Farmers Feed Service

Paladin Helps Farmers Feed Service Modernize Growing Business

Farmers Feed Service, Inc. has been in the same location in once-tiny Wetumpka, Alabama for nearly 25 years. Owned by Clint and Wanda McCullers, it is the quintessential small-town, family-run hardware and feed store where, as Wanda likes to say, “Everybody knows your name.”

Located on the outskirts of Montgomery, Wetumpka’s population grew from just over 6,500 in the 2010 census to an estimated 8,200 in 2016. Like the town, Farmers Feed Service has faced some challenges and growing pains over the years, but many of the McCullers’ business challenges vanished when they chose Paladin Data Corporation as their technology partner.

While they were big on friendly customer service, the McCullers needed to get a handle on how their business was doing. Wanda said their business needed to grow, too, into a modern retail store with automated business processes.

They were doing business in nearly the same way its founders did in the 1950s, with hand-written receipts and by manually counting inventory. It was both inaccurate and time consuming.

The McCullers began looking for a business platform that would take their business into the future and heard about Paladin from a Stihl power equipment representative.

“Paladin has given us a phenomenal opportunity to make us more organized. Over the years when we’ve had opportunities to grow, but we weren’t organized which really hampered our ability to grow,” she says, explaining that Paladin’s digital retail platform transformed their business. “Another disadvantage to that manual inventory process is throughout the year we had no idea where our business stood. Can I hire another employee? Can we buy this piece of equipment that we need? I had no clue.”

Wanda says all her questions were answered when they put Paladin to work in their store. Paladin’s intuitive point of sale system, Market Driven Inventory Management, and valuable business and supplier integrations gives them a firm handle on all aspects of their business. Before they adopted Paladin, Wanda says simply taking an annual inventory was a 4- to 6-week process. Now, they can review their inventory, develop insights and make better business decisions in real-time.

“It was a nightmare, so Paladin’s Market Driven Inventory Management has been a tremendous advantage for us,” she explains.

Farmers Feed Services uses Paladin’s multiple EDI connects to make ordering from its two suppliers – House-Hasson and Wallace – easier and more efficient. The McCullers also use Paladin’s Suggested Ordering to project future consumer demand and optimize their inventory.

The McCullers are big on planning and Wanda says Paladin’s many business management features and integrations gives them a handle on their present and give them the tools to plan for their future.

“Do you have a dream of having $10 million dollars in sales this year, or $20 million dollars in sales this year? Or do you have a goal,” she says. “Dreams are great. I can have one of those when I go to sleep tonight. You have to have a plan that’s written down. If it’s not written down, it’s not a plan.”