Just before boarding the plane for World Pork Expo (WPX), I received an email to check out a new product by Alltech while I was there. I was going to visit Russell Gilliam, Alltech U.S. swine business manager, anyway, as he and I go way back and we always get a beer at their hospitality tent. But, to be honest, I did not expect anything really new.
So, Russell introduces me to Andrew, the developer of said product, a young and enthusiastic person, and then he sits back to enjoy the show. I knew it was a setup because he knows me well and he is more than capable of explaining everything Alltech-related to me. Nevertheless, I was already drinking their beer, so I obliged and played my role, that of the devil’s advocate, much to Russell’s amusement. But, this young fellow remained undaunted as he was well prepared. After some time, I realized that what he had envisioned was not a new additive, but rather a new commercial approach to using additives. I was immediately excited because some additives work here and there but not everywhere and he was talking about flexibility in application, logistics and saving money for the customer. So, we dropped the game and we started discussing in earnest his new idea.
