Teamwork is a key theme for Nelson McCord, senior manager of retail operations at Simplot Grower Solutions.
In his role, he travels to SGS locations as he helps manage fleet/DOT, logistics, third party distribution, and the Business Solutions Group.
“We are looking to provide a consistent centralized approach with our operating strategy,” McCord says. “And in that working with the teams implementing and executing that on a local level.”
He shares insights into the challenges his team faces as well as an update on the integration of Pinnacle into the SGS business since its acquisition in The Scoop Podcast.
One piece of advice he offers is for everyone in ag retail to understand and respect all the pieces of the puzzle to help the business best serve the customer.
“It helps for everybody to understand all of the pressures, all of the assets, all of the things that each one of us are tasked with on a daily basis. you get to see the business for what it is–not what your vision of it,” he says.
McCord says a big challenge in the operations of the business right now is the availability of CDL drivers.
“CDLs are the lifeblood of us making deliveries to our customer base. Our HR team is doing awesome work to make sure we are retaining drivers and recruiting drivers. And from an operations standpoint, we’ve been thinking outside of the box, using a multipronged approach. If you ask anybody at any retail location, they can always use more drivers,” McCord says.
He explains asset utilization is one of the four pillars of their business. So there’s a prime focus on how to best drive value through the equipment they have.
With farmer consolidation, technology adoption and evolution in their business, McCord says those factors are driving transformation in the ag retail business.
“We have to transform with the customer base,” McCord says. “If you want to look at a good business-minded person, look at a farmer. They may typically outpace the people that service them.”
He details how larger scale farmers will have different demands from ag retail operations and farmer technology adoption has to drive retailers to become more tech-savvy themselves.
“We are looking at our facilities, and what kind of investments we need to make,” McCord says. “And farmers have a strong understanding of the technology that will drive value for their farm. Sifting through the technology piece is a big piece.”
Hear more from McCord in the full interview on The Scoop podcast.
