General Mills has been a part of the Western New York Community for 118 years. And if you’re ever driving through the city on a warm day, with your windows down, you might just get a reminder that they’re here with the smell of Cheerios. Ron Gottstine, the Senior Project Engineer at General Mills, and his father, Raymond, have worked collectively for General Mills for 80 of those years. Ron learned at a young age from his father, a hardworking man, “who lived and breathed General Mills” that community is the most important part of any strong organization.

Unfortunately, not unfamiliar to many of us, Ron lost his father to a difficult battle with leukemia in 1995 Ron was with his father every step of the way of his long battle. “I was always amazed at how Roswell Park employees can take care of people, day after day, after day, after day. Even when my father passed away, there were two nurses there. I still remember their names. They were sitting there, crying as my father passed away, which was pretty amazing,” Ron remembered.

Years later, in conversation with a good friend who was closely involved with Roswell Park, Ron learned about the Herd of Hope which was created to build awareness of the research taking place at Roswell Park as well as raise funds to make a significant difference in the fight against cancer. “The people of Roswell Park are our neighbors; they are part of our family,” said Ron.

General Mills has an espoused mission to connect smart people to make all of our lives a little better. “It affects all of our families. The more we can do to alleviate the burden and to help minimize the people being diagnosed with cancer, and the effect on their families, is better for all. I’ve got to believe that every person who enters our doors [at General Mills] has some sort of connection to Roswell Park, and I believe they can think back and say this is a good cause. I’m hoping that everyone had the same positive experience I did when taking my father there.”

Joining the Herd of Hope symbolizes the that we are one step closer to a world without cancer. And General Mills knew they needed to join the Herd to be part of a group that was making significant advancements toward that vision. “I wanted to have a symbol here at our plant, that when people walk by, that is the first thing they see, and they can have a good memory of helping support the cancer cause,” explained Ron. Cancer research cannot advance as quickly as it should without strong partnerships with companies like General Mills.  

“Cancer research is a great cause for this corporation. We ought to be standing behind a fellow family member or a fellow company to help support them,” said Ron. Roswell Park is less than 4 miles away from General Mills’ plant. When asked about the proximity, Ron said, “we are proud of having Roswell Park here. It’s reassuring to know we have such a dedicated team so nearby in our neighborhood.”

Ron along with General Mills Buffalo, wants to dedicate joining the Herd of Hope to all General Mills employees that have walked through Roswell’s doors, including his beloved father, Raymond. Join General Mills and over 100 other WNY businesses by joining the Herd today.