Steve Sing, 62, the first and only general manager of the Sidney Sugars Co. plant in Sidney, Mont., has announced he'll retire at the end of May. Sidney Sugars is a subsidiary of American Crystal Sugar Co., where Sing has spent the bulk of his professional career -- almost 37 years.
Sing grew up in Gibbon, Minn., and attended the University of Minnesota for agricultural education. After working for the university for two years he was hired by American Crystal on Aug. 4, 1975, to work at the Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative when Crystal was managing that company. In 1978 he moved to Crookston, Minn., as an agriculturist and ag manager for the Crystal plant there.
In 1996, Sing moved to Moorhead as ag operations manager. In 2002, he took an opportunity to manage one of three factories acquired by American Crystal from Imperial Sugar Co.
Sing says he'll probably move back to Minnesota to be closer to family. Sing says his career has been a satisfying one, but acknowledged agricultural decisions -- made for the greater good -- sometimes don't fit each individual. "We've done our best," he says.
