound to be some challenges to face. One of these is finding a cozy spot for each of you to rest your head after a day of learning, tasting, exploring, and networking. The hotel industry calls this "heads on beds," and it is big business for them -- and a big challenge for event organizers.

We've grown the number of rooms for which we contract (our room block), added new accommodation options, and ensured that more rooms are available in Des Moines. We'll monitor growth and do the same for future years, as well. To understand the challenge ACS faces, I wanted to share a bit about Conference housing logistics, and share some tips to help you more easily secure the room you want. 

Our peak night, the night on which we have the most hotel rooms filled in a city during Conference, is Thursday night. For the past six years, the number of rooms we fill that night has grown, and we now fill 560 rooms on Thursday night. The pattern of attendees' departures has also remained unchanged for the past six years -- many folks leave on Saturday, and our number of filled rooms on Saturday night accordingly drops to just 66% of Thursday night's high.

We appreciate that so many of our members want to be a part of our community at Conference, and we will continue to grow and adjust our hotel rooming block in future years to accommodate all of you comfortably!

See you in the Heartland,

Nora Weiser
Executive Director

News for 2016 Exam-Takers 

If you are studying for the ACS CCP® Exam in Des Moines, be sure to check out the educational offerings of ACS CCP® Authorized Educators. ACS authorizes organizations offering education that aligns with any or all of the ACS Body of Knowledge domains that are integral to the ACS CCP® Exam...[read more]

Exam-takers who are staying for the Conference will need to pay separately for their Conference registration. A $100 registration discount is available to exam-takers during the Regular and Late registration periods, once all exam fees have been paid in full. The discount will be applied automatically if/when an exam-taker registers for the Conference online after paying all exam fees.