The GROWMARK Foundation is once again honoring the memory of a long-time employee, by providing jackets to FFA members in Illinois.
In April 2019, Mike Builta, a GROWMARK vice president, passed away unexpectedly. To honor his legacy, the GROWMARK Foundation has been awarding jackets to FFA members in Illinois each year.
For many FFA members, the blue corduroy jacket is much more than a piece of clothing — it is a connection to something bigger than themselves.
One hundred jackets have already been provided over the last four years to FFA members, and the GROWMARK Foundation will again be awarding 25 jackets in 2023. FFA members are asked to answer the question “What does the FFA jacket mean to you?” and share the main goal they wish to accomplish as an FFA member.
The application is available here and is due October 8 at midnight.
Builta was raised on a family farm near Bellflower, Illinois. He was an active FFA member and lifelong supporter of agricultural education. He held GROWMARK System management roles at Christian County Farmers Supply Company in Taylorville, Illinois, and GRAINCO FS in Ottawa, Illinois, before becoming GROWMARK vice president of Energy and Logistics in 2018.
The GROWMARK Foundation was formally incorporated in 2005 and supports not-for-profit charitable organizations. The Foundation is focused on programs and activities that support the vitality of the agriculture industry, agriculture education and consumer understanding of agriculture’s contributions to society and the economy, agricultural leadership development, and education about the benefits of the cooperative way of doing business. The GROWMARK System has been involved in a variety of philanthropic efforts, including youth and young leader education and development and scholarships, for decades.
GROWMARK is an agricultural cooperative serving almost 400,000 customers across North America, providing agronomy, energy, facility engineering, and construction, logistics products and services, and grain marketing and risk management services. Headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, GROWMARK owns the FS trademark used by member cooperatives. More information is available at GROWMARK.com.
