WCN February 2020 Web

Continued from Page 20
After graduation, Merritt nixed med
school and instead worked at a hospital
for a year as a lab scientist, but found
himself very unhappy. “I couldn’t handle
showing up to the hospital at six a.m.
when it was dark, sitting in a basement
all day running lab tests, and then coming
out at six p.m. when it was dark, and
never seeing the sun.”
It was then that Merritt returned to
his roots in agriculture and found himself
working as an agriculture inspector
for the Tulare County Agricultural
Commissioner’s Office, checking stone
fruit and helping to write policies on
different export programs.
After his time with the Ag commissioner,
Merritt became a part of a new
biological company that was trying to
get a foothold in California at the time.
While at this company, Merritt did very
well in sales, moved up the corporate
ladder, became the vice president of
sales, and managed a team of fifteen
sales managers from the Rocky Mountains
west. But, in his climb to the top,
Merritt was finally able to see how much
it cost to manufacture the product he
was selling, where it was being manufactured,
and what the company was
charging growers.
“I was appalled,” says Merritt. “Several
of the products had over a one thousand
percent markup on them. That led
me to want to do my own, knowing I
could provide at least as good of a product—
if not a better one— for a significantly
lower price to growers.”
Merritt brought his business concerns—
and objections— to the decision
makers at the company. “I was told
to shut up and do my job,” he says.
It was his repeated disappointment
with what went on behind the curtains
at large fertilizer houses that Merritt
had to make his final decision about
where he stood in the corporate side of
agriculture.
Ultimately, Merritt walked away. A
(Untreated) - Merritt creates a frame of reference for
bud development in treated versus untreated trees in
an almond trial block.
Since 1969
PBM Supply & MFG., INC.
Quality Agricultural Spray Equipment, Parts and Supplies
www.pbmsprayers.com www.pbmtanksupply.com
-Sprayers- -Tanks- -Liquid Delivery Trailers- -Parts & Accessories-
Chico - 530-345-1334
324 Meyers St. Chico, CA 95928
Yuba City - 530-671-0068
955 N. George Washington Blvd. Yuba City, CA 95993
Fowler - 559-834-6921
3732 S. Golden State Blvd. Fowler, CA 93625
Murrieta - 951-696-5477
41648 Eastman Dr. Murrieta, CA 92562
- New Store Location!
HAV Self Propelled Sprayers
Walking Beam Sprayers
Mixing Trailers
Injection Pumps
Parts, Tanks & Accessories
(Treated) - Merritt creates a frame of reference for bud
development in treated versus untreated trees in an
almond trial block.
22
West Coast Nut February 2020