b'LAST RESPECTSPICKSEED CO-FOUNDER TOM PICK REMEMBERED AS A DRIVEN BUSINESSMAN, CARING MENTORMarc Zienkiewicz, Seed World Canada Senior EditorA GIANT OF THE North American seed industry has passed away and is being remembered as a visionary who served as a mentor who truly cared about those he worked with.Tom Pick died on April 26 in Lindsey, Ont., with family at his side. He was 86.Tom, his brother Martin and mother Marie grew Pickseed into the worlds fourth-largest grass and forage seed company with research, production and distribution operations across Canada, and established Pickseed West in Oregon.Working with him was a true pleasure. He wasnt just a boss; he was an honourable man who genuinely cared about his employees. Throughout my journey there, he provided many opportunities for growth and advancement, something Ill always be grateful for, says Chris McDowell, co-founder of Vista Seed Partners in Shedd, Oregon.McDowell worked with Tom for several decades during her tenure with Pickseed Oregon, where she climbed the ladderTom Pick helped grow Pickseed into the worlds fourth-largest grass and and became one of the first women in the U.S. seed industryforage seed company.to take on a major leadership role. She was the first woman to serve as president of the Oregon Seed Council, and hasAt school, Tom was a natural leader, organizing sports also led the Oregon Seed Association and served as chair theteams and playing and coaching basketball at Ontarios National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) board and theRichmond Hill High School. After graduation he joined the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Lawn Seed Division. family business, then enrolled in the Ontario Agricultural Tom was very instrumental in me doing those things. HeCollege in Guelph. He would cut his studies short after his was a quiet person, but he was very, very plugged into the seedfathers untimely death in 1959, returning home to help run the industry. I hold a special fondness for him because he paved theseed business.way for me in an industry where women were a rarity, especiallySo began the massive legacy that Pickseed would leave in three or four decades ago, she adds. the North American seed landscape.Opportunities for women, especially in positions like gen- Tom and Martins journey to become major players in eral manager of a large seed company like Pickseed, were fewCanadian forage seed began when they re-organized the com-and far between. Yet, despite the odds, he believed in me andpany under Otto Pick and Sons Seeds, later to become Pickseed gave me that chance to prove myself. Canada and finally the Pickseed Group of Companies. The Born in Louny, Czechoslovakia, Tom Pick arrived inbusiness was sold to DLF in 2013.Canada as a newborn, when his parents Otto and Marie andWhen their dad passed away, the brothers fell into their his aunt Lya fled Czechoslovakia in advance of the Nazi inva- roles naturally, Martin says.sion. First settling in Caledonia, Ont., and later in Toronto,Tom took on the financial side of things, handling the Otto and Marie established a family seed business, the begin- high-level stuff like a pro. Meanwhile, I was out in the field, nings of what would become Pickseed. dealing with sales agents, growers, and getting my hands dirty 4 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA JULY 2024'