Category: Blog

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Why I named My Ranch Jackson Fork Ranch

I’ve long enjoyed the rugged beauty of the American West.  So, it was really very nice for Marlene and me when, back in the late 1990s, we bought a ranch in Wyoming’s Upper Hoback Valley.  The area harkens back to an earlier time; a time when bison roamed freely in large numbers and a special breed of entrepreneur – the Mountain Men – sought to make their mark through the burgeoning fur trade.

To understand the name Jackson Fork Ranch, I need to share a little bit of the Sublette County, WY history I learned over the years.  In the late 1820s, among the industrious entrepreneurs who traveled West to become fur trappers was David Jackson.  (Others included John Hoback and William Sublette for whom the Hoback River and Sublette County are named.)

In the parlance of their time, Mountain Men referred to what we call “valleys” as “holes” and what we call “tributary rivers” as “forks.”  Jackson Hole and Little Jackson Hole are believed to be David Jackson’s favorite valleys and, thus, they came to bear his name.  And the Hoback River of today was referred to as “Jackson’s Fork,” a fact that is evidenced on several 19th century maps of the area. 

So, the reason I named our ranch Jackson Fork Ranch is out of respect for the history of this wonderful place, and the brave men who ventured into the unknown.

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Change at the Village PieMaker

Today, we closed the Village PieMaker production facility in Eustis, Nebraska.  It was a difficult decision, and not one I reached lightly.  The Eustis location was Village PieMaker’s first production facility and it stands as an important part of the company’s history. 

As the Village PieMaker has become one of the fastest-growing pie brands in the United States, I’ve made substantial investments in our Nebraska production facilities. This has included building a new, state of the art facility in Omaha while trying to upgrade the Eustis plant to keep pace with customer demand.

Growth at the Village PieMaker has come with new challenges as our new national retail customers require our production facilities to meet enhanced food safety standards.  As I studied this issue with my management team, it became clear that upgrading the Eustis plant to meet these standards was not feasible, and so I concluded it’s best to streamline operations, consolidating production at our modern Omaha facility.

I know how important employees are for making a business successful.  The Village PieMaker has offered all current Eustis production employees positions at the Omaha facility.  We’ve also made arrangements to ease the burden on those employees who choose not to accept employment in Omaha.

While my decision to close the Eustis facility was not an easy one, I believe it positions Village PieMaker for long-term success – success that will mean good jobs for more people as more and more households around the country are introduced to our wonderful, Nebraska-made pies.

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Introducing the Summer Bridge Program

COVID-19 has affected so many aspects of our lives, including the educational experience school-age children had (or didn’t have) this year.  For kids entering 9th grade, their disrupted 8th grade experiences add unhelpful stress as they start high school. 

This got me thinking about how we could use Opportunity Education’s Quest Forward Learning curriculum to help young people entering high school be better prepared so they could start 9th grade with confidence instead of anxiety.  I discussed the idea with my teams at Opportunity Education and Quest Forward Academy who were able quickly to put together the Summer Bridge Program, terrific 2-week crash courses in Math and English. 

I’m underwriting the costs, so the Summer Bridge Program is free of charge.  The response to this point has been terrific.  You can learn more about this Summer Bridge Program here.

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Opportunity Education’s Quest Forward Academy Message of Gratitude

There are few things I find more uplifting than the optimism of young people.  And so I was quite pleased to see this video that students at Opportunity Education’s Quest Forward Academy, Santa Rosa put together, expressing gratitude for the hard work so many men and women are doing to keep us going through the current coronavirus crisis. 

Better still, producing this video wasn’t an assignment – it was an idea that came from the Quest Forward Academy Student Council.  Student leaders planned and directed the filming, and one student – the Student Council President – edited the final product.

Gratitude is a wonderful feeling to share and I am so glad these young people took the time to do so.