8 SOURCE | Summer 2022 EverGRO Cooperative General Manager Justin Dreckman stands in front of new branding on the equipment .
EverGRO Cooperative Becomes a Growing Force in Virginia
Newest FS member company embraces a new name and strategy for the future
Chris Grogan , GROWMARK Publications and Media Relations Manager cgrogan @ growmark . com
For Justin Dreckman , it ’ s been a busy few months of changes . He ’ s the general manager of a cooperative that ’ s operating under a new brand , and one that ’ s also the newest FS member company .
“ Fundamentally , one of the biggest changes I ’ ve seen at EverGRO Cooperative is a culture shift of what really was a nostalgic view of what co-ops do ,” says Dreckman . “ History is important , but we can ’ t spend our time focused on that . If we are doing what ’ s right for our members , we are looking ahead to what needs to be done to stay relevant . We have culturally made that shift and I have to give our board credit for that . They were one of the first boards out here to look at this and say , if we
don ’ t change how we do things , we may not be here 10 years from now .”
The name EverGRO Cooperative debuted on September 1 after being known as Orange Madison Cooperative since 1933 . The new name reflects the growing territory that EverGRO now covers in this region about 90 miles southwest of Washington , DC . Back in March , Orange Madison Cooperative and a competing company , Front Royal Cooperative , officially merged . With addition of about 40 percent of new territory to the company , the leadership team and board of directors felt it would be appropriate to change the name of reflect the growing company ’ s emphasis not only on expanding geographically , but also cementing its focus on a strategic plan for future success .
“ Prior to all of this , I would argue this cooperative didn ’ t have a brand ,” adds Dreckman . “ The conversation has now shifted to a realization that we can ’ t simply slap the logo on any product we carry .”
As an example , Dreckman points to some pasture seed that was privately labeled for years . He says when he saw the EverGRO logo on the bags that were not up to standards , it reiterated to him that more education was needed .
“ With such a big investment in the new branding , we want to make sure