New ACS CCPs™ and CCSEs™ Announced
Congratulations to the cheese professionals who passed the 2019 ACS Certified Cheese Professional® Exam and the 2
nd ever ACS T.A.S.T.E. Test®, both held in Richmond this summer!
You can find the full list of ACS CCPs™ and ACS CCSEs™ in the
certification directory.
Applications will open in January for the 2020 exam to be held in Portland.
2019 CCP Recertification Period Open
Individuals who passed the ACS CCP
™ exam in 2013 (Madison, WI) and 2016 (Des Moines, IA) are required to recertify this year. ACS CCPs
™ who are required to renew were sent an email to the email address on file in their ACS profile. If you believe you should have received this email and did not, please reach out to Josh Hendrickson, Certification Manager, at
[email protected].
ACS CCPs™ are required to renew their certification every 3 years by demonstrating continued professional development in the cheese industry.
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ACS Membership Corner
Membership Renewals for 2020 Start in October!
Watch in early October for communications around how to renew your ACS membership for 2020. If you have questions around your membership, how to renew in October, or how to upgrade, please contact ACS Membership & Communications Manager, Kristina Bobrowski at [email protected].
Membership Benefits - Did You Know?
Did you know that as an ACS Member you receive select discounts from participating retailers in the U.S. and Canada? Check out this map for all our retailer partners.
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Vermont Creamery Donates
$35,000 to ACEF for Scholarship Funding
The American Cheese Education Foundation (ACEF) is pleased to announce a $35,000 charitable contribution from Vermont Creamery in celebration of the company's 35th anniversary.
"As we celebrate our milestone of 35 years in business, we are reflecting on the importance of our cheese community which has supported us so well since our business was started in 1984 by Bob Reese and Allison Hooper. We are proud to give back to this community and empower the development and growth of future cheesemakers, mongers, and community members," said Adeline Druart, President.
The number of ACEF scholarships available each year varies based on available funding. This gift highlights Vermont Creamery's commitment to empowering future generations of industry members through education. The donation will be used to provide general scholarship funding at the discretion of the ACEF Board of Directors over a minimum of three years.
Thank you, for your leadership in philanthropy, Vermont Creamery!
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Legal View: Employee Engagement
A recent Gallop poll found that only 34% of employees are engaged in their jobs. 53% of employees are not engaged, doing the bare minimum to simply remain employed. And 13% are actively disengaged. The purpose of this article is to suggest some proven methods that employers have successfully utilized over the years to obtain employee feedback on issues of concern to them. Such feedback is critical if the company has any hope of truly being in tune with its workforce.
Attorney Rich Alaniz reviews employee engagement:
Note: the views, opinions, information, and concepts shared in this piece are not necessarily the endorsed views, opinions, content, and concepts of ACS.
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Letter from the President
Finding Strength in Strengths - and Unity
"Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." Mattie Stepanek
I came across this quote from the short-lived but highly prolific
Mattie Stepanek
the other day, and it really resonated with me. Taking the helm as president of ACS, I recognize that as a cheese community we truly are stronger together. When we join the ACS Board of Directors, our Executive Director asks each of us to complete a
CliftonStrengths
assessment, a tool which helps identify one's top five natural strengths. Having this information allows the Board to work effectively and efficiently as a team while focusing each of us on the areas where we can make the greatest impact with the least effort. We are busy volunteers, so this helps us maximize our roles as servant leaders. As it turns out, my number one strength is
Harmony
. In the description of what this strength of Harmony entails, there is one line that has always stood out for me:
"In your view we are all in the same boat, and we need this boat to get where we are going. It is a good boat. There is no need to rock it just to show that you can."
To me, Harmony is not putting compromise above all else. Nor is it giving in simply to smooth over rough situations. Harmony is finding balance and consensus - not because we must, but because we can. I know there are changes coming for ACS, and the waters ahead may seem unknown. But, with the strength of our membership, the strength of our mission, and the strength of our commitment to community, I know those waters will allow for smooth sailing ahead.
Sincerely,
Marianne Smukowski,
President
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Letter from the Executive Director
We Are Our Strengths
As Marianne mentioned above, I am a proponent of CliftonStrengths. I find great value in understating the innate strengths of ACS Board members so we can make the most of this talented, and time-limited, group of leaders. If you enjoy the insights offered in Myers-Briggs or DISC type assessments, I encourage you to spend $15 and set aside 20 minutes to take the strengths assessment.
We are often told that we should work on improving areas of weakness. CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) takes the contrary approach, albeit a bit euphemistic, that we should instead focus on our strengths. The thinking is that you can only improve your weaknesses so much; but you can truly be the best in areas of natural strength. The good news is that all of the 34 traits defined by Gallup are strengths. The bad news is that, as is our human nature, many of us will still find fault in our "strengths." Seeing what your top five strengths are, and aligning those with your related leadership style, can be enlightening. And, unlike other assessments that change as you change over time, your strengths are largely your strengths as they reflect your natural way of being, working, and leading. I first took the assessment about 20 years ago, then took it again recently - and my strengths remained unchanged:
If you take the assessment,
I'd love to know your strengths
and how you will use that information to better focus your work and life on those areas in which you naturally excel.
Sincerely,
Nora Weiser, Executive Director
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Letter from the American Cheese Education Foundation Board
 With shorter days, leaves scattered on the ground and the cool seasonal change in the air, we know what you're all thinking: It's time for American Cheese Month! Hah, okay, so maybe you're not thinking that. As your American Cheese Education Foundation (ACEF) board, we sure are thinking about it. Traditionally, American Cheese Month has been held each October. But as we announced at ACS conference, we heard your voices and
American Cheese Month has been moved to May.
Please, mark your calendars! With this much lead time, we're hoping it allows all your 2020 marketing plans to include great promotions for American Cheese Month (ACM) each May.
So what exactly is American Cheese Month? First and foremost, this is a month-long celebration to help you sell more beautiful American cheese. Yes! You! Whether you're a retailer, distributor, cheesemaker or cheese enthusiast, you can (and should!) get involved. It's a win-win for all and a way to potentially boost profits, shine a laser focus on specific American cheeses and the larger one on American cheese in general. Our goal is to get as many people as possible in our industry (consumers too!) on board with ACM so that eventually, everybody knows THE MONTH OF MAY means American cheese. And, we want to make the participation process easy for you.
In early 2020, our ACE Foundation team will release an electronic 'American Cheese Month Kit' with promotional materials, logos, information, and past ideas from participants. You can also start following us on Instagram and Facebook (@cheeseeducationfoundation) or check cheesefoundation.org for info and updates.
We also hope you'll consider donating part of the profits you derive from American Cheese Month to the ACE Foundation so that we can extend opportunities to others within the American cheese industry. Be on the lookout here and at
americancheesemonth.org
for more details on how you can get involved. You'll be SO glad you did.
- The ACE Foundation Board of Directors
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Comt
é Scholarship for ACS CCPs™: Apply by December 2
The Comté Cheese Association recently announced its eighth annual Comté
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Photo Credit Comté Cheese |
Scholarship for American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professionals™! This special scholarship opportunity is open to all cheese experts who have passed the Certified Cheese Professional™ Exam. It gives CCPs the chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the Comté region of France to learn first-hand about the cheese's history and production, as well as to explore the Comté region and its culture. In addition, the winner will receive a $500 cash stipend, that can be put toward ACS test taking fees and expenses.
To apply for the scholarship, ACS CCPs must submit an entry form, including a short essay portion, by Monday, December 2nd. This year's essay question revolves around the cheesemonger's opinion on the most important points to consider when buying/selling Comté cheese. Download the entry form
here.
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Have Ideas for Future Conference Sessions?
While the call for proposals for ACS Conference 2020 in Portland has closed, we do have an open suggestion box for future conferences!
If you have ideas for programming or speakers you'd like to see at future ACS conferences please submit them in the
ACS Programming Suggestion Box. We'd love to hear them!
Submit your ideas today!
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From the ACS Weekly News Roundup
FDA Update
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