Spring 2023

ORGANIZATIONAL RESTRUCTURING

Morrison Principal Ana Klein details the five key steps to consider when restructuring.

YOLO LAND TRUST

Yolo Land Trust (YLT) has one simple and vital mission: to conserve farmland in Yolo County. Talk to anyone connected to the organization and you will quickly learn that this is not simply a catchy tagline, but a passion.

GETTING TO KNOW SARAH DEFOREST

Learn more about Morrison Grants Manager Sarah DeForest.

MORRISON SNAPSHOTS

It’s event season! Check out some of our latest highlights.

CLIENT CORNER

There is always something new going on, so get caught up with our latest client news.

Land trusts are non-governmental private nonprofit organizations whose purpose is to protect and preserve important land resources for public benefit. YLT, founded in 1988, is one of the oldest land trusts in the Central Valley and the only nonprofit in Yolo County whose mission is to conserve farmland. YLT is one of approximately 1,700 organizations that work at the local, regional, national, or international level to protect important land resources. These resources are defined by the needs of the community or region and may include working lands (farms or ranches), wetlands, wildlife habitats, watersheds, threatened ecosystems, open space, scenic landscapes and historic or cultural sites.

Since its founding, YLT has permanently preserved 12,917 acres of farmland, ensuring that agricultural productivity will continue, wildlife will be sustained, open space will be preserved, and the county’s rural quality of life will be safeguarded.

YLT works tirelessly to conserve land by helping landowners preserve their property’s resources with conservation easements, of which YLT currently has 77 in place. These easements provide

landowners with peace of mind that their property will be preserved as they wish. YLT also works to ensure strong public policies that enhance longterm farmland protection and promote public awareness of the importance of agriculture and the need to preserve it. YLT serves as a strategic advisor in providing technical support to help local partners in Yolo County.

YLT is an example of an organization that is small but effective. Their staff is directed by 10 highly experienced board members, all of whom have strong ties and a deep connection to agriculture in Yolo County.

As fall 2022 approached, a representative of the YLT Board reached out to learn more about Morrison’s Executive Recruiting practice, seeking support in leading the search efforts for their next Executive Director. After nearly 15 years of service, their Executive Director, Michele Clark, was set to retire.

Finding someone to continue the great work that Michele had done with YLT was not going to be an easy task, but given Morrison’s unique approach to relationship development and executive recruitment, it was a project that Morrison was excited to tackle.

This engagement was much more than simply finding someone to fill an open position; it was an opportunity to play an important part in helping to equip YLT to fulfill their mission

ORGANIZATIONAL RESTRUCTURING

John Ferraro, the former COO of Ernst & Young, said, “Every company today is being disrupted and so must frequently reorganize to keep up with the incredible pace of change. Those that can do this well will thrive in the current environment and be tomorrow’s winners.”

So what is reorganizing, and could your company benefit from it? Reorganizing is the act of changing the business model of an organization to transform it for the better. In essence, it is to improve an organization’s efficiency or effectiveness. A restructuring can involve changes to the workforce, reorganization of company hierarchy, or introduction of new processes. If your organization was a house and you wanted to renovate it, you would not just slap a fresh coat of paint on the walls and call it a day. You would look at the layout of the house, what is working or not working and come up with a plan to make it better.

A change as large as this can have significant implications. This could result in downsizing the current number of employees, hiring additional employees, or it could be a combination of the two. That combination could include training for employees not meeting their job functions and promoting qualified employees who are excelling. There is no one way to a restructure; the way you approach it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Restructuring for a company may be necessary for various reasons. It could be that a company is struggling to survive or to the contrary, is looking for a way to maximize its already profitable and growing business.

No matter what your reason is for changing your organizational structure, you should consider these five steps in your process.

1) Align with your company business strategy. What is the organization trying to achieve? At Morrison, when we receive an organizational design project, we ensure the change will make sense for the entire business, not just one side of the house like Finance or Human Resources. This involves a holistic view of the strategic objectives for the organization and ensuring that the changes made will help propel the overall organization toward these defined goals.

2) Identify strengths and weaknesses in the current organizational structure. Evaluate what is working and what is not in the organization. For example, in a finance department restructure, you may want to start by interviewing the individual finance members about their job roles and duties to determine if they are properly aligned. Some employees may be reluctant to share information out of fear, so it is important to ensure the employees feel safe and that their thoughts and feedback will be valued. Many times in this

process, it is discovered there’s a significant gap in a skillset that is much needed on the team, or that certain employees are performing well beyond the position they were hired into. This can lead to hiring additional staff to relieve the burden on the team and supporting upward mobility of team members who have excelled.

3) Consider your options and design a new structure. After determining the problem with the current company organizational structure, design a new structure. To continue with the finance department restructure example, a new organizational chart should be developed, detailing lines of authorities, who will make the formal decisions and if personnel will be added or positions will be eliminated.

4) Communicate the reorganization. Once you have the optimal organization structure defined, communicating that change well is necessary for effective implementation. Transparency

builds trust so ensure communication filters down to all levels of the organization, not just top leadership. Your interviews in Activity 2 may have identified your need to hire more positions. Explain those positions, the roles, the reporting structure and what benefits will come from the additional positions.

5) Launch your company restructure and adjust as necessary. Execute your company or department restructure. Be sure to make changes if needed along the way and give employees time to adjust to the new structure. Change is not easy. Continuous feedback on the benefits of the restructure will be crucial for employee buy-in.

Some of the benefits Morrison has been able to deliver to our clients after performing a reorganizational structure are:

• Opening up of communication. Staff meetings held to make sure all are on the same page.

• Elimination of overlap/duplication of duties. Interviews with employees to help determine who is doing what and ensuring roles and duties are clearly defined so there are no vague areas.

• Identification of proper staffing;

e.g. hiring, eliminating positions or realigning positions and duties.

• Making better use of talent. Reassigning personnel to areas that match their skills/talents to help reduce inefficiencies and costs and help with employee motivation.

• Improving employee morale. Employees feel more empowered when dealing hands-on with business objectives. A reorganizational structure can also provide promotional opportunities for employees.

• Adopting new technologies. By restructuring, companies can free up resources to invest in cutting-edge technology that will help improve the efficiency of their operations.

• Helping with hiring of new staff. Identifying additional roles needed to keep up with growth of the company and to deliver value-added services.

• Implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s). Documented key internal day-to-day processes.

• Benchmarking. Our experience and industry expertise allows us to identify opportunities for shared services and provide companies with comprehensive benchmarking

against industry leaders.

• Elimination of silo mentality. Regular staff meetings and liaisons established between departments. A well-designed organization leads to significantly improved results and employees who are empowered and committed to the business as roles and responsibilities are better defined. Restructuring is not easy. In fact, it can be a daunting task. But when done right, it can lead to greater efficiency, improved productivity and better communication among team members. The good news is, restructuring can benefit any type and size of business.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ana Klein, Principal, oversees practice development for Morrison’s Business & Accounting Advisory Services, including longterm strategy, identifying and implementing service options, training, implementation of appropriate technologies, and business growth. To get in touch with Ana, reach out to her by email at aklein@morrisonco.net or by phone at (530) 809-4671.

of conserving agricultural farmland by finding an Executive Director who would embody the ethos and purpose of the organization and be trusted to increase the organization’s overall portfolio, thus leading to even more protected farmland. The next Executive Director would be the person to help keep Yolo County’s rural heritage alive, work toward fostering a healthy community, help to generate good jobs by supporting working farms and ranches, preserve wildlife habitats, and maintain the agricultural landscape of Yolo County.

After conducting an extensive national search, a strong leading candidate rose to the top.

Longtime conservationist, water manager,

and farmer John Currey was that person. Currey has deep family connections to agriculture in Yolo and Solano Counties. Currey studied Agricultural and Managerial Economics. After he completed his degree at University of California, Davis, he was licensed as a Real Estate Broker and is an Accredited Farm Manager.

When a job description is written and a search is conducted the hope is to find a candidate that meets 80% of the desired qualifications; Currey surpassed this by far and was selected as YLT’s next Executive Director. The President of the Board was quoted as saying, “John’s exceptional

background and experience makes him uniquely qualified to guide the YLT Board through the next level of growth for the organization.”

It was said many times throughout the recruitment process that YLT was approaching the search with enough speed to make sure there was an effective hand-off from one Executive Director to the next, but slow enough to ensure that just the right person was identified as the next leader for such important work. Morrison was honored to partner with YLT in helping to identify John Currey as their next Executive Director. We are excited to watch him lead this important work for many years to come.

MORRISON SNAPSH TS

COLUSA FARM SHOW BREAKFAST

HAMILTON CITY HIGH SCHOOL CAREER FAIR

Morrison Consultant and Hamilton City alumnus Jamisson Parker attended the Hamilton City High School Career Fair earlier this year. While on campus, Jamisson gave several presentations to rotating groups of students about various Morrison career paths, with a focus on what he does best – consulting and accounting! Who knows, there just might be a future Morrison employee in that crowd!

AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES DIRECTORS & EXECUTIVES LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Morrison Principal Ana Klein and People Solutions Manager Jeff Boian presented at California Center for Cooperative Development’s Agricultural Cooperatives Directors and Executives Leadership Conference on board and executive leadership. Morrison was a proud sponsor of the event and we are grateful to the California Center for Cooperative Development for the amazing opportunity!

Our very own Grants Manager Sarah DeForest helped organize the 21st annual Colusa Farm Show Breakfast! Morrison People Solutions Manager Jeff Boian was in attendance as well as the two enjoyed the wonderful event hosted by alumni of the Chico State College of Agriculture, California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, and Alpha Gamma Rho. Proceeds from the breakfast support California Agricultural Leadership Foundation fellowship and Chico State agriculture alumni scholarships and academic needs.

ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF CALIFORNIA INSTALLATION & AWARDS GALA

Morrison Founder and Principal Brent Morrison attended this black tie affair in style. The annual Associated General Contractors of California Gala celebrates the construction industry’s achievements over the past year at an “Oscar-style” awards ceremony in recognition of AGC of California’s leadership and innovation. Likewise, the prestigious Constructor Awards acknowledge members’ achievements for their skill and unique undertakings while the Achievement Awards honor individuals for outstanding contributions to the construction industry.

GETTING TO KNOW

SARAH DEFOREST

Q&A WITH SARAH

WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE SOMEONE HAS EVER GIVEN YOU?

It’s not so much advice as admonition, but the words that always stick in my head are my dad’s voice hollering at me “Pay attention to the cow!” Growing up (and to this day) he meant it literally –watch the cow and anticipate where she’s going so you can be in the right position to move her where you want her to go. The lesson in those words for me is to pay attention, think ahead, and anticipate what needs to happen. I attribute my strong planning skills to many days in the sorting pen with my dad.

Sarah DeForest manages Morrison’s Grants practice, helping clients in food, agribusiness, manufacturing, production agriculture, processing, marketing, and government to plan, prepare for, and secure competitive state and federal grant funding.

Sarah joined Morrison with two decades of experience in agricultural communication, writing, and project coordination, most recently in the College of Agriculture at California State University, Chico, where she was director of external relations. Prior to that she worked in philanthropic development, human resource consulting, student recruitment, and public relations.

Sarah’s passion for agriculture ignited at a young age, growing up in a cattle ranching family and participating in 4-H and FFA. She earned her bachelor’s degree in agriculture with an option in animal science at California State University, Chico. Sarah is a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program, and has received numerous awards for her service to agriculture and the community, including the 2020 Common Threads North Award, the 2019 Farm City Celebration Community Service Award, and the 2011 Butte County Cattle Woman of the Year.

IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT

BE?

In a motorhome traveling the country with my fiancé, Ace. He and I were friends in high school (we even went to prom together!), and when we reconnected 20-some years later, we really bonded over our shared love of travel. I would like to visit all of the national parks, and Ace wants to attend sprint car races at all of the major tracks. We met a couple at an RV park in Homer, Alaska a few years ago who lived this life – he was retired and she worked remotely, so they could travel anywhere at any time, as long as they could connect to Wifi. Granted they had quite a luxurious motor home, so it wasn’t quite #vanlife, but we both thought it seemed like a pretty great way to live.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM AND WHY?

I’ve been a fan of the Boise State Broncos since the 2007 Fiesta Bowl when I was stuck at my parents’ house with nothing to do but watch their game against Oklahoma. It was the most thrilling thing I’d ever seen.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR JOB?

Besides the great people, I think my favorite thing is the non-stop learning. Every day I find myself stretching my brain in some new way. It’s not always comfortable, but it never gets boring.

1385 Ridgewood Drive

Chico, CA 95973

530-893-4764 • WWW.MORRISONCO.NET

BUSINESS & ACCOUNTING ADVISORY • PEOPLE SOLUTIONS • GRANTS FOLLOW US

CORNER CLIENT

The Morrison Client Corner is a regular feature of our newsletter. Here, you’ll find updates on what a number of our clients are up to, their achievements and milestones, and the generally great things happening in their companies or organizations.

If you’re a client of ours, we’d love to stay up to date with what is going on within your organization and invite you to share your highlights in this space. Feel free to send any press releases, newsletters, or happenings to Susanna at ssteffen@morrisonco.net

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS 2023 VALENTINE’S GALA & AUCTION

The Boys and Girls Clubs of the North Valley hosted its annual Valentine’s Gala at The Barn at Meriam Park. As the Club’s major fundraiser, the event has allowed this amazing organization to continue their mission to save and change the lives of more than 2,000 youth each year at their 10 Club sites. Morrison’s very own Principals Brent Morrison, Toni Scott, and Ana Klein were all in attendance with their sweethearts. The evening included live music, dinner, a special presentation by the North Valley Youth of the Year, and a live dessert auction.

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO HOSTS AN EXCITING NEW PROGRAM

The Pacific Coast Coalition – Dairy Business Innovation Initiative is an impactful new program hosted by California State University, Fresno for dairy farmers and businesses across six Western states. Funded through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, the program has been granted funds to provide educational programming, technical assistance, and subawards. Morrison is delighted to work with the first round of grant winners, with grant awards ranging from $10,000$50,000. In its second cycle of grant awards, the program will award funding to assist in dairy product development, production, marketing and distribution.

RUMIANO CHEESE COMPANY PRESENTS NEW BRANDING

Rumiano Cheese Company started the new year with a bang by showcasing their latest branding at the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas! As the pioneer in organic dairy, their new label is an effort to better communicate the special combination of dedicated team members working with family farmers in the most pristine pastures in North America. Rumiano Cheese continues to innovate to bring better financial health to their farms and the cleanest cheese and butter to their consumers. Be sure to check them out and give their amazing products a try!

WELCOME NEW CLIENTS