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New Aggie-Lance website matches companies with subcontractors

By DEBORAH BEHRENDS
Illinois Correspondent

CARROLL, Iowa — A new and unique web-based company has strolled into the marketplace - a job-posting site that focuses solely on projects and short-term work and solely on the ag industry.
Utilizing the horsepower of the Internet, Aggie-Lance LLC plans to have a major impact on the way project work is accomplished throughout the agriculture industry. Aggie-Lance aims to be the central hub for freelance professionals, small business and agribusinesses.

Creator and director, Mark Jewell of Carroll, Iowa, said, “Aggie-Lance provides an opportunity for agribusinesses of all kinds to farm out the projects they don’t want, don’t have time for, or simply don’t possess the expertise to accomplish.”

This service enables a growing database of freelance professionals, and small businesses around the world to bid on the projects posted by agribusinesses.

Here is how it works: Agribusinesses or individuals create profiles and post their projects on Aggie-Lance at no charge. They specify a budget, a detailed work plan, and how long they would like their projects to be bid on.

Next, people or businesses with the proper expertise also log on and create profiles. These people then bid (provide proposals) on the projects which they possess the expertise to handle. Upon acceptance of a bid, they begin working.

At the time the project is complete, the work is delivered, and the person completing the work gets paid.

Jewell believes this is a revolutionary way to get work done in the agriculture industry. A quick scan of the web will find a variety of sites that resemble this one in other industries - especially computer programming. However, Aggie-Lance is the only service that specifically markets to agribusinesses.

“You will see small companies and individuals from all over the globe, log in to bid on projects. It won’t take long for agribusinesses to realize the potential of getting superb quality work done,” Jewell said. “Now the work can be done from just about anywhere.”

See a need …

Jewell said his philosophy is “see a need, fill a need.” And he believes Aggie-Lance does that.

“With the advent of social media, the ability to connect with vast numbers of people is something we all to pay attention to. Young people understand this and many more experienced professionals are beginning to,” Jewell added.

“Aggie-Lance will play a vital role in connecting the generation gap by helping younger workers gain experience and connections they might not have had. On the flip side, those with many years experience will be able to compete for work in a similar marketplace and collaborate with younger generations.

“This satisfies one of my other passions, which is connecting people with those that can help them out.”

A long-time supporter and leadership trainer with the National FFA, Jewell also holds a degree in agricultural education from the University of Minnesota.

He said the response to his new venture has been overwhelmingly positive.

“The only thing we need to work on is helping people make a habit of using the tools on www.aggielance.com,” he said.

“The freelance community is absolutely thrilled at the opportunity to tap into a new industry, and there is so much talent available just waiting to be accessed.”

So far, he said businesses getting on board include local USDA branches, seed companies, ag publications and web design companies and range in size from small, local businesses to huge, international concerns.

For more information, visit www.aggielance.com or contact Jewell directly at 1-800-906-6924, ext. 101, or e-mail mark@aggielance.com

6/25/2008