KREMLIN, OK - Brady Sidwell, owner of Enterprise Grain Company, completely transformed the look of the former Zaloudek Grain Elevator just one year ago this May. He took something that wasn't running and has turned it into a business that now employs four full-time people in addition to himself. They are an independent company that does everything in-house and are not part of a marketing alliance.
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Sidwell, a graduate of Timberlake, grew up on a farm in Goltry and attended OSU for Ag-Econ where he got interested in international opportunities. His freshman year at OSU, Sidwell interned for Senator Don Nickles where he sat through hearings on trade agreements with China. He was so intrigued with the markets in China that he began to search for opportunities that would take him there.
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While at OSU Sidwell interned at the US Embassy in South Korea and then Thailand. He was also a Rotary Scholar sponsored by the Enid Rotary Club that sent him to Hong Kong where he received his Masters. He then stayed for ten years working at a bank in the food and agriculture business and a food company out of Chicago.
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Sidwell's father passed away in 2013 which was the catalyst that brought him back to Chicago and northwest Oklahoma. He tried traveling back and forth for two years but finally made the decision to move back home. Sidwell originally wanted to purchase the seed company in Kremlin to expand the family seed company in Goltry. Being the entrepreneur and risk-taker that he is, Sidwell made the decision to purchase the grain elevator in Kremlin as well. He had no background in the elevator business but has learned along the way.
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Enterprise Grain has taken the lessons they've learned in business in combination with what they know about how the northwest Oklahoma grain market works and turned that into the business it is today. Sidwell has been listening to the frustrations of the farmers in the area and what they're looking for in marketing and elevator storage.
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Sidwell said, "It's a part of something bigger than me that brought me back here." He says he's satisfied and happy to be a part of what is going on in the southern plains. He's trying to bring new and refreshing ideas to local farmers. One idea is to encourage farmers to rotate in specialty crops with higher margins and diversify their farms.
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Specialty crop ideas include white wheat, canola, mung beans, sesame, sunflowers and guar. Enterprise Grain will give farmers those options by being a local delivery point. They can easily service Garfield, Grant and Alfalfa counties on the grain side of things but handle areas much further away on the seed side of the business.
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Another idea that Sidwell is unveiling this harvest deals with wheat protein. They are going to be the first to give a premium for high protein wheat. If producers deliver their wheat to Enterprise Grain and there is a high protein dividend they are going to share a portion of the premium with the producers. It's a great bonus for producers although there is no guarantee there will be a premium in the marketplace.
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Another branch of Enterprise Grain is Sidwell Strategies that deals in futures and options. Sidwell is a Series 3 licensed Commodities Broker and loves the markets. He wanted to provide that service to their customers in addition to the elevator service. Essentially it's a risk management and marketing tool. They can protect farmers and help them realize an upside in the market.
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Sidwell has also started a new entity which uses drones. Arbitrage αlpha Solutions is a full service visual data company providing high definition, geo-tagged, 3D, stitched imagery for commercial and personal applications. Drone sensors and cameras can create maps which show variability in crop nutrients which can be exported to a sprayer that then knows exactly where to spray and how much product to use.
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Ultimately Sidwell would like to connect the consumer more with the producer using social media and education. He'd like to bridge the gap and eliminate the mystique when it comes to growing and producing food. Enterprise Grain is very open and they encourage people to come out and learn more about where our food comes from. They are trying to capture the market of consumers that want specialty foods and grains.
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Enterprise Grain Company invites you to help them celebrate their first year in business on Cinco de Mayo! Join them in Kremlin, OK on Friday, May 5th from 11:00am to 1:00pm for their 1st anniversary/harvest kick-off lunch and open house! Arbitrage αlpha Solutions will be on-site overhead to capture the day and do flight demos for those interested.
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Wheat harvest is fast approaching so stop by and talk with them about their new and exciting programs they have in store for this year. Their Protein Dividend Program may be the most exciting thing they have ever heard of in the industry. Enterprise Grain is growing and they have more and more to offer their customers everyday.
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Enterprise Grain Company is located at 209 2nd St., Kremlin, OK 73753. You can call them at 580-874-2286 or visit their website at http://www.enterprisegrain.com.
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Enterprise Grain Open House
