At Beck’s Hybrids, Scott Beck is the fourth generation. Based in Indiana, Beck’s is among the largest retail seed companies in the U.S., offering customers a range of the latest traits in corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa. The company is headed by Scott’s father, Sonny Beck.
Scott says looking back, he now realizes succession planning was an integral part of his upbringing. “It’s always been a continual process, since when I was a child and my grandparents were alive,” he explains. “We were always included in land purchases and company ownership.”
While he never felt pressured to join the company, he was exposed to it from an early age. Along with his younger brother and his sister, he had the opportunity to work in different parts of the company – and now, so do his own children. Last summer his two older boys, aged 14 and 12, worked in the sign shop; they are also encouraged to help out with planting when they can.
“There are 11 grandkids in our family now. I don’t think any of us believe all of them will end up working for the company,” he says, adding he doesn’t put any directed pressure on his children to make that decision. “What I do want is for them to work, and to develop a good work ethic.”
If they are interested in building a career with Beck’s Hybrids, they will have broader opportunity than any of their family predecessors.
Beck recalls that when he was ten years old, the company consisted of his father, his grandfather and a few other employees. When he came on board in 1987, he was employee
number 12. Today, there are about 170 employees, plus part-time and seasonal workers. When a company gets to such a size, he notes, it opens up many more avenues for employment. From accounting to marketing to human resources, the range of specialization in the company grows with it.
“There are whole departments that serve the company but don’t require an agricultural background, but skills in another area.”
Beck himself carefully considered his options before making his choice. After studying agronomy – as well as diverse electives from creative writing to communications – at Purdue, he pursued internships with other agricultural businesses before coming back to Beck’s.
Still, he wasn’t certain it was the right decision for him, but as he began to try on different facets of the business – sales, administration, advertising, shipping – he began to see how he could make a valuable contribution. Today, he manages the practical farm research, through which Beck’s examines a host of factors, including fertility rates, tillage and herbicides, and other areas that are of great interest to their customers.
“It’s a part of the business that helps set our company apart, and it’s an area that I’m proud to be helping grow and develop.”
In 1970, at the age of 26, Bill Wyffels Jr. inherited a family farm operation and seed company when his father died unexpectedly. At that time, the company had two employees: Bill and his younger brother Bob, then still in college.
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