Although Luke Turner, inventory control manager/sales at Turner Seed, was indoctrinated at a young age working with his father, Darcy Turner, at Turner Seed, he was still encouraged to follow his own path.
“I remember being in grade school, and my mom enrolled me in a professional tutoring program for some help with writing,” Turner says. “The program manager was interviewing me and asked what I wanted to be when I grew up and was very concerned when I told him I wanted to be a professional skateboarder.”
And while that wasn’t the profession he fell into, Turner did say that it took him his entire undergraduate career plus his master’s career before deciding to head back to working at Turner Seed.
At Turner Seeds, Turner mentions he has the ability to wear a lot of different hats, but he fell into enjoying sales.
“We have an established culture of talking customers out of a purchase,” he says. “If it is not time to plant or the seed doesn’t fit the situation, we try to dissuade the sale. That environment makes selling a lot of fun and rewarding, because you’re getting to engage with customers honestly and earnestly.”
In particular, Turner really enjoys working with wildflowers in their portfolio.
“We grow some of the flowers we sell on site in Breckenridge,” he says. “It’s really cool to have a solid field of flowers and have customers ask about them when they come to pick up seed.”
One thing Turner appreciates about the seed industry? Working with others and the way he’s treated.
“The integrity of the seed industry as a whole is above par,” he says. “Most of us are in this for the long haul, so incentives are in line to follow the ‘Golden Rule’ when working with others. It really feels like everyone wants everyone to succeed.”
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