Making Tough Decisions
Just as escalating costs continue placing great strains on your cotton growing operation, Cotton Incorporated is also forced to make tough decisions to maximize the money used to implement research and promotion efforts on your behalf.
For example, this year we closed our Los Angeles office and we will not renew the lease on our office in Osaka, Japan, although we will maintain a presence in Osaka in a much smaller and less costly office location with fewer staff.
Travel is another area where we are looking to reduce costs. While travel is an essential part of our day-to-day business, we are looking to trim these costs whenever possible, and one way to do this is through technology. Cotton Incorporated offices have recently been upgraded with video-conferencing capabilities, and we hold a number of meetings this way to reduce airfare and overnight accommodation expenses.
Our goal is to maximize funds available for our key programs like Agricultural Research, which is essential for improving producer profitability.
In 2009, we will be launching a new U.S. consumer promotion campaign. We are currently in the creative concept stage, and we need to find funds wherever possible to maximize the impact for consumers next year.