b'everyone is part of that brand and publicIn addition, Thrasher is eager to work with the high value (veg-perception of your company. etable, grape or orchard) side of the industry. For Hayes, branding is one of the mostA few months ago, I was down in Florida, he says. When important things a company can do youre standing there with a vegetable producer that has lost all and Agrauxine has given ABM a chance totheir controls due to regulation, they get excited when you offer rebrand under the Lesaffre group to be- them a biological that can do the same thing. Seeing a grower get come a part of the companys long legacy. excited about having a solution for a problem makes everything Both companies are family owned andworthwhile, and that wasnt something we could offer to the spe-hold integrity and trust above everythingcialty growers before.else, he says. So, its only the name that changes, and of course, our messagingCreating a New Level of Expertisewill change a little as two companies comeABMs Graph-ExWhile faces might stay the same, if youre working on a new side of together. But, the general principles of ourwill remain inthe industrysay the vegetable side of the industryyou might two companies are very much aligned. Agrauxine bysee some new additions to the Agrauxine in North America team. Kempf says that with that, they work toLesaffres portfolio. Agrauxine is working to create a higher level of expertise with ensure consistency in every product.team members who are specialized in specific fields of biologicals. The key is we bring the right promise,ABM has passionate people on their team, but we want to bring he says. You dont want to overpromise orin more support, says Kempf. A more strategic approach will let under promise what a product or servicethem express their expertise more.can doif you give the right promise,This approach, Kempf says, will help all employees focus on then a product can perform really well. what theyre good at and give them time to perfect their work.Opportunity-wise, Chris Thrasher,In addition, Thrasher says this is an exciting opportunity for director of sales of Agrauxine in NorthABM employees, as this provides a new challenge to their staff. American, says its exciting to be able to170 Its a learning curve, he says. When you look at my team, collaborate with the other business unitsa lot of them are very seasoned employees and members. Now, under the Lesaffre brand. the number ofyoure giving them a new challengeweve figured out the seed At ABM, we were really isolated as anyears Lesaffre hastreatment industry. Now, were going into more of a broader independent company, Thrasher says.been established. spectrum.Now, we still operate as an independentBut, if you notice changes in the staff, Thrasher says its not a company, but we have a massive organiza- thing to worry about.tion behind us that we can share and col- 10,700Well be more specialized, more defined in what our respon-laborate with to bring knowledge, exper- the number ofsibilities are, he says. Being a small company before, employees tise and experience to the field. employees acrosshad to wear multiple hats.With that new expertise, of course,all Lesaffre brands. As an example, Thrasher mentions his tech service director was comes new productsand while the ABMalso a salesman and a manager on top of that.portfolio will still exist and be available, itllNow, were able to take some stuff off their plate and let them be enhanced with the Agrauxine portfolio. 60 focus on really owning what their specialties are, he says. The While the name changes and the brandplan is to add more assets in the field to help position products.taglines may change, customers are still go- the number ofIn the end: while change can stir up anxiety more often than ing to be working with products manufac- established appliednot, a change like this isnt something to be worried about.tured out of Ohio, Hayes says. Although,science centers. When you have this big amount of change coming in, theres a therell be some new product additions,really big sense and feeling of losing control, and our natural reac-your salesman will stay the same, alongtion is to resist the unknown, Thrasher says. But the biggest thing with the customer service. 70 Ive been coaching everyone is: our team members are the assets. Everything starts with the seed, saysNot the name on the buildingthe employees.Thrasher, but theres a lot that can happenthe number ofThat will continue to be the biggest driver for Agrauxine in from planting to harvest. Our businesscountries LesaffreNorth America as this acquisition process continues to develop: the runs everything from seed to post harvest,is based in. people will continue to be the focus. Not just employees, but cus-and now, we can stand in the field andtomers as well continue to be top-of-mind and the biggest concern.guarantee that were here to help our cus- Dont let change intimidate you: while its an unknown, its tomers throughout the growing season. leading to an exciting new beginning.JANUARY 2022SEEDWORLD.COM /35'