“You know you’re in a growth phase when you add six new employees in a month’s time, and Fontanelle is definitely growing,” Steve Pike, president, Fontanelle Hybrids, Fontanelle, Nebraska said. “This group of new team members adds depth and an expansion of knowledge for our Company.” The six team members include an additional Regional Sales Manager, three additional District Sales Managers, a Controller and a new position, Marketing Assistant.

“We’ve been looking at our sales coverage and realized that we needed some extra help in certain areas,” Pike said. “That’s why these new sales positions have been added to our existing staff.” Darrell Honn, Moline, Illinois, a 27 year veteran of the seed industry, has joined the team in the new position of Eastern Regional Sales Manager. “I was impressed with the genuine excitement Fontanelle’s management team has about the expected growth of Fontanelle,” Honn said. “I knew I wanted to be a part of this company. My initial goal for this region is to ensure we have the staff in place to accomplish our projected growth.”

One step in that direction is the addition of District Sales Manager Dave Rowley, Knoxville, Iowa. “I’ve got eight years of experience in agronomy and in the retail fertilizer/chemical business,” Rowley said. “I liked Fontanelle’s strength as a seed company and the relaxed manner of management so I knew this was the right place for me. Initially I’m going to be concentrating on talking to growers I’ve known to help them understand the benefits of working with Fontanelle.”

On the other side of Fontanelle’s geographic territory, two more District Sales Managers have joined the team. In a new territory for Fontanelle, Jason Skalsky, Broken Bow, Nebraska says he’ll be concentrating on making contacts in his new area. “I’m excited to be a part of a company that is growing due to the success of their products and to their dedication to having staff in place to make it happen,” Skalsky said. Before joining Fontanelle, Skalsky spent four years as a crop consultant.

Eric Wasenius, Funk, Nebraska is stepping in to take over District Sales Manager duties for the area previously served by South West Regional Sales Manager Ron Gardner. “It was time for Ron to be a full time RSM so we needed someone to serve as DSM for that area,” Pike said.

“With six years of experience in coop management, I was ready to concentrate on sales,” Wasenius said. “Fontanelle is a family oriented company that is focused on the personal and professional growth of their employees. That commitment coupled with a strong product line up and access to a great pipeline of new products is why I’m looking forward to working with existing and new customers.”

Another sign of growth is in the accounting area of Fontanelle. “Doug Liehs has served as controller of Fontanelle for many years,” Pike said. “He’s now going to be serving that role for all of the companies under the American Seeds Inc. umbrella that are included in the western division. He’ll be staying in the Fontanelle office, but we needed someone to assume the duties of controller for Fontanelle.”

Tammy J. Barker, Fremont, Nebraska joined the Company in October as controller. “Along with having my CPA license, I have almost 10 years of both public and private accounting experience,” Barker said. “Fontanelle is a strong, stable company, and I am excited to expand my accounting knowledge with this seed company, especially as we continue to grow. I’ll also be working with Steve Pike on the operational aspects.”

Another new position at Fontanelle has been filled by someone who’s not new to Fontanelle. “As Krystal Large worked for us this summer as a college intern, we knew fairly quickly we needed to add her to our team so we asked her to stay on as a fall marketing intern,” Pike said. “It worked out that I’ve been looking for someone to work with me as a marketing assistant. With Krystal’s training, she was the logical choice.” Large will be graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on December 16. She’ll join the staff in Fremont as a full time employee in January.

Fontanelle Hybrids markets corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, alfalfa and sunflowers in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Missouri and portions of Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota and Texas as an independent operating company within American Seeds Inc, a holding company of Monsanto.