Equity CEO Says Company is Growing

There has been much change and much growth in The Equity since Bruce Vernon became CEO in 2015. Vernon shared about the growth as the guest speaker at the November First Friday Luncheon sponsored by the Effingham County Chamber of Commerce.

(BRUCE VERNON)

Vernon termed The Equity "one of the best-kept secrets in Effingham", saying most people are not aware of the reach of the company. He said The Equity is among the top 20 to 25 firms of its kind in the nation in most every category. He said it's tough to maintain its spot in the hierarchy as there is a lot of consolidation in the industry helping the remaining firms grow.

Vernon acknowledged the drop in grain prices, but said production is up, so said "we'll be handing out some checks this year" to members of the co-op.

A rebranding process began for the company when Vernon arrived in 2015. He said the company is pretty far-flung to still call it "Effingham Equity", but when people were asked where they purchased this or that, they answered "at the Equity". Hence, the name change.

Vernon also discussed the training now being given their location managers so they understood various aspects of the business; mentioned that "we're not necessarily wanting to get bigger, but farmers (operations) are getting bigger" so they have to respond.

Vernon said The Equity is focused on their environmental health and safety training, and mentioned that one of the company's fastest-growing segments is input financing. He also mentioned that The Equity goes through 15 million gallons of fuel each year, not including what their company fleet consumes.