Drew Garretson’s Post

In 2020 the leaders of the City of Vincennes and Knox County worked together to launch one of the most forward thinking, innovative, long term strategic moves that a rural community can make. That move was the launch of The Pantheon an #innovation studio, #business incubator, #co-working, #entrepreneur ecosystem right in the heart of the oldest main street in the state of Indiana. The commitment our community made at that time was to drive innovation, foster entrepreneurship, and create opportunities for generations to come by investing in thought leadership, ideation, and ground up economic development. AgroRenew is the first of many agricultural innovations that are set to spawn from that collaboration. Get ready!!! Congratulations to Brain and Katie Southern and the entire AgroRenew team for your investment into our community and believing this is the place to make it happen!! Also congratulations to Nichole Like at the The Pantheon , Christopher Pfaff with Knox County Indiana Economic Development, and Mitch Frazier with AgriNovus Indiana for your support of this project, we are lucky to have leaders like you all invested in our future. Big day June 19th!!

To all my digital marketing friends in Ag, take a look at this innovative way to tell the story. Great work Make Hay !!

What’s a “perfect day” ? This has been a question that I’ve often pondered. I’m sure everyone’s a little bit different, but here is the way I would describe mine. Simple. Early morning wake up to no alarm, grab a cup of coffee, listen to some music as I go for a 30min run. Help my family get ready for their day and listen to their stories as I take them to school. At work, I would get a chance to be creative, think from a big vision perspective, and have the opportunity to connect and brainstorm with someone as equally passionate about the subject we are tackling. After that I would set up a few action items and timelines on said wild project. I’m not much for water cooler talk and I usually skip lunch. But I do enjoy white boarding ideas and all day coffee. After work, it’s supper time with the family, my wife and I would tag team making dinner. We would go for a walk or hike and chat about the day. Early to bed for our house, and then do it all over again. 😊

What are your pro tips to thriving or surviving networking? Networking- awkward social interactions embedded into the culture of business. It’s either an energy gain for you or an energy suck that you reluctantly agree to participate in. A suprise to most folks that know me, but I typically find every excuse known to man to try and avoid networking sessions, but truth be told I always find value in many of the conversations after these experiences. (Shout out to my wife who ALWAYS urges me go) So here a few survival tips from the guy who doesn’t like it. 1. Be genuine in your interactions with others- ask a lot of questions, and ask questions about the answers you receive. Do not “One Up” the other person, or be a “Me Too” person. 🤝🏼 2. Stay off your phone- it’s easy to fall back to your comfort and fill bourdum with your device, but it’s just rude and you’re not that important. Do Not Disturb folks 📲 3. Drink fake cocktails- most networking is paired with booze. Make an agreement with the bartender early (after a nice tip) you want a drink with no liquor. My go to- Tonic + Lime😉. After too many, networking can get a bit far fetched and honestly annoying 🤦🏼♂️ (we’ve all met the know it all)

What are your top 3 #leadership priorities? Here are mine. 1. Gain Buy-In. Build the BHAG (Big Goal) as a team. 2. Build Confidence. Recognize others in front of their peers. 3. Accountability. Agree on the action items and go execute.

Bravo to the entire AgriNovus Indiana team for an outstanding Quadrant event this afternoon. Indiana is certainly a special place for agriculture to thrive!

This picture of my Dad standing in a soybean field with one of his farmer customers was taken in 1989. My Dad served his farmer customers for 40 years before he retired in 2019. He taught me hard work, relationships matter, farmers matter to the community, and a farmer owned ag co-op is a great place to have a career. In 2007 I went to work for Ceres Solutions, a farmer owned Cooperative working with farmers every day to help them be successful. I have been blessed to have a career in the Cooperative system for over 17 years. Today we merge that Co-op Dad worked at for 40 years with the one I started my career at 17 years ago! The future of the farmer owned is here and we will set the pace for a vibrant and relavant farmer owned system for the next 100 years. Keystone Cooperative is here! I’ve been honored and humbled to be a part of this merger process and excited to serve in my new leadership role. However, the thing I’m most proud of is that COOPERATIVE is back in our brand name! We should all be proud to work with our members, support our customers, and help our rural communities thrive. Keystone Cooperative is Centered on You!

The future of the farmer owned cooperative is here!