Ray Lush Receives GROW Mentor Award
This wisdom from Ray Lush, owner of Sweet Corn Products, reveals why he was chosen as the GROW Nebraska 2010 Mentor of the Year. A charter member of GROW Nebraska, Lush has consistently exhibited the characteristics of GROW’s mission--to support entrepreneurs and small businesses through promotion, market access and education.
Janell Anderson Ehrke, CEO and founder of GROW Nebraska, says Lush has given much to the program. “Ray is a perfect example of what GROW Nebraska is all about. We believe you can live anywhere in Nebraska and make a successful living by promoting your product or service to a global market.”
The primary product of Sweet Corn Products is the No/No Birdfeeder, a collapsible wire basket, Black Oil sunflower seed feeder that is environmentally friendly.
Lush has been successful in marketing this popular bird feeder. In 2009, he sold over 100,000 feeders to a national home and garden retailer. This experience in dealing with large wholesale orders in a competitive market is part of the expertise he shares with other GROW Nebraska members. “A large company won’t pick you up until you’ve been in business for 2-3 years,” Lush says. He employs a sales manager and assistant sales manager to keep his business professional.
The company continues to grow and prosper through creative design innovation and the use of patents. In addition to marketing through catalogs and large wholesaler shows, Lush has his own web site at www.sweetcornproducts.com as well as a listing on the GROW Nebraska web site, www.grownebraska.org. He also sells his products through the GROW Nebraska e-commerce site and the GROW eBay store. Currently Lush has 7 full-time employees in a town with a population of less than 1,000. “Creating new jobs in Nebraska is one of the primary benefits of supporting local entrepreneurs,” Ehrke says.
“If you get the right contacts, they will tell you what products they need. It can definitely be done anywhere,” Lush says.
Lush was presented with this award at the GROW Nebraska MarkeTech Conference in Lincoln.
If you are a GROW Nebraska member and would like assistance with patents or copyrights, contact Ray Lush at (402)373-2211 or e-mail colette@sweetcornproducts.com.
GROW Nebraska’s mission is to maximize the state’s entrepreneurial and small business spirit, create an economically viable and sustainable environment for entrepreneurs, and generate social awareness through promotion, marketing and education.
To find out more about GROW Nebraska’s program, visit their web site at www.grownebraska.org or contact GROW at 888-476-9632 or email info@grownebraska.org.
Learn more at: www.sweetcornproducts.com
