Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8420 / SEEDWORLD.COM JANUARY 2017 BUILDING A BETTER BUSINESS The Independent Professional Seed Association is paving a path to help companies thrive.Julie Deering I T WASN’T THAT LONG AGO when six seedsmen recog- nized the need for an organization to represent the unique needs of independent seed companies. Others recognized the value of such an organization, and with 80 charter members, the Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA) was formed in 1989, less than 30 years ago. Since then, the association has ebbed and flowed mirroring trends associated with a maturing seed industry, the agricultural economy, skillsets of executive leadership and the annual change in board leadership. Despite the ever-changing landscape, IPSA’s charge remains the same: Promote the interests and capabilities of family-owned companies. The board of directors, comprising nine members, guides the policies and activities of the association, which focus on education, member services and business development. Everything was going along fine, until it wasn’t. On Nov. 9, 2014, the executive director informed the board that he had accepted another position and would be leaving the association after nearly 10 years of leadership. Under Ruehle, the association grew its member participation and increased its visibility but in recent years had mostly main- tained a status quo persona. “He had done a lot with the organization and it [the annual meeting] was still growing in terms of participation,” says Lou “But when you stay in a trade association that long, change can be good.” — Lou Buice