Agility is a Choice with Erik Lightner of Platinum Crush
Agility is a Choice with Erik Lightner of Platinum Crush
Leading an agribusiness – whether start-up, scale up, turnaround, or successful incumbent – is an endless exercise in making choices.
- How do we differentiate ourselves and our product in an otherwise commoditized market?
- How do we allocate capital to create the capabilities we want but with the financial returns we need?
- How do we ensure that we don’t build the business faster than our capacity to make and create value?
- How do we find, hire, and retain the right people to create and propel our culture and values?
And through it all – how do we remain nimble and agile and not fall victim to cumbersome bureaucracy?
Ep131 Agility is a Choice with Erik Lightner of Platinum Crush
Last week Erik Lightner, CEO at Platinum Crush based in Alta, IA, joined me on The Pacesetter Pod to share a story of standing up a new soy processing business in the middle of a trade area with robust production and dense competition. Bringing a new agribusiness like Platinum Crush online creates optionality for producers and leverages Northwest Iowa’s natural production advantages, but it is not without challenges. Among them, building trust with the community, establishing healthy competitive relationships with other commercials and coops in the region, smart capital allocation, and always pacing the development of the business to the speed at which the asset is getting built.
Even in an emerging, single-location business, agility is not a given. Nor does size or scale make bureaucracy an inevitability. It is always a matter of the choices you make.
Don’t miss my conversation with Erik available now on Apple Podcasts!
Episode highlights include:
- Spotlight on Platinum Crush. [05:06]
- Erik Lightner’s reverse-trajectory career journey. [11:36]
- Pacing business building and asset readiness. [15:48]
- Four strategic capital allocation categories. [22:50]
- “Must-haves” vs. “wants” in a $400M startup. [27:33]
- How regional crushers can compete with industry giants. [31:36]
- Why agility is a daily choice to prevent bureaucracy. [36:44]
- Gaining trust and market share amid local competition. [44:00]
- Takeaways for leaders on the preeminent value of people. [50:20]
This and all past episode ofThe Pacesetter Podareavailable now wherever you get your podcasts!
