SFP: Patents, Patience, Family, Faith
Specialty Fertilizer Products celebrates 10-year milestone with a new world headquarters open house.
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Employees and family members gather for group photo.© 2009 -
Marketing Coordinator Stephanie Russell photographs the view from the employee break room.© 2009 -
Vice President Jake Sanders addresses Open House attendees.© 2009 -
Training classroom at SFP.© 2009 -
Executive VP John Sanders, left, and President/CEO Larry Sanders perform the official ribbon-cutting ceremony with Larry's grandson Tommy Abrey.© 2009 -
SFP-sponsored NASCAR race car.© 2009
Specialty Fertilizer Products (SFP) co-founders Larry Sanders and John Hardy knew the parallels of real life and the Monopoly board game when they developed a unique technology to maximize plant nutrient deficiencies, but they couldn't have imagined they would wind up 10 years later with a 12,000-square-foot world headquarters in a mixed-use development named Park Place with 66 global patents fortifying their business position as hotels do for Parker Brothers' popular game.
Distributors, supporters, community leaders, and others gathered in Leawood, KS, to celebrate SFP's 10-year anniversary, new world headquarters, and the announcement of four annual $2,500 college scholarships aiding students at the University of Arkansas; University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Law; and College of Agriculture at Kansas State University.
The individual scholarships will be named and given in honor of co-founders Dr. Larry Sanders, John Hardy, and the late Dr. George Walter Wallingford. In addition, long-time SFP consultant Dr. Larry Murphy will also be honored with an annual scholarship given in his name at Kansas State.
Future Business
Dr. Sanders used the occasion to announce SFP's development of a new seed treatment product incorporating patented technologies which have made AVAIL and NutriSphere-N successful. Vice President Jake Sanders spoke on the increased successes experienced with the company's international distributors and the demand from returning customers for the company's products domestically.
Also on hand to sign autographs and pose for pictures was NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Peyton Sellers. SFP will be Sellers' primary 10-race sponsor in 2009 after sponsoring him in NASCAR's Camping World Series East in 2008.
