By LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent

ATLANTA, Ind. — After experiencing growth in the double digits for several years Indiana-based Beck’s Hybrids announced last week that it plans a $24.5 million expansion during the next five years.

The investment will add capacity to the company’s research, processing, production, storage and shipping facilities at the headquarters in Atlanta, Ind., and will add approximately 70 jobs in all areas of the business. The company already started interviewing prospective employees and expects to hire 15-20 people before the end of the year.

“It’s exciting,” said Scott Beck, vice president of the company. “This sends a signal to our customers and employees that we’re not here for the short run – we’re here for the long term.”

Though the company has been expanding consistently, most recently through acquisitions of warehouses in Illinois and a processing facility in Kokomo, Ind., the expansion announced last week will be on a considerably larger scale.

The investment will allow Beck’s to expand its laboratories and move its research staff to a centralized location across the road from the main office and shipping department, as well as boost capacity in other departments.

“We’ve typically had an expansion project or two every year, but we’ve probably expanded more in terms of hiring. And 10 years ago we weren’t hiring as many people each year as we are now,” Beck explained.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) offered the company up to $650,000 in performance-based tax credits based on its plan to create new jobs in Indiana, and Hamilton County offered additional property tax abatement. Beck said those incentives played a crucial role in the decision to expand the Atlanta facility.

“The assistance by the IEDC created this opportunity for further expansion in our home state,” Beck said. “Having the support of the IEDC allowed us to lay out this five-year plan. It put on paper some of the plans we already had.”

Beck’s Hybrids, a fourth-generation family-run business, sells seed corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa and forages to farmers in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky. Beck said the company has seen increased demand for its product and grown sales by 20-30 percent per year the past several years.

Becknology Days
According to Ryan Parkin, Beck’s marketing communications manager, the company has also seen record crowds and sales at its annual field shows and Becknology Days this summer.

“Between our four field shows, we had over 10 000 people,” he said.

Parkin expects Beck’s growth to continue next year, partly due to its popular bonus program, in which customers can receive prizes ranging from LCD televisions to John Deere mowers with qualifying purchases of Beck’s seed. He also thinks sales will be helped “significantly” by the company’s decision to bump up its pest and disease control offerings. Starting this year, Poncho 1250 and the nematode control agent Votivo will become standard with Beck’s seeds.

“We’re the only seed company - that I’m aware of - that’s offering Poncho 1250 with all our hybrids as a standard part of the package at no additional charge,” Parkin said. “And Votivo is a really neat product. It’s really a biological product, because it uses bacteria to create a living barrier that protects the roots against nematodes.”

Next, Beck’s is heading to the Farm Science Review in Ohio to promote its new products and bonus program. The company has had a presence at the show for years but will for the first time set up its exhibit in a newly finished, permanent building.

“We feel like this building signifies our dedication to long-term growth in Ohio,” Parkin said.