Leaders in Ag: R.G. Lamar, Pecan Farmer and CEO
A third-generation pecan farmer, R.G. Lamar also serves as the CEO of Stuckey’s Corporation and chairman of the Georgia Pecan Commission. He’s working with Stephanie Stuckey to rebuild the company from a roadside stop to a premier pecan snack and candy business. His experience in pecan production and private label sales has helped him scale Stuckey’s output, processes, people and distribution.
Define your leadership style?
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I’m definitely not the command and control type. I enjoy creating a context where people feel comfortable offering their contributions. I really try to synthesize other people’s talents and ideas.”
What’s the best advice you ever received?
“The best advice I ever received was from my dad. He told me while scouting the pecan crop when I was a teenager: “Son, if you look up there and don’t see them — they just aren’t there.”
Do you have any advice for others looking to take over a family business?
“Read a finance book. If you’ve grown up in a family business, like mine at least, you don’t worry a lot about finance. You probably have some debt and you know you need to make your payments. I didn’t know much about modeling time value of money, investors or that whole world. If you want to take your business to the next level, you’re going to need money you don’t have sitting around. If you understand finance, it opens up so many opportunities.”
What’s the most challenging thing about running a legacy brand?
“The biggest challenge is being pigeonholed. Everyone expects us to recreate the past, but the future doesn’t look like what we were. We were brick and mortar stores across the country, including more than 360 at the height. The most difficult thing is being what you are going forward without losing what you were in the past.”
Name two of your favorite business tools.
“I’m probably a latecomer to basic team-type software such as Slack. That has been such a great tool for us. We’re learning how to get off of email and onto some of those platforms. Another tool we use on the farm is GPS tracking software for our fleet. Our farm is spread out; we’re in six counties and we have over 50 orchards. I like being able to pull out my phone and see, ‘Okay, this guy is working here, and I need a part picked up at a store in that town.’”
Would you rather watch a movie, read a book or check your email?
“I prefer to read a book. Right now, it’s the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season and everybody’s getting together and having big feasts. Robert Farrar Capon wrote ‘The Supper of the Lamb.’ It’s a cookbook, but it’s more than that. I recommend it.”
