Cargill is a large, successful, family-owned food business with its roots in the pioneer farming lands of America's Midwest. Its origins can be traced back nearly 150 years to a simple grain storage facility which sowed the seeds for the flourishing food business that helps to nourish so many of us today. However, the growth and development of the company did not always run smoothly and Cargill owes its long heritage to an early culture of business ethics, innovation, and leadership. These traits have seen the company through times that have ruined stronger businesses. In 1910, Cargill confronted perhaps the greatest challenge to its existence. The established grain trader, having grown throughout the new states in America's north central region, had accumulated too much debt. In 1909, Cargill's founder, William Wallace Cargill, died, leaving a small business empire that was overleveraged and had grown too quickly. It was obvious to his son-in-law, John MacMillan, that the company had to be restructured in order to satisfy the needs of bankers and customers. The question was whether MacMillan could act fast and strategically enough to preserve the core elevator and grain trading business.