00:00 Narrator: AG RX been a trusted leader within the agriculture community for over 25 years
00:04 AG RX sets itself apart from other companies im that we work hand-in-hand with our
00:08 growers working to achieve the highest quality product possible for the commodities, and
00:12 utilizing only the best products provided, at the right time, to achieve premium results
00:16 AG RX is truly a customer-focused business and has been since day one
00:20 this model was developed from AG RX’s deep family-oriented business roots which can
00:24 be traced all the way back to 1915, where it all started
00:28 The Joseph Powers Company
00:32 The Joseph Powers Company was established around 1915 by its’ namesake Joseph 00:36 Powers this company would mix and market its’ own chicken feed with the Chipoco
00:40 branding, helping it spread its name in the industry
00:44 The agricultural industry was much different than it is today.
00:48 Lima beans, sugar beets, and peppers were grown and almost everyone raised animals,
00:52 from chicken to livestock
00:56 in this sense the Joseph Powers Company filled the agricultural need of that day by
01:00 selling products, like feed, that farmers needed
01:04 in the early twenties Carlos Levy joined the company and began to take ownership
01:08 through stock purchases after the Company Incorporated in 1938
01:12 3 years later Joseph Powers passed away and consequently his widow sold the rest of
01:16 the company to Carlos Levy
01:20 Despite the passing of Joseph, Carlos kept the name in place, as it had
01:24 a good reputation behind it, and customers were accustomed to it
01:28 In the following years the agricultural landscape began to change, acreage
01:32 was more aggressively farmed and a wider variety of crops were starting
01:36 to be grown
01:40 likewise the Powers’ Company too evolved, in order to continue to
01:44 cater to farmer’s ever growing needs
01:48 part of that evolution included expanding into application with the
01:52 purchase of tractors for the application of fertilizer and hiring
01:56 additional employees
02:00 Around 1955 Jack Levy, Carlos’ son, also began working with the Joseph Powers Company
02:04 later becoming the majority owner after his father’s passing
02:08 and became a key player in the future merger
02:12 Carr Feed and Seed
02:16 Three generations of Burdullises and 50 years ago,
02:20 Jack Burdullis in 1952 decided to leave his job as a manager of a
02:24 lemon packing plant and go into partnership with Mike Carr,
02:28 owning and operating a feed and seed store on Saviers road in
02:32 Oxnard California
02:36 Mike Carr had bought Carr Feed & Seed from his aunt and uncle
02:40 Arlene and Sam Carr
02:44 The store at that time was more or less an agricultural general store,
02:48 selling anything and everything from bricks to hay
02:52 in the mid-50s Jack saw a need for Carr to store fertilizer in the area,
02:56 which allowed the business to grow
03:00 In 1970, in need of additional help and wanting to transition the business,
03:04 he hired his son Joe Burdullis
03:08 Jack sold his minority interest to Ed Frost and Joe Burdullis,
03:12 the business continued to change and grow
03:16 after Jack had a stroke and stepped out of management of Carr,
03:20 Joe and Ed Frost (then the majority owners) began changing the business,
03:24 moving into the 635 Rose Avenue location and investing into the application
03:28 market through acquisitions of other companies such as Paint and Farm Supply, 03:32 Press Seed, expanding its’ seed business
03:36 in 1990 due to the increasing regulations in the Ag business,
03:40 Joe brought on his brother Ken Burdullis, as he lovingly put it,
03:44 to keep him out of jail
03:48 At this time, Joe fully owned Carr and continue to look toward the future, 03:52 toward more growth and expansion
03:52 It was around this time that Jack and Joe began to talk about a merger
03:56 Pacific Pest
04:00 In 1961, a local lemon grower by the name of August Farrow was dissatisfied
04:04 with the service he was receiving from other pest control companies,
04:08 so he approached Bob Mehan (then the manager of Oxnard Pest) to consider
04:16 the opportunity of starting a new citrus pest control company
04:20 At its’ inception, Bob and his almost equal partner Sam McIntyre
04:24 established the business Followed by additional stockholders August
04:28 Farrow, Fred, Carl Samuelson, John Davies and Sam Perrycone,
04:32 Jess Dylan and Bill Bowery (who was the future president of AG RX)
04:36 Pacific Pest’s main focus was on citrus, a market where Joseph Powers
04:40 Company and Carr did not do a lot of business, which is a huge factor
04:44 which later facilitated the merger of the three different companies
04:48 As mentioned, prior to 1993, Joe Burdullis and Jack Levy discussed
04:52 merging their separate companies since about the late 80s
04:56 Despite their talks, Joe felt the merger was at a standstill, so he
05:00 decided to get everyone involved to meet with each other and to
05:04 evaluate the goals of each individual and each company
05:08 The first meeting (which occurred at the PierPont Inn)
05:12 involved California Ag Resources with Joe Burdullis. Jack Levy, Dick Brucker
05:16 and Randy Malone from Joseph Powers and Pacific Pest Control
05:20 (which was then being liquidated by its owner, at the time, Jeff Sparrow)
05:24 The structure of the merger was unique in that Carr and Joseph Powers
05:26 Company merged to form AG RX, and then AG RX would take over Pacific
05:30 Pest Control’s business by taking on some of their employees
05:34 and purchasing their assets
05:38 The three companies complemented each other in many different ways
05:42 Each specialized in a different area of the business
05:46 Carr had a large liquid fertilizer facility. Joseph Powers
05:52 had a larger, both dry fertilizer facility, and serviced vegetable
05:56 crops like celery, strawberries and nurseries
06:00 Joseph Powers serviced row crops. Pacific Pest Control,
06:04 unlike the other two companies, sold and applied fertilizers
06:08 to citrus crops
06:12 These differences facilitated the success of the merger,
06:16 with not a lot of overlap each company was able to bring something
06:20 to the table that made the main company stronger
06:24 The name of the new company came from the idea of agricultural prescriptions,
06:28 but as a name it is a bit complex
06:32 One evening, Tom Drexler was drawing an idea of the logo and
06:36 it just clicked between Jack and Joe.
06:40 Jack and Joe both agreed to what Tom had drawn.
06:44 He drew out the logo for AG RX as it stands today
06:48 So there, in 1993, AG RX was formed
06:52 When the companies merged they had a combined 79 employees,
06:56 including senior management
07:00 At the time of the merger, AG RX had three locations;
07:04 a liquid fertilizer facility in Somis, built a dry fertilizer
07:08 and equipment storage facility in Oxnard on Wooley Road, and the company’s offices on Rose Avenue
07:12 AG RX serviced approximately 1400 customers
07:16 The new company shareholders included Jack Levy
07:20 (who owned 44% of the business), Dick Brucker (at 16%),
07:24 Randy Moone (at 6%), Joe Burdullis (at 17%) and the balance
07:28 in an employee stock bonus plan for the employees of AG RX
07:32 From the start, AG RX has grown tremendously, opening locations in 1994 in Goleda and Fillmore
07:36 July of 1995 AG RX purchased an old GTE building at 751, South Rose Avenue
07:40 in Oxnard, which is the headquarters for AG RX today
07:44 AG RX continued to grow its core business and in the process it won awards,
07:48 like Oxnard’s WasteWatch award in 1996.
07:52 And, the National Environmental Respect award that was given
07:56 by Dealer Progress magazine, which the company takes extreme pride in
08:00 Then, in 2005, Ken Burdullis took over as president and CEO of AG RX
08:04 continuing the tradition that his family set before him, growing and
08:08 expanding the business, even further
08:12 Through Ken’s entrepreneurial leadership, and insight
08:16 He laid the groundwork for future of AG RX,
08:20 that would not only grow the business but expand AG RX’s footprint
08:24 for years to come
08:28 In 2007 again expanded by acquiring the NH3 Service Company of Santa Maria
08:32 This move allowed AG RX to expand its’ services from Ventura County
08:36 all the way up to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties
08:40 From then to current times, AG RX has continued to be an
08:44 agricultural powerhouse within the area it operates, providing
08:48 our customers top-notch, customer-first service
08:52 Which in turn has continued to see its stock and income grow
08:56 By 2009, all the former owners like Joe and Bill had sold back
09:00 their shares of stock within the company, allowing for the employees to hold a majority stake within the business
09:04 In 2015, the remaining majority holder of the stock (then-CEO Ken Burdullis)
09:08 sold his remaining shares, making AG RX 100% employee owned, something that the prior owners wanted to have happened
09:12 In 2019 with the direction of the current CEO Brian Lish, AG RX purchased equipment and staff from Simplot, in the city of Salinas.
09:16 Now expanding AG RX’s coastal footprint from Ventura County, all the way up to Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.
09:20 Since its start, AG RX has been a family owned and run corporation
09:24 AG RX continues the tradition that was set so long ago of commitment to family values, which is a direct reflection of the industry that we serve
09:28 As the regulatory environment changes, just as our growers needs do, AG RX continually adapts to provide world-class customer service, by treating our customers like our family
09:32 Incorporating new equipment and technologies that allow us to provide a service like no other company can provide
09:36 Our staff is considered to be of world-class quality.
09:40 Everyone from our extremely knowledgeable pest-control advisors, our CCAs, to our over the road delivery drivers, and to our applicators 09:18 who provide the crops the nutrients and protection that they need, directly
09:44 [Music]
09:52 With all that in mind, two things remain in our core, our customers and our employees
09:56 Without them, AG RX simply would not be what it is today, a trusted leader within the agricultural community,
10:00 providing world-class service along the coast of California and beyond
10:04 [Music]