Agricultural Economics
Purdue, Agricultural Retailers Association, ASU to host management workshop for ag retail leaders
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Agricultural retail managers, agronomists and sales professionals will convene at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona, from Jan. 28-30, 2025, for the Agricultural Retailers Association Management Academy.
The three-day program, hosted by Purdue University’s Center for Food and Agricultural Business in partnership with the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) and ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business, equips agricultural retail professionals with tools to address industry challenges such as technological advancements, labor shortages and rising input costs.
Participants will engage in sessions on core business functions, market trends and customer service strategies through presentations, case studies, interactive exercises and small-group discussions. The academy helps leaders create value, improve decision-making and differentiate their businesses in a competitive marketplace.
Allan Gray, executive director of the Center for Food and Agricultural Business, will lead sessions on market drivers and their implications for business strategy. Douglas Olsen, associate professor of marketing at ASU, will present on service blueprinting, a method for analyzing customer interactions to enhance satisfaction and loyalty.
Additional sessions will feature Joan Brett, associate professor emerita of management and entrepreneurship at ASU; Scott Downey, professor of agricultural economics at Purdue and director of the Center for Food and Agricultural Business; and Mark Manfredo, professor of agribusiness at ASU. Topics will include profitability, leadership strategies and value creation.
"The ARA Management Academy enables emerging leaders as well as experienced managers to be on the forefront of cutting-edge business thinking in an ever-changing sector,” said Manfredo.
The academy is open to professionals from all segments of the ag retail industry. Registration costs $2,695 for ARA members and $2,895 for nonmembers. For more information and to register, visit agribusiness.purdue.edu/ara.
About Agricultural Retailers Association
The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) is a nonprofit trade association representing the interests of retailers across the United States on legislative and regulatory issues on Capitol Hill. As the political voice of agricultural retailers, ARA not only represents its membership but also educates members on the political process and important issues affecting the industry. For more information on current legislative and regulatory issues impacting agricultural retailers, visit www.aradc.org.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University has become the foundational model for the New American University, a new paradigm for the public research university that transforms higher education. With a total enrollment of over 183,000 students and repeatedly ranked as the most innovative school in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, ASU is committed to excellence, access and impact in everything that it does. ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business, home to over 23,000 students, is the largest and one of the top-ranked business schools in the United States. The W.P. Carey School of Business is internationally regarded for its research productivity and distinguished faculty members. Learn more about ASU’s commitment to excellence at asu.edu/about/rankings and ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business at https://wpcarey.asu.edu/.
Writer: Erin Robinson, erobin@purdue.edu
Media contact: Devyn Ashlea Raver, draver@purdue.edu
Sources: Allan Gray, gray@purdue.edu
Agricultural Communications: Maureen Manier, mmanier@purdue.edu, 765-494-8415
