2/3/2023 - By Mike Hess

Matt Shook is a name well known around Harrell's, spoken with fondness and reverence. After just over 29 years of dedicated service in countless areas of our company, Matt has decided it's time he hangs up his Harrell's gear and settle down for retirement with his family. In celebration of Matt's career, I had the opportunity to speak with him and take a trip back to the beginning to see where he started, and the invaluable lessons he learned along the way.

Deep Roots in Agriculture

Matt's interest in the industry as a whole began when he was a young man working on his grandfather's farm. "My grandfather was a part-time farmer," Matt said, "and he introduced me to growing things and how to grow things well, so I guess I developed an interest based on that." Little did he know at the time that this introduction to agriculture would eventually pave the way for Matt beginning Harrell's agriculture division, but we'll get to that later.

Matt continued learning more about growing through grade school and ended up going to college to earn his degree in Agronomy, initially attending Florida State University and later transferring to the University of Florida. Following his graduation, he worked for several years in both the fields of agriculture as well as turf, before coming on at Harrell's in the fall of 1993. "I worked at Vigoro at the time with Bill Rayside and Butch Singo, which was probably the dominant specialty company in the market then."

All three of the men would come over to Harrell's within one year of each other, first was Bill Rayside (1992), then Butch and Matt came over at the same time in 1993. "Harrell's at that point was just a small, west coast of Florida company with only 2 or 3 salesmen," Matt said, "so when we came on, we almost doubled their sales force."

Years of Consistency in Strong Company Culture

It takes a lot for one person, let alone a group of people all coming from the same former employer to stay at a new one for ~3 decades, and Matt agrees that it does. But Harrell's has consistently stepped up to the plate and brought value to the job and working environment for him all these years later. "I think the biggest thing is the core values that the company represents. Jack's commitment to keeping the company focused on them is truly respectable, and you don't have to be a Christian to work here. But if you abide by and respect those values and what the company represents, that's what makes the company different. Of course, nobody is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes, but the important thing is that the intent is always to do the right thing based on those core values."

But with every set of strong values, comes people who need to uphold them, and if there is one thing that Matt has said Harrell's is in no short supply of, it's the best people. Over the years he has seen Harrell's grow in many ways but that "family feel" of the company has always stayed consistent, and that makes a big difference. "People come here and they feel welcome, they feel accepted and taken care of," Matt said.

One of the most special and important things to Matt is how Harrell's is run. It's not all based on numbers, and they don't just look at people as cogs in the machine, you're an individual and are treated with respect. There will always be problems and things to work on with people along the way, but it's all based on principles Matt thinks that everyone can respect.

The Many Roles of Matt Shook

Matt has held too many roles to count at Harrell's. Throughout our conversation, he even joked that at one point he was just given a business card with no specific role on it so they wouldn't have to keep printing new ones. But the role he was in the longest was as a sales rep for roughly 7 years. "I've done chemical productions management, national accounts, Florida sales manager, marketing, just about everything."

Matt was also the one who started both our turf and landscape division and the specialty ag division, which he most recently turned over to Rick Helpingstine (Harrell's VP Sales, Marketing International). "I was constantly asking "Jack, what do you want me to do now?" I don't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but I never stayed in one place for too long," Matt said, "It was always like he (Jack Jr.) couldn't figure out how to use me the best." This type of Jack of all trades-esque role is very useful in Matt's position, other than having all the phone calls that nobody knows what to do with being sent his way.

Some Lessons, Some Advice

Matt's experience with Harrell's offers a unique perspective to every employee, past and present. While he spent a large chunk of his career in the field, he has also spent time in the office working in Marketing among other roles. Even with the experience of multiple facets of our company under his belt, Matt recognizes that there are a lot of things that he doesn't know, and how important it is to understand both sides of the story when going into a conversation.

Understanding is Everything

"Before you form or voice an opinion on something make sure you get both sides of the story, so you don't make any assumptions going in. Assumptions can even be false realities like assigning motive or intent to one person, which you may come to find out is totally innocent. Taking the time to understand everyone's perspective and motive is advice that I believe would be well-handled by everyone, no matter what side of something you're on."

Some of the hardest advice to apply, but you quickly learn is very important, is to know when not to do something. After you hear both sides and take in all of the facts that you need in a situation, you might find that inaction is the best course of action, Matt can attest to this after many years of working with people and helping to settle disputes, "Sometimes we're trying to decide to do something because we feel like we have to be actionable, but sometimes not doing something is the best course of action."

Many Years = Many Learning Experiences

Going from being a sales rep in the field to working in an office was a really eye-opening experience for Matt, he said, "it really opened my eyes to what a dynamic company this is and how much I did not know." He went on to say, "You think you know a lot until you really start investigating things and all of a sudden you realize wow, I don't really know much at all. I've always told Jack that it's a wise man who knows what he doesn't know." Which in and of itself is a quote anyone and everyone should take note of.

Retirement and Beyond – Matt Outside of the Office

While Matt is a very industrious guy who thoroughly enjoys woodworking, refinishing furniture, and putting things together, the main thing he is looking forward to in his retirement is seeing friends and family. "We have three and one on the way grandkids up in Tennessee, and then we have a lot of family scattered throughout central and north Florida. I'm looking forward to spending time with all of them."

Matt and his wife, Jenny, also enjoy RVing to places and being able to take their time in getting there. Matt mentioned how he enjoys taking the backroads whenever he can because, "The journey is just as important as the destination," and after so many years of being on the interstate as a sales rep and otherwise, taking the scenic route in your camper sounds like an excellent detour.

We're exponentially grateful, Matt, for all of your years of service, everything you've done for and at Harrell's, and the lifelong relationships/friendships you've built along the way. Thank you for all you do and we're wishing you a wonderful retirement.