a national information resource for value-added agriculture
Agricultural Marketing Resource Center

Selecting and Rewarding Management

The manager of your value-added business will have a profound effect on its success.  Selecting Top Management and Key Personnel Positions in a Business lists out the positions that will have such an impact on the ultimate success of the business. So, selecting a manager is one of the most important steps in starting a value-added business.  A common mistake is not hiring a person with the proper qualifications and skills.  Value-added groups try to short-cut the process by hiring someone local or someone they know.  This may be feasible for small value-added businesses, but for large processing facilities it is important to find someone with strong qualifications and industry experience.  To do this you may need to pay this person more than you expected.  However, it is often a good investment.  Another approach is to provide incentives or bonuses based on the performance of the business.

For more information on this topic, see the links listed below of articles posted on related Web sites.

Importance of a Manager

  • Pulling the Talent Lever – HBS Working Knowledge -- The crucial force that will make or break firms in the next two decades will be their ability to attract, develop, and retain managers at all levels.
  • What a Cooperative Manager Does – USDA Agricultural Cooperative Services -- Doing business with the owners makes managing different.

Selecting a Manager

Rewarding a Manager

 
 

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