CCA Staff
Neil Gillies, General Manager - ngillies@charolais.com
Article: From The General Manager.
Neil Gillies is rounded the corner on his third year as General Manager for the Canadian Charolais Association. Looking back over the last three years he is convinced the CCA is on track with a move to be a more customer-oriented organization that reaches out to breeders and the commercial industry, much of the GM’s attention over the next year will be focused on making sure the association helps its members meet the challenges ahead. “The commercial beef industry is moving towards a value based settlement program. That signal is now being sent back down the line and it will have an impact on how we position our breed.”
The good news is that “our breed excels in growth and yield and we’ve got lines in quality and marbling,” says Neil. In a business where “pounds still make a difference,” the Charolais breed still has much to offer, especially as new research helps identify purebred lines with superior marbling qualities.
A former purebred Charolais breeder himself, Neil came to the association after working as a beef improvement consultant in the Philippines. Prior to that, he worked for the Ontario Cattle Commission and was the CCA’s breed improvement coordinator from 1988-1994.
Sonia Badger, Office Manager - sbadger@charolais.com
The Canadian Charolais Association’s (CCA) new Office Manager brings to the job a wealth of public and private sector administrative experience and a whole lot of enthusiasm to learn more about the Canadian beef industry and the CCA’s role in that industry’s bright future, says Neil Gillies, CCA General Manager.
Sonia Badger assumed her duties as Office Manager in early August, 2005. “My background touches on everything from administration to human resources and bookkeeping to property maintenance, which packages into full office management,” says Badger.
Judy Lennstrom, Manager - jlennstrom@charolais.com
Judy Lennstrom celebrated her 20th year with the CCA office in September 2004, having worked her way from reception, to data entry and from there to DNA and blood-typing work. In the early days, “the worst thing was talking on the phone to members. Now, I enjoy that more than anything!” says the supervisor of the CCA’s registry department.
Because a growing number of breeders submit their information via automatic computer downloads courtesy of the On Farm CHARM software program, much of Judy’s current work involves trouble-shooting registry questions and concerns.
Blanche Drinnan, Registry - bdrinnan@charolais.com
Blanche is a 16-year veteran of the CCA office, where she capably handles data administration and plays a special, bilingual role with the association’s French breeders.
“I take care of all of the correspondence and phone calls from our Quebec members,” says Blanche, who grew up in a bilingual family in rural Manitoba.
Moving to the CCA from a position in banking, she especially enjoys the variety of work her position offers, as well as the chance to get to know so many members from across the nation.
Donna Kucinskas, Registry - dkucinskas@charolais.com
Life on her family’s own “Green Acres” farm in north-western Alberta prepared Donna Kucinskas to enjoy working with people who cross her path at the CCA. Although she spent most of her youth and adult life in Calgary, Donna fondly remembers the years she and her husband lived on a mixed farm with their three children.
In May, Donna will celebrate 15 years with the CCA. She began in the registry department before moving to the reception desk and a position that puts her on the front lines of virtually any call to the CCA’s headquarters.
“The people are what make this job so great,” says Donna. “It’s really a grassroots kind of industry with a lot of very nice people.”
