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Jim Worn - Cracking the corporate shell at South Georgia

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Jim Worn (In a nutshell)

Cracking the corporate shell at South Georgia Pecan

By Kay Harris

As president of South Georgia Pecan Company, Jim Worn has seen a lot of nuts come and go — 40 million pounds of pecans per year to be precise.

And that’s just the number the company shells — they also sell millions more as whole nuts.

Based in Valdosta, South Georgia Pecan has grown, adapted and modernized over the years to keep the turn of the 20th century agricultural business as fresh and successful as ever nearly 100 years later.

Content to work from behind the scenes, Worn is understated and casual; more than willing to share the limelight with his employees. His modesty is surprising given that the company he’s been a part of for more than 30 years is one of the top suppliers of pecans in the nation today.

On a recent day, South Georgia Business caught up with Worn, who was relaxing in his office along with Sales Manager Paul Joseph and Facilities Manager Michelle Callahan, happy to discuss the company that’s as much a part of his own identity as it is South Georgias.

Q: How old is South Georgia Pecan Company?
A: It was founded in 1905. My partner, Ed Crane (now semi-retired and Chairman of the Board) and I purchased it in 1983.

Q: How many employees do you have?
A: We have 70 to 100 year round, and about 125 seasonally. We are strong on longevity — about 30 to 40 of them have been here longer than I have.

Q: What’s changed since you bought the company?
A: At the time, we were shelling 7 to 8 million pounds annually--now we do 40 million. We’re the largest pecan sheller east of Texas.

Q: Who buys all these nuts?
A: We sell to Nestle, Russell Stover, Flowers Bakery —all the major users, we supply.

Q: And what do they use them for?
A: Ice cream, cookies, candy, baked goods — you name it.

Q: Are pecans the only nuts you sell?
A: No, but they are the only nuts we shell. We also buy walnuts, cashews, almonds, and pistachios to sell.

Q: Where do you get all your nuts from?
A: It depends on the year. We try to buy as many pecans in South Georgia as we can, from growers like Shiloh Farms and Patten Seed. About 70 to 80 percent come from Georgia, Alabama and Florida. Some we buy direct--others we buy from accumulators. For the other nuts, we buy internationally--Africa, India, Brazil—wherever we need to go to get the best.

Q: Do you only sell to manufacturers or can anyone buy nuts from you?
A: We have a retail outlet here in Valdosta, but it’s a small part of our business. Retailers like Winn Dixie also sell our brand of pecan halves and pieces.

Q: So if you’re shelling millions of pounds of pecans a year and you’re selling the nut, what happens to the millions of pounds of shells that are left?
A: We have the only pecan shell grinding plant in the world— Southeastern Reduction. We even buy more shells from other companies. We grind and mill them and sell to plywood and furniture manufacturers. The pecan shell flour is mixed with resin and it looks like real wood. We have no waste— we sell everything.

Q: Since you are producing a food product, what guidelines do you have to follow to ensure its safety?
A: We have to follow the guidelines of the Food and Drug Administration, under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. We take air quality samples and swab the floor. We have an in-house lab that runs microbio tests. But our customer’s inspections are much tougher. For a company like Nestle, whose reputation is build on quality, sanitation and safety are important.

Q: Who inspects the nuts—machines or people?
A: Our machines look at them, but the final inspections are done by eye.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
A: I’d like to give a plug to SunTrust Bank. They have been an integral part of making South Georgia Pecan what it is today. I’ve seen competitors who’ve fallen due to poor management, which left a bad taste in the mouths of bank and they weren’t lending money. But when we needed money, they gave it to us and helped us grow this business.

Q: And what does the future hold for the business?
A: Two years ago, South Georgia Pecan Company purchased a 180,000 square foot warehouse, the former Levi Strauss plant in Valdosta, and the company has been moving incrementally ever since. About one third of the building has been completely refurbished and the rest is underway. The move itself will be a difficult one, as all of the machinery will have to be disassembled at its old location, moved less than two miles down the road, and reassembled. The plant is facing a near total shutdown of all operations for 3 to 4 months when the actual move takes place in the next year or two.

But as with everything at South Georgia Pecan, doing something right takes precedence over merely doing something, and the company is in no hurry.

At the end of the interview, on a sweltering South Georgia day, Callahan led a guided tour through the four facilities currently comprising South Georgia Pecan, showing the crackers, dryers, sorters, grading areas, packing, roasting, and cold storage facilities in operation.

At the end of our tour, Callahan summed up the business in one simple phrase—“That’s it in a nutshell!”