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 8422 / SEEDWORLD.COM JANUARY 2017 Buice, who served as 2014 IPSA president. “But when you stay in a trade association that long, change can be good.” After conducting a national search for a new chief executive officer, the board selected agribusi- ness veteran Todd Martin to lead. With no association manage- ment experience, some might say he was an unlikely pick. But this southern seedsman was intimate with the workings of independent companies as well as multination- als, having worked for Syngenta since 1990 and most recently as head for brand distribution. But to the board, it just felt right — a natural evolution of sorts. Martin was known for his strate- gic thinking, business acumen and being a savvy leader. A former business partner, John Dombrosky, CEO of AgTech Accelerator, says: “Todd is a savvy, intuitive leader always on the look out for win-wins. When working with Todd on business develop- ment projects, mergers and acqui- sitions or licensing deals, I always felt more confident we could succeed. He brings energy, pas- sion and acumen to deals and third party interactions.” With Martin on board, IPSA has hit the pavement to make sure its members not only survive, but also thrive in a competitive environment with increasing consolidation, regu- lation and technology. He’s been working closely with Randy Wilken of ProHarvest Seeds in Ashkum, Ill., who is the outgoing association president, and Christine Varner of D.F. Seeds in Dansville, Mich., who is the incoming president. Varner, too, is excited about the path ahead for IPSA. “We’ve had some very good conversations with technology providers and amongst ourselves in positioning the associa- tion and independent companies,” she says. “We are in such a unique space; farmers want local and they want a trusted adviser. As long as independents are doing their homework, we can compete and we are much more nimble [than the multinationals].” Wilken adds that these conver- sations with technology providers, guided by Martin, have allowed each party to walk away with a better understanding of the other. “It’s been a big commitment in terms of time and travel, but certainly worth it,” Wilken says. “It allows us to have a better understanding of their future plans and them of us. I’m confident they understand the importance of broad licensing to our businesses and that we are committed to our business and our industry.” No Idling for the Board The IPSA board and members set the policies and guide the activi- ties, while Martin drives the truck, moving on the day-to-day pieces. And Martin has been pumping in new energy — in the form of edu- cation, scholarships, group buying programs, competitive research and communications. Let’s start with communications and work backward. IPSA, along with the rest of the seed industry, is focused on improved communica- tions — both internally to members and externally to policymakers, media and the public. To best serve this effort, the board elected to add a communications position to the staff, and Catherine Ballard joined the association as IPSA communications lead in July 2015. Since then, IPSA has launched a new website that includes original and aggregated content of value to members. Additionally, mem- bers receive a bi-weekly newsletter that features association activities, meeting updates, hot issues and new members. Couple those efforts with an advertising campaign that posi- tions independent seed companies as a valuable partner to farmers’ row crop, cereal grain and forage operations, and that significantly increases IPSA’s reach and creates awareness. But Martin is charged with doing more than creating aware- ness. He must create value and that’s where he excels in thinking outside the box to bring in new partners and programs. “Todd’s long background in the seed industry has brought a new perspective and renewed energy to the organization,” Wilken says. “He’s ramped up member visits to understand their needs and what keeps them up at night. He’s not afraid to think outside the box or capture an idea and run with it, like our fact-finding mission to Cuba.” Wilken adds that Martin is expanding the horizon of the organization and even member companies. “He’s always asking ‘what if?’ and forcing people to think about things that might not be seemingly apparent.” Creating Value For the past 20 years, IPSA has been managing a competitive research program that helps members evaluate seed treat- 9 members comprise the IPSA Board of Directors. >100 family-owned companies are represented by IPSA. 1989 is the year when 80 charter members gathered to form IPSA. $1.5 million in public and private research has been funded by IPSA. 10th of January is when IPSA will kick off its 28th annual meeting in San Diego, Calif. Catherine Ballard joined IPSA in July 2015 to lead the association’s communications efforts. “He’s not afraid to think outside the box or capture an idea and run with it ...” — Randy Wilken