Business Spotlight: 104-year-old business sells to Hummert Int'l.

Springfield Seed Co. has changed a lot since it opened in 1896.

Recently, this century-old business underwent another significant change.

Owners Darian and Kay Jobe on Feb. 28 sold the company to Hummert International, which has its headquarters in St. Louis.

"I'm going to be 62 this May, and I've been thinking about an exit plan for awhile," Darian Jobe said. "Selling the business to Hummert will provide our employees and customers with a sense of continuity."

According to the Jobes, Springfield Seed Co. will keep its name, and Darian Jobe will continue to manage the business.

All of the store's 17 full time workers also have been retained and now are employees of Hummert International.

"I was very concerned about how our employees would make out through all of this," Darian Jobe said. "You don't take people who have worked 10 or 20 years for you and just close down and liquidate when it comes time for you to retire not to mention that we're a 104-year-old company."

The Jobes bought Springfield Seed Co., which has stores at 1350 E. St. Louis St. and another at 310 W. Walnut, in 1969.

According to Darian Jobe, Springfield Seed Co. was one of the earliest seed companies to open in the city.

In fact, Springfield Seed Co. held Missouri Seed Sales Permit No. 1 for many years until the state recently instituted a new numbering system.

The store's floral department also was one of the first in Springfield.

In 1956, the store incorporated under the name Springfield Seed & Floral Company Inc. but continued to do business as Springfield Seed Co.

After buying the business, the Jobes concentrated on building up the company's retail seed and floral sales. By 1974, the Jobes said, they were paying more in payroll taxes than the entire business had grossed in 1968.

In the mid-1980s, the Jobes began selling lawn and garden and horticultural supplies on a wholesale basis. Originally, the Jobes started wholesaling to help even out the seasonal sales fluctuations they experienced in their retail stores.

Today, however, the wholesale business accounts for 83 percent of all company sales, while 17 percent of sales come from retail operations.

Most of Springfield Seed Co.'s wholesale customers are independent store owners and growers. According to the Jobes, these business owners prefer to deal with Springfield Seed Co. because they can buy as much or as little as they want. Springfield Seed Co. stocks and delivers items to wholesale customers in a 150-mile radius of the city.

Within the last five years, a number of large chain lawn and garden stores have opened in Springfield. However, the Jobes said these stores didn't provide them with any direct competition, since most of their business was wholesale.

"The Wal-Mart Supercenters and Home Depots haven't given us any direct competition," Darian Jobe said. "What I have noticed is that I don't see as many new, independent lawn and garden stores opening up, so in that sense, it has affected our business."

The Jobes said the buyout will help independent retailers and growers who rely on Springfield Seed Co. for their horticultural supplies. These customers now can expand their inventory by ordering products from Hummert's 560-page horticultural catalog.

Hummert is in the process of putting together a lawn and garden catalog to help retailers expand their product lines. Also, the addition of Springfield Seed Co.'s sales staff will help Hummert expand its regional operations, which extend into eastern Illinois, northwest Arkansas, eastern Kansas and northeast Oklahoma.

"I see a lot of good things happening in the future," Darian Jobe said.

"It's only been a few weeks, and already our wholesale business sales have increased, our employees are getting better benefits because they work for a larger company, and our customers are getting access to more products. The additional experience and capital resources provided by Hummert will take this business to a whole different level."

Year founded: 1896

Owner's name: Hummert International

Address and phone number: 1350 E. St. Louis St., Springfield, Mo. 65802, 862-9282; and 310 W. Walnut, Springfield, Mo. 65806; 866-2116.