MYERSTOWN, (Lebanon
Co.) —With 200 fellow business
persons looking on, Leon Hoover,
owner of Farmer Boy Ag, Inc.,
Myerstown, was named Lebanon
Valley Chamber of Commerce
Small Business Person of the Year
at a breakfast last Friday morning.
Hoover started Farmer Boy in
1976 after neighbors asked him to
build them a hog bam like he had
designed on his own farm. At the
time Hoover had switched from
dairy to hog farming and instead of
Siisan Allwein presents small business award to Leon
Hoover.
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EXISTING PRODUCERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE FOLLOWING:
CONTACT FARMER BOY A6...TOUR PROFESSIONAL COMPANY
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Hoover Named Lebanon Valley Business Person
importing hog equipment and
buildings from lowa, Hoover built
his own design.
The first year Hoover sold 30
units, and by 1978 someone asked
him to design a swine farrowing
unit. Without prior experience.
Hoover designed and built this unit
at a cost of $12,000. After the unit
was finished, the customer
canceled the order and Hoover was
left with his custom designed pig/
sow unit.
But Ag Progress Days provided
A STEADY MONTHLY CONTRACT INCOME.
EXCELLENT SUPPORT SERVICE BY CONTRACT COMPANY
SUPPLY OF HEALTHY FAST GROWING PIGS
EXCELLENT HEALTH & DISEASE PROGRAM SUPPORT
• CUSTOM DESIGN • NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLANNING
• ASSISTANCE IN PLANNING YOUR FINANCING
• SERVICING BUILDING PERMITS & INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS
an opportunity to show the unit,
and customer reaction was good.
Not only did he sell the unit, many
orders to design ventilating sys
tems in existing units were also
obtained at the show.
In the ’Bo’s Fanner Boy estab
lished a building division, an
equipment division, and deve
loped a network of independent
dealers. Today the company with
branch offices in Wisconsin and
North Carolina employs 100 peo
ple with an additional 400 subcon
tractors at local projects in 12 dif
ferent states. Of the first six
employees, five are still with the
firm.
In accepting the award, Hoover
credited his employees and his
family for his successes. He said
his parents taught that all honor
and glory goes to God and recog
nized God as supreme. ‘This gives
you a base to work from in the bus
iness world,” Hoover said. “This
gives you strength on the days that
are hard and makes it easy on the
days that are easy. As I watch the
world today, I feel disappointed
that so many families don’t have
that stable family life that gives
you the background to go forward
in business and life in general.”
Hoover credited his wife Mary
for standing with him. And he
introduced many of the employees
to “take their due recognition.”
“Money is not the major thing
that runs a business,” Hoover said.
"It’s people, both employees and
customers."
In addition to the plaque pre
sented by the Chamber, Rep. Peter
Zug, (R-102th) presented a Pen-
FARMER BOY AG.
410 E. LINCOLN AVE. MYERSTOWN, PA 17067
CALL TODAY 717-866-7565
CCS! Cr \z‘A .vcfdc? .p-i-rsl lotsconrj rA
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, uay 15,1993-All
_ .. -y v
Commerce, with Leon and Mary Hoover, 1993 Small Busi
ness Person of the Year award winners.
nsylvania House citation, and Sen. The Lebanon Chamber has been
David Brightbill, (R-48lh) pre- selecting a business person of the
sented a Pennsylvania Senate cita- year since 1981. Former recipients
tion. Albert Murry, president, select the new award winner each
Lebanon Valley National Bank, year. The honoree is named during
presented a limited edition print. National Small Business Week.
2000/
3000
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Ventilation s-is