Seed Today - Q2 2008 - (Page 28)

Veteran Seedsman Profile Gary Beil, Ph.D. President/CEO Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA) St. Paul, MN • 612-625-7766 Family: Wife Lanelle, two children and six grandchildren. Education: Ph.D., Iowa State Univ. Plant Breeding/Genetics, 1965. Years in the industry: 55 if you count detasseling corn in eastern Iowa. Years at MCIA: 13. Retired May, 2008. Career summary: Includes DeKalb Ag Research (17 years), Pioneer Hi-Bred, Continental Grain’s ContiSeed Division and Genesis Seed Co. prior to MCIA. Best memories of the seed industry: I have had a rewarding and enjoyable career. All my assignments have been positive and memorable, and each resulted in special memories. Most rewarding experience: Directing MCIA’s transition from a seed certifying organization to a broader, more diversified business has certainly been a very rewarding experience. Here the product is service. We have worked with our customers to expand our business to meet their needs. Now, less than one-third of MCIA revenue comes from seed certification. The business strategy has been reinvented and that reinvention process will continue. Overall impressions of the seed industry: The industry is made up of good, solid folks who are pleasant to work with. This is an industry driven by outside forces over which it has only limited control. For example, the introduction of Roundup Ready® soybeans was a real challenge. Seed companies had to respond and change quickly. Those companies that have been able to do so have done well. Biggest challenge: My biggest challenge was with Continental Grain. I was brought in to help it get out of its seed business. We were able to package the ContiSeed Division and sell it to ICI. ContiSeed had strong operations in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand that complemented ICI’s other seed investments. Best ideas for dealing with people: Treat people as professionals. In the process of doing business, you can build relationships that are successful by regarding people professionally and always treating people with respect and in an open and honest way. Key to business success: Be open to new opportunities. You cannot hang on to the past and achieve any degree of success without pursuing new opportunities. I never thought MCIA would be certifying coffee and sausages, for example. Most meaningful personal honor: Being appointed to the U.S. National Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Response No. 282 Response No. 281 28 Second Quarter 2008 http://www.heritageturffarms.com http://www.heritageturffarms.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Seed Today - Q2 2008

Seed Today - Q2 2008 Contents Editor’s Notes Cover Feature IKR BÁBOLNAMAG AOSA/SCST Gary Biel Bill Latham According to ASTA AOSCA Origin AgriTech Ltd. Pipeline Auditec Power Seeds, Inc RSI Systems LLC Mill & Elevator Supply Co. Agronomix Software, Inc Green Age® Products and Services USDA Crop Projections Buyers’ Guide Ad Index

Seed Today - Q2 2008

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