Program for December 4, 2017:  District Governor Visit with Mike Ruby
Invocation: 
Happy News:  Guests were: potential new member Vicki Kaufmann, Roger Lande, guest of Sarah, Dave Jones, John Thorpe, Mark Clark all from Kent Corp., MCC Ag Students with instructor Julia Dieckman and Mike Milchi guest, of Jim NeppleNews: Melanie Alexander happy because the Department of Cultural Affairs will be in Muscatine this week and Melanie made the front page of the Journal!. Greg Jenkins announced that the Chamber has moved to the former Miller Harrison Insurance Office. Sarah Lande was happy to cheer the Hawkeyes!! Paul Fitzpatrick was super happy about the Black and Gold wins this weekend and the sharing of his granddaughter's new guitar!!  Erika announced the Muscatine Dance Team Fundraiser at Boonie's and reminded us of the $1000 Salvation Army Member Challenge. We will be at the Rendezvous for our meetings through June for sure!
 
Program: Rich Dwyer from Kent Corp. provided the delicious lunch at the Kent Training Center, as well as, the program about Kent Corp.  Rich noted the facility we were in had been designed to look like a corn crib!! The room could hold 50,000 bushels of corn!!  Most corn being used by Kent comes from within a 75 mile range. Rich told of the beginning of GPC in Muscatine in 1936 with the initial product and still on the market being 34 Baby Beef Nutrition in a Bag. The U.S. Government built the alcohol plant here to make synthetic rubber in 1943.  Kent's annual sales are $1 billion with 2000 employees and $1 million added to the local economy daily.  The Kent family owns the company which is now into the 4th generation with Gage Kent (1927), Jim Kent, now his son Gage Kent who is the CEO and his son Jim Kent.  
Kent Corp is the holding company with 4 companies underneath it:  GPC, Kent Precision Foods, Kent Pet Feed and Kent Nutrition Group. GPC processes industrial starch and uses maltodextrins in many products. The Precision Food Group makes products like ice cream and thickit at 5 production facilities throughout the midwest.  Kent Pet Group makes the "World's Best Cat Litter" which is made of corn and absorbs the ammonia smell of cat urine. Kent Nutrition Group makes feed and has since 1927. There are 13 feed facilities including an acquired company Blue Seal which has been around since 1868. Kent also has several small retail facilities and international sales offices.