Robert Hinnant , CEO of Evolvit, is a specialist in agricultural operations and process improvements, innovating with comprehensive equipment and solutions that adapt to production. Among the many success stories that defined our path, there is one that uniquely exemplifies our CEO’s transformative impact. This time, he not only addressed the obvious challenges, but also identified and solved hidden problems that the customer never noticed.
His keen vision and ability to anticipate and solve invisible obstacles have led to outstanding results. Here is one of these stories, which illustrates how his innovative approach and strategic leadership turned uncertainty into tangible success, leading his clients to thrive thanks to his advice:
Empowering Vidalia Onion Growers Since 1997
More than two decades ago, R.T. Stanley quietly farmed five acres of onions in the heart of
Vidalia onion country. In 1997, he began a fruitful partnership with Rob Hinnant, then a
representative of a relatively young but highly innovative company in the agricultural
equipment sector. As his family grew, so did the Stanley Farms business that eventually
included 1,200 acres, with operations managed by R.T. Stanley, his wife, Diane, and their three
sons, Brian, Tracy, and Vince. Today, Stanley Farms is the largest sweet onion producer in
Toombs County, Georgia, the home of the official state vegetable, the Vidalia onion.
Over the years, the Stanley family relied on their relationships with key suppliers throughout the area to build their business into a major onion supplier for retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada. These relationships were particularly important with their trusted equipment partner, Rob Hinnant, who had been involved with them for over 15 years. "We knew Rob Hinnant for a long time, and when he made a recommendation for equipment that would improve our operations, we trusted him"; said Brian Stanley, a second-generation
manager for Stanley Farms. "Rob did a great job keeping up with the latest technology and
advances in equipment that he shared with us. This allowed us to focus on our business rather
than spending valuable time researching solution options".
Understanding how the Stanley Farms business operated was important to Rob's success in
identifying improvement opportunities. With this knowledge, Rob could recommend the type
of equipment that helped Stanley Farms make a better product and do it more efficiently.
Specifically, Rob started with a project that had an immediate impact on product quality. The
equipment was designed to minimize product loss through a custom-designed solution that
provided even airflow for drying consistency. This had proven to be a competitive quality
advantage for Stanley Farms.
After demonstrating success with this project, Rob focused on areas where labor savings could
be realized from equipment solutions. New machinery was recommended because of its ability
to dramatically reduce labor requirements. The equipment was designed to minimize crop
damage and produce a high-quality finished product. "Because Rob had established relationships with equipment manufacturers, he was able to show us exactly what was available and how the new equipment would save us significant labor
costs"; said Tracy Stanley, who managed shed operations.
After demonstrating improvements in various areas, Rob recommended new equipment to
improve Stanley's turnkey onion grading and packing process. A complete immediate solution for a sizing and grading line was chosen for its high capacity screen, sizing capability and accurate screen graders. Working with the manufacturer, Rob developed an entire equipment layout plan to make the onion processing operation as efficient as possible for the needs at Stanley Farms.
The latest equipment project involved a major improvement to the air quality at the company's
processing shed. For years, workers were forced to wear masks as a way to protect against the
thick dust created during onion processing. Recognizing that the situation could be greatly
improved, Rob recommended a dust extraction system that was designed to filter out and
remove dust at the entry point of the processing facility.
The importance of service was paramount for the Stanley family. "Service was a big deal to us, and equipment availability was vitally important to our operations"; said Tracy. "With Rob, we knew we could get service right away. He was extremely responsive and would bend over backward to make sure the equipment was doing the job it needed to do."
"The benefits of working with Rob were so numerous that we had no reason to even consider
anyone else" said Brian.
(Reference: Onion World Magazine; March 2012)
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