Work experience

 

Background:

 

Profitable Growth Services, LLC is an agronomy product and training consulting firm. Cliff Love, the owner of Profitable Growth Services, LLC, is business professional with 30 years of experience in the agriculture industry. Mr. Love is responsible for Market Analysis, Product Development, Business Development, and Strategic Planning. Mr. Love has been an Expert Contributor for BeckAg in Handling Sales Objections for agronomy sales professionals. Mr. Love recently worked for The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company as a retail merchandiser along with performing project work for Direct Contact International, Inc. From 2009 through 2013, Mr. Love was the General Manager for Carolina Eastern-Vail, Inc., a provider of a full range of agronomy services. While there he guided the company's expansion of services and products while developing and launching a successful Precision Ag department. The business grew in excess of 100% through successful product launches and service innovations while Mr. Love was General Manager of the newly remodeled facility. Prior to working with Carolina Eastern-Vail, Mr. Love spent 13 years as a Branch Manager for Crop Production Services, the retail division of Agrium (1995-2008), as well as 9 years as a Store Manager for Agway (1986- 1995). In all, Mr. Love's career has involved markets in five states covering urban to farm settings, and the production of over 30 crops including vegetables, ornamentals, row-crops, and fruit in organic and non-organic operations.

 

Mr. Love has been a volunteer trainer for the Nepris organization having the opportunity to teach garden and farming topics as well as serving on Nutrient Stewardship Committee of the American Society of Agronomy to help create testing competencies for the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program for the Lake Erie watershed. Currently, he serves on the Community Outreach Committee of the American Society of Agronomy working to promote public awareness of agriculture and agronomy principles.

 

 

 

My business experience includes, but is not limited to:

 

Crop Production Services, Allentown, NJ

This facility was a small facility with total sales just under $1 million at my arrival.  Lord willing, we built the facility to yearly revenues in excess of $4 million.  During my time there the following were introduced:

 

• created an application business from nothing that wound up contributing over $1 million in total revenues within four years of its creation.

• We introduced the CPS brand of seeds and wound up reaching seed revenues in excess of $1 million within three years.

• I have had success developing what I would call a “Total Nitrogen Plan” for growers over the years. Here are some examples.

 

Crop Production Services, Worton, MD

I worked for several years in this very progressive and very environmentally sensitive watershed of the Chesapeake Bay.  I accomplished the following items to help restore this closed facility to profitability:

 

• The reintroduction of anhydrous ammonia into a market that was dominated by UAN and urea.

• I put together a marketing plan to reintroduce the one nitrogen product that my competition did not have. We went from zero tons to 600 tons in three years.

• Introduced ESN into this same market.

• I created and conducted a marketing campaign consisting of direct mail pieces as well as in field trials. Each year the updated “storybook” was presented to local growers at meetings. I also employed the use of University of Delaware staff who had done field trial work to provide meeting updates.  By the time I left we were selling over 400-500 tons a year.

 

 

Carolina Eastern-Vail, Auburn, NY

It was during my time in Auburn, NY that the Precision Ag Market began to see major developments within the industry. Acting on these new developments,  I created a GIS Department utilizing a combination of in-house staff and third-party services.

 

• Within the first three months, we had enough business booked for the next season that it was forecasted to be profitable. I worked with cutting edge organizations that worked with Trimble, Raven, and others while directly working with AgJunction to use their full suite of products.

• I have also worked as a conduit for different suppliers to network with each other. I have introduced Adapt-N to AgJunction as well as worked with Agrinetix to provide them insight into various retail organizations from New York to the Delmarva.

 

Another significant project completed while I was at Auburn, NY was a two-year field study on the benefits of the foliar application of Headline fungicide at the R1 thru the R3 stage of development.  The significance of this trial was that we had 15 field sites that were Brown Midrib Silage varieties.  These are highly digestible, naturally bred hybrids that have lower levels of lignin and, consequently, can have standability issues.  Diseases can be particularly hard on these varieties.  We compiled a two-year study using a high clearance ground sprayer for the application work.  

 

While there I worked with key providers of various nitrogen sources to create a  “Total Nitrogen Plan” specific to each crop and the stage of growth at the time of application.  

 

• I introduced Yara Mila fertilizer into the Auburn, NY market. Mila is a premium-priced product with excellent crop response when properly used.

• I employed the support of our well versed Yara representative as well as the Yara graphics department to create a mail campaign as well product training for staff and customers. We inserted this product into my overall “Total Nitrogen Plan” for the Auburn, NY facility with smashing success.  We sold almost 700 tons the first season.

• By using Yara Mila, ESN, ammonium sulfate, and Super U we had something no one else in all of Central NY had. Our ESN sales were 400 tons the first season and increasing going into the second year.

 

With the help of Lido Chem, I spearheaded the creation the Edge and Finisher product lineup. Sales grew to over six trailer loads of specialty fertilizers annually in three years. I also introduced the lineup to other dealers in New York and they have been having success with brand differentiation and product performance.

 

While at Auburn, NY I also worked in the wholesale fertilizer business and was a supplier of Super U, Kmag, and other fertilizer ingredients. We promoted the ability of the facility to service other local retailers in the area and grew the business from approximately 1500 tons to in excess of 3500 tons in the first three years.  I was responsible for all rail and truck logistics, including interacting with rail providers and developing rail schedules for each season to keep our facility in product. We had one short line provider who had connections with the Norfolk Southern and Conrail.