The Sweet Swell of Success
A Case Study on Leadership Development at American Crystal Sugar Company
This is a story about community.
And sugar, and leadership, and growth.
This is a (sweet) story about transformation.
All-American Agriculture
The story of the American Crystal Sugar Company is rooted in the Heartland of America, but its influence has propagated to every corner of the country.
Their story is a part of your story. It’s the magic in your sweet tea on the 4th of July. It’s packaged into your favorite candy bar at the movie theaters. It’s a story that’s as American as it can get, and like any good American tale, it’s one of working hard to bring success.
Since 1890, generations of farmers have grown and harvested sugarbeets from the fertile farmlands of the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota. American Crystal Sugar is the largest beet sugar producer in the United States, responsible for harvesting nearly half of the country’s sugarbeets. While the company’s foundation is agricultural, its legacy is people.
The Impetus for Leadership Development
In 2019, the American Crystal workforce reached a critical transition point. Many of the long-time team leaders had retired or were retiring, and internal promotions were being made to fill these leadership roles. While the promoted leaders were skilled experts in their sugar-making roles, many lacked experience and training in leading people.
For American Crystal’s HR Manager Jill Rotert and her colleagues, the need was clear: Equip up-and-coming managers and team leaders with everything they would need to successfully transition into and thrive in their promotions.
The company needed a formal leadership development program.
As a grower-owned cooperative committed to supporting farmers in the Red River Valley, American Crystal wanted to partner with another homegrown organization. The linchpin, however, was someone who could meet their team where they were. Someone down-to-earth who understood their people and their values.
They needed someone who would connect to and resonate with their culture.
And that’s why in late 2019, American Crystal Sugar Company (ACSC) had an epiphany.
It was time to bring in Laura Boyd.
A Sweet Partnership
Laura Boyd, CEO of Minnesota-based Leadership Delta, knows leadership isn’t just about tools or titles.
“Leadership is about how we show up for our team every day,” Laura said. “Leadership Delta’s approach to leadership development is deeply human-centered.”
It’s about people. It’s about influence, connection, and trust.
And so Laura and the executive team at American Crystal Sugar Company went to work. The American Crystal team was promoting many employees from within, and while their people were incredibly strong in their roles, there was still a deficit.
In early 2020, Leadership Delta met with American Crystal senior management to discuss the gaps they were experiencing and the challenges they faced. Specifically, how should they bridge the gap between a tenured group of seasoned leaders and a rising generation of emerging managers?
As Laura listened to these initial discussions with American Crystal, she kept hearing the same thing: Accountability.
The company’s culture was starting to sour. Employees were holding fewer meetings. Team accountability was inconsistent. Employee engagement was low. Retention rates were dropping.
It was an unsustainable trajectory.
From these initial fact-finding conversations, Laura and her team at Leadership Delta devised a leadership program specifically tailored to address the exact issues the American Crystal leaders were facing.
In the midst of 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdown, Laura and American Crystal remained undaunted. They launched a virtual leadership development program for the company’s executive team—a strategic, essential step in rolling out the program.
Buy-in from the top was non-negotiable if real change was going to happen.
Core Objectives: Building a Foundation of Trust
Laura and American Crystal Sugar developed a leadership program anchored in four key objectives:
Establish a culture of accountability
Develop a common language around leadership
Equip teams with practical tools
Create a community of coaching and engagement
These objectives weren't just talking points. They are the cornerstones of a curriculum that has grown from its initial roots in the executive offices to every other type of management, including senior managers, mid-level leaders, and supervisors.
Nurturing a Culture of Trust
What started with a little skepticism quickly gained traction.
All it took was one session.
Employees were hesitant at first—this wasn’t the first initiative they’d been through. But this time was different. Once the team started attending the sessions, it all clicked.
One of the earliest breakthroughs came through discussions around trust.
Laura and her team defined trust as "the confidence you have in your relationship with others," and wove that into every session.
Over time, American Crystal leaders began using that language too, and eventually, the team was able to see accountability through a lens of trust.
The Power of Shared Language and Psychological Safety
The hum of the workforce—once bitter and untrusting—now struck a different chord. HR started hearing excitement from leaders. The energy was palpable in the sessions. Meeting attendance was up; employees started showing up with questions, commitment, and a desire to grow.
Supervisors and managers began taking ownership of their roles. They held team members accountable, gave out recognition, and empowered their teams to be more engaged across the board.
Even more notably, leaders proactively reached out to HR for help supporting their teams—a request that hadn’t happened before.
Laura also introduced and encouraged curiosity and the concept of smart failure—experiments that don’t impact safety, compliance, or regulation but allow room to learn and grow.
This concept was particularly resonant in what had historically been a top-down approach to leadership and growth. For many, this idea that failure could be safe and even encouraged was revolutionary.
Sweet Rewards
As a result of their Leadership Development Program, American Crystal has seen:
Trust rebuilt across teams and departments
The creation of a common language for leadership
Increase in internal accountability
Strengthened communication across locations
“American Crystal’s Leadership Development Program has shown our leaders that we value them and we’re investing in them,” said Jill, American Crystal HR Manager. “It’s not just about being good at your job anymore. It’s about stepping into leadership with confidence and support.”
American Crystal’s greatest return on investment is the positive change in company culture, and employees are taking note.
“Communication has improved.”
“Accountability is now a priority.”
“Things are better than they used to be.”
“There’s more cohesion across departments.”
“Trust is being rebuilt.”
And the data? It speaks for itself.
By 2024, American Crystal’s overall employee retention rate had grown from 83% in 2021 to 85%.
Additionally, as a result of the company’s leadership development efforts, in 2022, American Crystal promoted 15% of its workforce. In 2023, The Minnesota/St. Paul Business Journal named American Crystal Sugar Co. its 2023 Excellence in Training & Education honoree.
Sweet Momentum
American Crystal Sugar Company is committed to keeping the momentum going.
Over the past three years, hundreds of American Crystal team members have completed the Leadership Development series and continue to hone their skills through the company’s Leadership Alumni program.
These Alumni sessions offer new topics quarterly that feature relevant tools and resources.
Topics include:
Conflict resolution
Persuasion and accountability
Understanding what a leader looks like
What tools leaders need in the workplace
How to navigate interpersonal relationships in the workplace
How to support a common language
And many more
Additionally, American Crystal offers its employees individual coaching through Leadership Delta. Six leaders at a time meet independently with a coach for 45-minute sessions tailored to their unique challenges and goals. These one-on-one conversations have become a valuable tool for new and established leaders to unlock their leadership potential.
“I often liken the whole system to a well-engineered machine,” Laura Boyd said. “Each part—the executives, the emerging leaders, the coaching, the alumni engagement—works together. And while I might be the mechanic keeping it running smoothly, the leadership at American Crystal Sugar are the ones fueling the engine.”
What Makes Leadership Delta Different?
Leadership Delta’s programs succeed where others falter. When asked why, CEO Laura Boyd says it comes down to two things:
We are human-centered. I didn’t come from HR. I came from the executive table. I built this company to reflect what real-world leadership requires: empathy, authenticity, connection, and trust.
We facilitate, we don’t preach. My gift lies in making people feel safe, seen, and understood. I create environments where leaders aren’t just checking boxes. They’re becoming someone new.
A Culture Rewritten
The transformation at American Crystal Sugar didn’t happen overnight. It happened through intention, consistency, and an unwavering commitment from their leadership.
Today, their managers speak a shared language. They prioritize safety as part of their culture. They embrace curiosity, vulnerability, and accountability.
It’s what true leadership looks like.
To any organization wondering if real culture change is possible: it is. When leaders are willing to invest in and nurture their people, the harvest is always sweet.
Are you looking to transform your team? Contact Leadership Delta today to learn more. Learn more about American Crystal Sugar Company here.