We visited Rock River Ag this morning and had the pleasure of having SWMN CEO alumni Colby Crabtree lead the discussion. Colby is the third alumni to be part of the discussion at a business this year. It is great to see our alumni coming back to the area! When speaking about his experience in the program, Colby told the group that CEO taught him to manage time, use his connections, expand his creative thinking, and grow his work ethic. Colby created Blue Mound Buckets through the program and is now launching Crabtree Drone Services for agricultural spraying.

Rock River Ag is a Pioneer seed dealership owned and operated by Josh Rheault and Brad Bergman. Josh has been in the farm industry for 30 years and with Pioneer for 17 years. When he was looking to expand his business and thinking of who he would like to partner with Brad came to mind. Each owner brings their unique skill set to the business to make it successful. Josh and Brad value customer relationship and believe in helping their customer anyway they can. Josh told the young professionals to listen to what people say to help you understand their point. When in sales one of the hardest aspects is hearing no and the trio emphasized to young professionals to not take it personally. Josh shared with the young professionals as they begin their business to not be afraid to charge for their services, have integrity, build trust with your customers, and don't make a promise you can't keep.

We enjoyed learning about the research and development that continues to raise the bar of seed traits and patents. Josh said when going into this type of business marketing and knowledge of soil health are a big impact to your success.

Thank you for a very enjoyable morning and for being a financial supporter of SWMN CEO