Farm Supply CEO shares her leadership advice with Tribune’s Top 20 Under 40 winners
For Cara Crye, Central Coast agriculture has been a lifelong passion.
Crye is a fourth-generation San Luis Obispo County resident whose Morro Bay family worked in cattle ranching and construction.
Now, decades after she started working at Farm Supply Co. as a Cal Poly student, Crye is in the midst of her second year as the company’s CEO.
On Thursday, she shared her leadership advice at The Tribune’s annual Top 20 Under 40 event, which honors young business professionals throughout the county.
Crye, a 2015 Top 20 Under 40 winner, encouraged honorees to remember where they started, focus on their strengths and bring heart and a service-oriented attitude to their work.
“Stay grounded in your leadership journey,” she said.
Crye had big shoes to fill when she took over Farm Supply Co. from longtime CEO Jim Brabeck after he retired in June 2017.
Brabeck headed the farmer-owned cooperative — which has about 2,600 members and five locations — for 47 years. Crye had to mindfully implement her own style, which she described as “servant leader,” when she became CEO.
“We’re similar in some ways,” Crye said. “But we definitely show up differently.”
Farm Supply Co. was founded in 1950 and has been a SLO County mainstay for nearly seven decades, even as the county’s agricultural landscape has radically changed.
Crye admitted growers and ranchers face challenges, including labor and water shortages. But the agriculture industry still has the support and respect of the county, she said.
Crye’s grandfather, who was a co-op member, introduced her to the company she now heads. She said it’s been an honor to undertake the journey that led to her current position.
“It’s a labor of love,” she said.
Here are this year’s winners, in alphabetical order:
Erica Andrade, 31, director of 5 Cities Hope
Andrea Angelucci, 39, doctor at Primary Care Partners
Bushra Anjum, 36, software development engineer at Amazon
Nicholas Beem, 35, Air National Guard operations superintendent and owner of SLO Camp ‘n’ Pack
Joe Benson, 39, corporate counsel at Mindbody
Danielle Borrelli, 30, California Cybersecurity Institute business services coordinator
Angela Cisneros, 39, general manager at K-Jons Diamonds & Gems
Kelly Donohue, 32, Wilshire Health & Community Services creative media brand strategist
Aaron Gomez, 39, owner of the Gold Concept
Ann Hansen, 33, vice president, commercial and ag banking officer at American Riviera Bank
Michael Hopkins-Tucker, 25, Peoples’ Self-Help Housing policy analyst
Jennifer Idler, 39, Idler’s Home human resource director
Ryan Lawrence, 38, owner of SLO Movement Arts Center and creative director at Movement Arts Collective
Bonnie Loftus, 38, owner and operator of Bonnie Marie’s Catering
Shannon McOuat, 39, Hospice San Luis Obispo County volunteer services director
April Nolan, 37, speech language pathologist at Beyond Speech Therapy and business owner
Michael Parolini, 39, principal and managing partner at Smith Structural Group
Greg Squires, 35, The Parable Group president
Sondra Williams, 38, Central Coast Home Health registered nurse and owner of Twisted & Glazed
Amanda Wittstrom Higgins, 36, Ancient Peaks Winery vice president of operations
This story was originally published February 7, 2019 at 6:28 PM.
