Aligned Ag Distributors (AAD) owners and leaders of independent ag retail companies from coast to coast stepped into leadership positions at the recent 2021 Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) Conference & Expo in San Antonio, Texas.

Ian McGregor, president of Colfax, Washington-based The McGregor Company moved from the vice chair position to chairman of the ARA executive committee during the event’s closing session in December. He’ll serve in the organization’s top leadership for two years, a time during which he hopes to strengthen ARA’s work on behalf of ag retailers around the country.

“ARA’s mission is a critical one for our industry as the only voice on Capitol Hill dedicated solely to advocating for retailers,” McGregor said in an ARA report. “I look forward to engaging with the great ARA staff and members of the association to do my part to contribute to the important work and mission of the ARA.”

Photo by Agricultural Retailers Association

The McGregor Company is nearing its 140th year of service for farmers in the Palouse region and Pacific Northwest region, an area where McGregor said he and other ag retailers face mounting challenges in things like securing adequate crop protection product supplies. He said ensuring the industry is on solid footing on as level a playing field possible for all industry members will be a priority during his tenure as ARA chairman. Doing so will enable ag retailers to focus on what they do best, take care of their farmer customers.

“We all want to be able to focus on how we solve unique, novel agronomic problems for our customers, regardless of our regions,” said McGregor, also an AAD owner. “It’s imperative for us to be hyper-local in our solutions and focus on the needs of our customers.”

McGregor is joined in ARA leadership in 2022 and beyond by three fellow AAD owners; Worton, Maryland-based Michael Twining, Willard Agri-Service vice president of sales and marketing, Grow West President and CEO Ernie Roncoroni and Buttonwillow Warehouse Company President and CEO Clay Houchin will serve as regional ARA board members in 2022. For Roncoroni, ARA leadership is part of the heritage of service that’s been fundamental to his company since its start almost 70 years ago.

“This is a rewarding business, and our customers are just genuine people. We’re part of a bigger community and we’re only successful if our customers are successful,” said the Woodland, CA-based Roncoroni. “We’re part of feeding people all over the world, and that’s a pretty noble cause. And philanthropy and being active in our industry and community is just a normal part of our work and who we are.”

See more from the 2021 ARA conference and find out why AAD owners are the leaders of the independent ag retail industry.