Cindy Agnes has all the time had a ardour for baking.
In 2008 when her husband Gerry, the then newly appointed President and Chief Government Officer for Elevations Credit score Union, held a BBQ for the credit score union’s employees, she thought some selfmade cookies could be a pleasant addition to the celebration.
When the vacations got here round, Cindy added the Elevations Board of Administrators to the enjoyable, making her delectables to assist want the board a Merry Christmas and Joyful New Yr.
Since 2013, Cindy has baked not less than a dozen cookies per worker every vacation season, and he or she and Gerry ship them to all Elevations places alongside the Entrance Vary. In 2013, Elevations had 322 workers. Quick ahead to 2022, Cindy now bakes over 7,000 cookies for the 600-plus Elevations employees. To perform this takes 398 eggs, 342 cups of flour, 297 sticks of butter and 269 cups of sugar, together with an abundance of chocolate chips, nuts, and M&M’s. She begins preparations in early November in order that, come December, she’s able to ship her delicious cookies to every of the credit score union’s places.
The way it began
Within the early days, a pair trays of three kinds of cookies have been sufficient to place smiles on everybody’s faces.
Alongside the best way, Cindy figured offering for extra than simply the employees at BBQ’s and for a board assembly was wanted. She expanded her operations to incorporate your complete firm. In 2017 she recruited certainly one of her daughters, Kristin Agnes, to assist her bake, beautify and package deal the cookies.
“I really like the employees!” Cindy mentioned. “All of them work so laborious, they usually’re identical to household. Because the Elevations household grew, we simply began making extra cookies. I make a variety of cookies as a result of it’s necessary to me to have the employees have sufficient to deliver some house to their households and neighbors.”
Because the Elevations crew grew every year, so did Cindy’s baking efforts. Although she and Kristin nonetheless make all of the cookies in her house kitchen, she’s acquired three stand mixers and three chest freezers for all of the ready dough ready patiently for baking day.
Nevertheless, when baking is completed, the mission nonetheless must be accomplished. Cindy, Kristin, and Gerry then package deal and cargo up all of the cookies for supply — a course of that normally lasts a few days.
Labor of affection
The gargantuan act of engaging in an enterprise of this caliber exhibits how large Cindy’s coronary heart is. Oh, and he or she’s all the time keen to share her scrumptious recipes!
She additionally will get suggestions from the employees every year, serving to her enhance for the subsequent season. These might embrace bins for workers to take house cookies, extra fan-favorite flavors, and even an improved strategy to ship cookies utilizing massive catering bins as an alternative of trays.
In the case of recipes, Cindy is all the time open to attempting one thing new. In 2021, for example, she debuted the “Grinch” cookie — a inexperienced cookie with a crimson coronary heart. (We might neither affirm nor deny the center being two sizes too small.)
The yearly cookie-making occasion organically grew every year out of Cindy’s love for baking. She all the time made cookies for her youngsters after they have been rising up, and when Cindy and Gerry have been youthful, she made and bought her cinnamon rolls.
She handed on her love of baking to her two daughters and son, Eric. Her daughter Nicole even went to culinary faculty and have become a pastry chef, whereas her daughter Kristin helps plan the cookie provides buying and enjoys serving to bake and beautify every year.
Concerned course of
In the case of logistics, it turns into a household affair. Cindy and all three kids put collectively a listing of provides and plan the cookie record, and Gerry supplies a rely of Elevations crew members at every location. When the large day arrives, Cindy, Kristin, and Gerry’s baking, boxing and organizing runs late into the night and thru the subsequent morning, when deliveries begin.
Gerry and Cindy begin up north in Fort Collins and work their means south on I-25, hitting every department, mortgage workplace and back-office location for a complete of 20 stops.
Not even a worldwide pandemic might cease Cindy. In 2020, when a lot on this planet got here to a screeching halt, Cindy, Kristin, and Gerry determined to proceed the custom with some modifications. With assist from the crew, they boxed and delivered cookies to each worker.
When all was mentioned and carried out, the couple mentioned probably the most difficult half was not with the ability to deliver trays to all of the branches and want everybody a Merry Christmas and Joyful New Yr.
At Elevations, work-life stability and worker satisfaction are large priorities. An environment like that begins on the high, and Cindy and Gerry’s dedication and thoughtfulness are definitely a giant a part of that tradition.