GTE sponsorship remains important for industry leaders

By Shane Frederick, SSGA Communications Manager

For many years, SB&B Foods Inc. had been the lanyard sponsor for the U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange & Specialty Grains Conference.

With the 2020 GTE moving to a virtual, online platform because of travel and gathering restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was no need for lanyards and name badges.

However, that didn’t mean SB&B and other industry leaders weren’t still interested in throwing their support behind the event.

“Obviously this year we won’t be wearing lanyards,” said Todd Sinner, SB&B vice president and partner. “But it was still an easy decision because we see incredible value in it. I feel there’s no better global event than what you get at the GTE. We get the greatest return on our investment both as a sponsor and as an attendee.”

SB&B signed on early as an industry sponsor for the 2020 Virtual GTE, which will take place Aug. 24-27.

The DeLong Co. Inc., and The Redwood Group are the other industry-level sponsors of the global event, which is organized jointly by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA). The GTE gives U.S. exporters and international buyers a platform to build relationships, renew old ones and do business together.

The sponsors agreed that it was vital that the GTE continue on, even if it had to take place online.

“I think this year, probably more than any other year, the GTE is crucial,” said Adam Buckentine, director of Food Soy and Organics for The Redwood Group, a food and feed ingredient merchandising and solutions-based company headquartered in Mission, Kan. “Because of the situation with COVID, you don’t get the opportunity to travel and see your customers.

“To have visibility by being at the virtual GTE, we’re saying, ‘We’re still here, we’re still working and we still want to supply you with quality soybeans.’ … Name me another place in the world where we get to talk to customers from so many countries who are aligned in their interest in the soybean industry. It’s a tremendous opportunity to cover a lot of ground.”

Austin DeLong, who is in export sales for The DeLong Co., the agricultural products wholesaler based in Clinton, Wis., agreed.

“We find it very important to stay connected and engaged with our customers during this uncertain time of COVID,” he said. “The GTE and its trade show continue to provide a valuable agenda to update our international customers on the U.S. soy industry. Although we find ourselves attending a virtual event this year, we still believe constructive dialogue and new business development can take place under this platform.”

Sinner, who is chair of SSGA’s Food Grade Soya action team, says the GTE is vital to SB&B, the Casselton, N.D.-headquartered soy food and specialty company, as well as to others in the IP industry.

“For us, as IP soybean exporters for over 30 years, IP is something we’re passionate about and care about,” Sinner said. “Sponsoring the GTE is a result of that passion and care. We are able to promote (IP) to people around the world.”

Sinner said the work being done to coordinate a virtual event after the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the ability to have a live event is a continuation of SSGA’s agility and effectiveness since its formation about 18 months ago. That includes the efforts to try to open new markets for the IP soya and specialty grains industry and to create a national brand promoting the U.S. as a quality origin for IP crops.

“The leadership at SSGA, collaborating with USEEC, makes this a very powerful event,” Sinner said. “You’re able to see first-hand what the results will be because we’ve got a united vision now from one of the greatest soy producing countries in the world with a lot to offer. … It’s really been taken to the next level.”