b'Cuba City area to get involved with the family business again, with one lesson sticking out to him: how can I get more actively involved with the seed industry to not only propel our business, but better learn and grow?Getting active and involved in organizations was something Schweigert learned in his days at the University of Minnesotaby actively participating in clubs and organizations around his passion for PR, he was able to secure internships, job offers and new opportunities to grow and learn about the industry. It seemed only natural to him that the next step for his career in the seed industry was to find how to get more involved.Enter his first ASTA conferencethe 2003 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo in Chicago, Ill. While it was intimidating going and not knowing anyone, a face familiar to the industry helped Schweigert get to know different ASTA members: Don Wertman. It was a 3,000-person conference, and man, was it intimidating! Schweigert says, noting his goal was to meet as many people as possible at the conference.After bumping into Wertman, the chair of ASTA at the time, at a retirement party Schweigert mentioned that it was difficult to meet people at the conference. Schweigert says that Don took the criticism of the conference with grace.He could not have been more gracious about but maybe only you, as a leader or manager in thethe whole thing, Schweigert says. He said: You business, understand how that all fits into the con- know, this is a weakness that the industry has, text of the broader industry and business, he says. and if were going to successfully manage these For Jim Schweigert,If you dont explain it to them, theres no way forgenerational transitions, we have to have more its important forthe entire team to see its impact, Schweigert says.younger people in the association.the industry to seeThey love to hear those stories about whatsIn addition to helping introduce Schweigert both sides of him:going on in the business and ways that weveto various people at the conference, the chance professionally andimpacted a client positively and helped somebodyencounter with Wertman turned into a few follow personally. Sinceachieve something that they couldnt have done onup calls, and eventually turned into a relationship as hes been attendingtheir own, he adds. Wertman continued to encourage Schweigert to meetings, hes always brought his wife, Jen.That conversation with my dad really changedget involved with ASTA. It started with attending Not only does it allowmy perspective of what the future of our businessthe CSS & Seed Expo, then the ASTA Management the industry into hiscould be. I was thinking about it in the context ofAcademy at Purdue University in 2004, where personal life, but ithow we could be a provider to the industry andSchweigert, with three others, started work-allows both Jen andmake a difference for seed companies that working together and formed ASTAs Future Seed Jim to be involved inwith us, Schweigert adds. Today, we are largestExecutives (FuSE) sub-committee, now known as industry discussions.family-owned seed supply chain solutions com- the LEAD committee. Jen continues topany in North America. We have five locations, aIt all really does connect back to that first be an ear that Jimjoint-venture in Chile (CIS Alliance), expertise frommeeting in Chicago, Schweigert says. And to me, bounces ideas off of for thoughts, opinionscustom breeding services to direct-to-farm distri- thats exactly the experience that I think everybody and honesty.bution and experience across more than 10 crops. can have with ASTA. Associations are always look-ing for more people to be engagedthose who Your Voice is Important show interest are going to get the opportunities. That conversation with his father droveAnd those who put in the effort to stay engaged Schweigerts decision to move back home to thewill get more opportunities.64/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2022'