April Grams

Sibley County Food Shelf – Important Community Resource

A marketing specialist with Dichtomatik Americas, April Grams coordinates a variety of B2B marketing communication campaigns aimed at enhancing brand management and product marketing. Outside her professional responsibilities, April Grams supports charitable organizations such as the Sibley County Food Shelf.

A non-profit organization, Sibley County Food Shelf relies on donors and volunteers to provide vital assistance to Sibley County residents experiencing food insecurity. In addition to operating monthly food pick-ups, the organization connects families with local resources such as the Nutrition Assistance Program for Seniors (NAPS). Available to men and women aged 60 and up, the program distributes nutritious meals at no cost to seniors whose income falls at or below 130 percent of the poverty level for their household size.

The Sibley County Food Shelf invites volunteers to donate their time in a variety of ways, from stocking shelves and performing light housekeeping to raising awareness through public speaking opportunities at local churches. Potential volunteers can learn more about the organization’s needs at www. sibleycountyfoodshare.org.

2021 Allis-Chalmers Orange Spectacular to Meet July 23-25

Man driving tractor through field Free Photo

April Grams serves as a marketing specialist for Dichtomatik Americas of Shakopee, Minnesota, a manufacturer of pipe seals used in the food industry and other sectors. An experienced website designer, April Grams also handles web-based marketing for the Orange Spectacular, which gathers together owners of tractors made by the Allis-Chalmers company. The title of the event refers to the color of modern-day Allis-Chalmers equipment.

Sponsoring the 30th annual spectacular is the Upper Midwest A-C Club, which preserves the company’s legacy. Advertised as the world’s biggest event of its kind, the 2021 edition will be held July 23-25 at the McLeod County Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Minnesota.

Whether they are customers or members of the public, visitors will be able to take in field demonstrations, seminars, and tractor parades on Saturday and Sunday morning. A tractor pull is in the works, and attendees will be able to drive tractors under supervision. One highlight is the raffle prize, a 1960 Allis-Chalmers D-14 complete with a dirt scoop. For the kids, a WD-45 pedal tractor will also be given away. For more details, please visit orangespectacular.com/.

What Is the Cannibalization Rate?

An accomplished marketing expert with more than a decade of experience, April Grams is highly skilled in various areas of marketing. In her current role, she works as a marketing specialist at Dichtomatik Americas. As part of her duties, April Grams conducts market sales analyses to predict business trends.

A sales analysis provides crucial data that includes sales team performance and customer shopping patterns, as well as revenue. There are multiple key performance indicators (KPIs) which are evaluated, including the cannibalization rate. Cannibalization rate measures how new products impact the sales of already existing products.

As a business launches new products, there’s a possibility this will result in a reduced interest in and subsequently lower sales of existing products. This happens in cases where new products seem to be superior or offer better value than similar existing products. Organizations have to carefully formulate new product strategies to avoid cannibalization, which in extreme cases can result in a net loss of revenue.

It is challenging to determine the impact of launching a new product and whether it will affect sales of existing products. However, cannibalization rate can be determined by dividing the sales loss of an existing product by the sales of the similar product. Managing the cannibalization rate requires sales teams to focus their attention on related but different markets when launching new products, as well as utilize product introduction strategies against competitors and not against their own company’s products.

Using the Rule of Thirds to Compose an Engaging Photo

Based in Shakopee, Minnesota, April Grams is a marketing specialist at Dichtomatik Americas, where she directs and coordinates all B2B marketing communications campaigns. April Grams enjoys staying creative in her free time, pursuing photography and graphic design. As part of this work, she takes family and senior portraits professionally.

One of the most helpful things for beginner photographers to learn is the rule of thirds, which can help them take more interesting and balanced shots. The rule of thirds asks the photographer to imagine breaking an image down into thirds, horizontally and vertically, so that the constructed image has nine parts. This results in giving the photographer a visual of four lines that he or she can use to arrange the photo’s elements – the strongest photos generally place the points of interest at or near one or more of the four intersections created by the lines.

As studies have shown that people’s eyes generally go to one of the intersection points, rather than the center of the photo, using the rule of thirds to create a composition helps pull the viewer into the picture. Before taking a photo, the photographer should identify the points of interest and place them intentionally.