A Conversation With ... Forest W. Lipscomb Jr.

Company: International Division Inc.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in chemistry and business administration, Drury University

Well-traveled: Lipscomb, 87, has traveled more than 100,000 miles a year in each of the last two years.

Contact: (417) 862-2673

How did you get your start in international business?

We used to have Lipscomb Grain & Seed Co., located just off the Grant Avenue viaduct, and I grew up in that business. In 1948, after I came back from World War II, we had inquiries from the Caribbean for some items. Back in those days, we made corn meal at the mill and all kinds of animal protein feeds. We started selling in … the West Indies (with) our first export customers. From that, it grew, and we … were going into Latin America, Venezuela (and the West Indies) and even expanded out into shipping concentrates into Hong Kong. We were even selling in the Middle East. In 1958, we had an opportunity with one of our customers in Trinidad. We found out that they were going to have a feed mill down there that the government owned, and they wanted to … have somebody come in and take over. We bid on that, and won it, so I moved there in 1958 and built them a modern feed mill … . From that is really where InDiv was born, because we had customers in Trinidad who wanted to buy certain equipment and medications for their animals, but they had no way to get it. … In 1964, we incorporated this company.

What does InDiv do?

We’re an export marketing company really. We don’t sell hatching eggs or anything like that, but we do sell equipment. Mostly, it’s for the raising of poultry. We have prefabricated buildings (and) feeding, watering and ventilation equipment, all designed so that everything is automatic.

In which countries does InDiv work?

Right now, we have operations in Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia and Malaysia. We have offices in those places. We are doing some manufacturing … in Mexico and Argentina. … In Mexico, (it’s) a plastic operation. Our main business is in Latin America and through the Caribbean Islands. We’re doing business in the Philippines and in Indonesia. We’ve sold in Africa, the Middle East, Egypt, Morocco and even Saudi Arabia, though that’s out now.

Are you pursuing other countries?

We’ve made our first sale into Russia, and we’re quite optimistic about that area.

What about China?

I went to China shortly after it was opened up by (President Richard) Nixon. ... The Coca-Cola people were just getting started there – they were staying in the same hotel where I stayed. Everybody wanted to do business, but they had no money. They would pay you by what was made or sold in what they called compensated trade. If we were going to build them a mill for the making of shrimp feed, say, they would have wanted to pay us with shrimp. ... Once I had an order of intent for 10 feed mills (there) and none of them came through because of this problem. We ... buy from China, but we’re not selling in there right now.

Any advice for taking business abroad?

The only way to properly approach it is (to ask) what do (other countries) need? Not the fact that you have something … you want to sell them. If they don’t need it, you’re wasting your time. Then, go to (organizations) or government field offices … that can help you locate potential customers. Research the area you’d like to serve.

Tell us about your family.

My wife, Mary Ellen, died five years ago. I have six kids. Paul is the only one who lives in Springfield. I have a brother, Jack, who lives here, and his wife, Kitty. And some grandchildren who live here.

Do any family members work with you?

Not anymore. I’m the last of the Mohicans.

I’m going to retire pretty soon, and the employees own stock in the company. I hope that eventually, they can take over the whole operation. I’ve told people I’ll retire at 90.

Interview by Features Editor Maria Hoover. [[In-content Ad]]