Columbia Grain
Customer Stories
Opportunity
At Columbia Grain International (CGI), relationships are everything. But as the agriculture industry faces rapid generational shifts—both in the office and on the farm—Columbia Grain recognized a growing challenge: how to preserve critical customer knowledge when employees retire, transition, or move roles.
Sergio Hernandez, Business Execution Manager, Columbia Grain
“I’ve got a notebook with a bunch of notes. But how do we get that information? How do we keep it there for that next individual to come in to be able to use it and hit the ground running?”
For years, important details about growers—like past conversations, crop plans, and preferences—were kept in personal notebooks, spreadsheets, or simply held in memory. The lack of a centralized system posed a risk to long-standing relationships when staff turnover occurred.
Leadership knew they needed a system to capture and share that knowledge, while making it easily accessible for the next generation of originators.
Solution
Columbia Grain turned to Bushel CRM to bring structure and clarity to their customer relationship management strategy. With strong support from leadership and daily usage from the origination team, Bushel CRM quickly became a cornerstone of Columbia Grain’s operations.
Sergio Hernandez, Business Execution Manager, Columbia Grain
“Our CEO was a big pusher of CRM. Just like everyone else, you go through your turnover. When you do, where is that customer information and is it getting updated? We needed to keep it relevant and ready for the next person to be able to use it. And that’s where Bushel came in.”
Why it worked for Columbia Grain:
- Leadership buy-in ensured CRM adoption was a strategic priority.
- User-friendly mobile access enabled originators to record and retrieve information in the field.
“I use it every single day—it’s the first thing I open. I record every conversation and it keeps me from having the same conversation twice.”
—Nate Hicks, Grain Originator, Columbia Grain
- Real-time transparency helped resolve customer disputes quickly and factually.
“We had one customer upset about a missed sale. With Bushel CRM, we showed exactly what was said and why the decision was made. That saved the relationship.”
—Sergio Hernandez, Business Execution Manager, Columbia Grain
To keep adoption strong, Columbia Grain incorporated CRM into weekly team calls and encouraged open feedback—feedback that Bushel used to improve the product.
Nate Hicks, Grain Originator, Columbia Grain
“By the end of that meeting and after walking us through it—his whole shift just went from anti-technology to, wow, keeping track of this data is really user friendly.”
Results
With Bushel CRM fully embedded in their workflow, Columbia Grain has transformed how its team manages customer relationships. The company has not only preserved institutional knowledge but has also improved team communication, customer trust, and long-term planning.
CRM success starts with leadership, grows through usability, and thrives with team-wide commitment. With Bushel CRM, Columbia Grain is not just managing data—they’re preserving relationships, driving trust, and setting up the next generation for success.