Helping Our Owners Succeed ADDIE SPOLYAR, agronomy sales representative, CHS, Hamilton, Mich. Corn & Soybean Digest and The Good Fruit Grower top Addie Spolyar’s reading list these days. That’s just one way she keeps pace with the latest agronomic data and trends as an agronomy sales representative for CHS. With a list of crops that includes cherries, apples, hops, vegetables and row crops, she has a lot to keep track of. Being an agronomic resource for western Michigan producers wasn’t in Spolyar’s plan when she fi rst stepped onto the Michigan State University campus. She was familiar with agriculture through FFA and 4-H, but was focused on another career until she began exploring crop and soil sciences and realized agriculture off ered many opportunities. “I appreciate how CHS is committed to helping our owners suceed,” she says. Without an ag background, Spolyar looks at the industry with fresh eyes. “I don’t hide the fact that I’m still a novice, but I think that being new in the industry also means I ask questions diff erently. I look at everything with a fresh perspective and I’m not afraid to make suggestions to ensure we’re getting the most effi ciency out of every acre.” Collaborating with Customers BRANDON LYTLE, credit and lending manager, CHS Capital As a farm kid growing up in western Kansas, Brandon Lytle dreamt of going into fi nance and landing a fast-paced, high-profi le career on Wall Street. But after a couple of years of college, he realized he missed being part of the ag industry. His dad encouraged him to check out CHS. “I grew up with the co-op, but I was really surprised by CHS. There was — and continues to be — a lot of opportunity with CHS,” says Lytle. He joined the company as a trainee about fi ve years ago. Today, he works at the Inver Grove Heights, Minn., offi ces, maintaining daily contact with farmers and ranchers in Kansas, Colorado, Minnesota, North Dakota and Texas, providing solutions to make their operations stronger. He collaborates with them to identify their fi nancial needs, determining how to address those needs and helping them 14 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 expand their operations and increase profi tability. “I may be thousands of miles from my customers,” says Lytle, “but because we’re focused on building relationships based on common goals, I feel like I’m right there with them.” CHSINC.COM