Beyond the Boardroom: Urbana native and Illinois Foundation Seeds CEO Clinton Naugle

For on-the-job train, nothing beats an extended, late-summer stroll via a corn subject — just like the one CLINTON NAUGLE invited our Robin Scholz to for the accompanying picture.

That’s the place he spends a bit of his time as CEO of Illinois Basis Seeds, Inc., which describes itself because the business’s main unbiased firm for candy corn and subject crops analysis, product growth, licensing and manufacturing.

Naugle joined the Tolono-based firm a decade in the past after three years as a Cargill farm marketer, beginning as a candy corn account supervisor earlier than being bumped as much as president of the candy corn division, then firm CEO in December 2017.

An Urbana native and Urbana Excessive grad who earned his agriculture enterprise diploma from the UI’s School of ACES in 2005, Naugle now calls Savoy residence, together with spouse Ally, three-year-old daughter Luna, one-year-old daughter Ivy and Gus the goldendoodle.

The avid golfer and Illini soccer tailgater took trip to reply questions from Editor Jeff D’Alessio within the 145th installment of our weekly velocity learn spotlighting leaders of organizations massive and small.

I can’t reside with out … household, Italian beef sandwiches and my cellular phone.

My philosophy on conferences is … they are often helpful when you’ve got a powerful agenda. Be aware of others’ time, and in the event you’re not including worth to the attendees, name it off.

My single favourite second of all-time on this job … is at all times evolving. I proceed to see our firm accomplish issues that appeared to this point out of attain just a few years in the past.

The three adjectives I hope my employees would use to explain me are … truthful, sincere and approachable.

I wind down after work by … taking part in a pair rounds of hide-and-go-seek with my women, and the CBS Night Information as soon as the women are in mattress.

On my workplace partitions, you’ll discover … photos of my spouse and daughters, a show of golf balls from numerous programs I’ve performed, photos of corn and a set of IFSI hats from over time.

My skilled position fashions are … my dad and mom. They each labored extraordinarily laborious and received to the purpose the place they every co-owned a enterprise.

They saved what they earned — but additionally loved journey and experiences, whereas offering my sister and I an excellent childhood.

I’m frugal in that … we just about solely use lodge factors and airline miles once we go on household holidays.

If I might commerce locations for every week with every other enterprise particular person on the town, I wouldn’t thoughts switching with … Mr. (Shahid) Khan. I’m sure any week of the 12 months can be fascinating, however I’d in all probability attempt to goal every week within the fall through the NFL and English Premier League seasons.

I’m up and at ’em each day by … up by 6 a.m. At ’em is dependent upon how full my inbox is.

My train routine consists of … strolling corn fields throughout our subject days, and carrying toddlers after they’re drained.

Outdoors of that, I have to step up my recreation.

With regards to the worst job I ever had … I can’t say I’ve had a job I’d classify because the worst. Every job has some days that aren’t enjoyable, however you at all times be taught one thing from the method.

On a 1-to-10 scale, the impression of the pandemic has been a … 3. We’ve been lucky to climate the pandemic pretty properly.

Agriculture in no way was proof against the pandemic, however seed gross sales had been pretty constant — we even noticed extra curiosity in a few of our vegetable seeds as extra households put in residence gardens since vacationing wasn’t actually a factor.

The challenges with worldwide shipments was in all probability the best impression to our enterprise. We had some exports delayed six to eight months.