Our Legacy
Perspectives from John Finegan Founder of Beck Ag
Why did you start Beck Ag?
When I learned about the unique peer-to-peer educational approach that my friend, Charlie Beck, had successfully deployed for medical professionals, I knew that a similar approach would resonate with the agriculture industry. After all, farmers enjoy engaging with peers they find to be credible sources of information. Knowing our industry was on the cusp of impactful innovations, I believed experience-sharing would be critical for driving adoption.
What are the core values of Beck Ag?
Our core values started on the below notebook page as a series of ideas I had for creating a long-lasting business. Our four core values are the same today as what was created in 1997:
Affording a healthy balance between personal, family, and career
Encouraging individual responsibility and opportunity
Helping our clients and their customer grow
Treating complacency as a disease – what we refer to as constantly “raising the bar”
It’s rewarding to know these core values have driven the business over the past 25 years, and I anticipate they’ll serve as our guide well into the future.
What are you most proud of over the last 25 years?
Since the very beginning, we’ve polled audiences we engage on whether they find time spent engaging with Beck Ag to be worthwhile. We’ve consistently generated a satisfaction rating above 90% because the topics add value to their operations and the audience trusts us. We’ve worked very hard to earn and maintain that trust and I remain most proud of that fact. While not easy, to do that over time has been critical for Beck Ag.
What has been the key to longevity in the industry?
The consistent pursuit of integrity and evolution of our business offerings to fit the needs of the rapidly evolving industry. Combine that with a passion for agriculture and our client's success.
What has made Beck Ag successful?
Our people.
Being a largely remote-based organization has leveled the playing field for talent resulting in our ability to attract and retain the best and brightest in the industry. Our clients often share that we know their market and customers as well if not better than their own teams and they greatly value our perspectives.
What do you hope the legacy of Beck Ag will be?
That the agricultural professionals we’ve engaged with over the years believe that we've helped them in some way at managing and growing their businesses and have become a vital partner in their successes.
John Finegan
Founder, Beck Ag
John founded Beck Ag to offer agricultural professionals a credible approach to engage with and learn from peers through advocacy, word-of-mouth, and experience-sharing. The company’s culture and values, underpinned by trust and integrity, are as relevant today as they were in 1997; as is Beck Ag’s entrepreneurial spirit and our passion for agriculture.
