118 / SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2017 and hers is just beginning. She’s going to take the business in a whole new direction” Rourke says. Plus, there is such a thing as overstaying your welcome, he adds. “Henry Ford is a good example. He was innovative and suc- cessful, but after awhile he became an impediment to the Ford Motor Company and his own son, who was taking over the com- pany at the time. He should have got out of it a lot earlier than what he did.” One of the challenges Maxwell says she faces is initiating a timely discussion of her vision for her employees’ careers. It’s some- thing she constantly makes an effort to do, when the time is right. “I don’t want to be in the position of thinking, ‘Oh no, so-and- so is retiring in six months and I don’t know what I’m doing to do to fill their shoes.’ We want to identify and develop people to fill those roles. Don’t wait too long to have that discussion, because they might end up leaving for other opportunities, when had they known you had a vision for their future with the company, they might very well have stayed.” Maxwell adds that she hopes to be succeeded by a third gen- eration of her family someday. “I want to see the business continue for the long-term, and I see a role for Ag-Quest in the industry for a very long time.” SW Steve West is research director for RD4AG in Yuma, Arizona.