SMSU Marketing Alum's Community Roots Run Deep...
By Sherry Cook

It’s been an interesting path that’s led marketing alum Brian Hammons the sixty or so miles from his home in Stockton, Missouri, to SMSU, out of state, and then back home again. “Each move was traumatic in a way,” he admits. “But each also led to opportunities for growth, developing friendships, and creating some great memories.” Each homecoming, however, always seemed like a “step back into simpler, familiar places with strong connection to family and friends.”

So what has filled the gaps between Brian’s 1980 summa cum laude SMSU marketing degree to now, where he serves as president of Hammons Products Company, a three-generation family owned business?

Shortly after graduation, Brian married and went back home to set up the first computerized accounting system at Hammons Products and to learn the sales and marketing of black walnuts, the company’s core product.

Soon though, it was time for a move. The young couple packed up and journeyed to Dallas where Brian attended law school at Southern Methodist University. By the time that degree was completed, the family (this time with a daughter in tow and son number one on the way), moved back to once again actively work in the family business. Other than a brief stint in a Kansas City law firm the following year, Brian’s entire career has been focused on Hammons Products.

Now, the one and only commercial sheller of black walnuts in the world, Hammons buys wild black walnuts from people in 16 states during the fall harvest season. The company supplies black walnut nutmeats as food ingredients nationwide to ice cream companies such as Baskin-Robbins, Hiland, Blue Bell, Braum’s, and Haagen-Dazs.  Products also appear in most grocery stores under nut brands such as Planters, Fisher, Diamond, Kroger and their own Hammons brand. But the shell is important too. These are ground and used for abrasives, filtration, oil drilling, and glue extenders.

The company was started in 1946 by Brian’s grandfather, who owned a small grocery store in Stockton. Then his father, Dwain, took the reins. He implemented many of the business practices he had learned as a business administration major at SMSU in the early 1950’s. Stockton’s largest employer, with about 90 full-time year-round employees and 20 to 30 more in the fall, Hammons is unique since it is the only company in this small industry. After a stint as president of the Ellis Pecan Company, a Hammons division in Fort Worth, Texas, Brian was ready to come back to Stockton and take over as company president upon his father’s retirement in 1997.

Brian not only is active in the ownership/management of the business, but is also an active community member serving in leadership roles on a variety of boards, foundations, in the political arena, and within his church. The father of three, he’s found time to coach youth soccer and has been involved in Scouting. He’s also run in the Boston Marathon eight times!

This ability to multi-task and lead were already becoming apparent as one reviews Brian’s record at SMSU. In college, he was active in his fraternity, Kappa Alpha, played in the marching band for three years, served in student government, and sang in a group at Grace United Methodist Church. “I have a lot of fond memories from SMSU,” he says. “Hammons Student Center was a brand new facility, a great place to workout, play intramural sports, and attend concerts…Siceluff Hall was where virtually all the business classes were. The computer lab there had ‘state-of-the-art’ card readers, and I recall that somebody mentioned a new computer invention by a company called Apple.” Near graduation, Brian was chosen to write and present a brief speech at the Senior Banquet. After graduation, he traveled on a business study tour to Europe. “It was a fantastic experience seeing businesses there as well as historic sites.”

 (continued)

His advice to current students? “Build your personal character. Faith, integrity, trust and perseverance are vital for lasting, meaningful success. Future leaders need to establish those qualities early, then, respond to opportunities with a servant attitude each step of a career and a lifetime.” He goes on, “For marketing majors, I’d suggest they invest their marketing careers in products or programs that are consistent with their personal values—hopefully things that will be good for society.” And finally, he emphasizes developing communication skills—especially writing. “I see so much poor writing in business today. I believe my writing ability has led to more success for me than perhaps any other single skill.”

Brian got to “practice what he preaches” as a devastating tornado ripped through his community and business a little more than a year ago. Hammons Products lost eight buildings, a lot of shell inventory, and what remained was in a mess. The town itself also sustained massive damage. As the largest employer and a community leader, Brian was thrust into the limelight. “Our mission,” explains Brian, “became Clean up, Start up, Rebuild.” And that’s what they did—both at the business and, in part due to Brian’s leadership in the town.

“I know that God was working hard after the tornado, through so many people, to bring relief, hope, and a vision for what the community could be in the future,” Brian explains. “Faith played a huge part in our getting through. It certainly did for me. My actions were in response to the needs placed before me and trying to faithfully use the gifts and responsibilities God had entrusted to me…”

With federal, state and community assistance, the town is coming back to life. And, as part of this new life, there will be a new Hammons venture. “I believe our town square needs good retail stores to attract folks to the hub of the community,” says Brian. With few people willing to take the risk that traffic will be strong enough, the Hammons Company has committed to establishing a new store on the Square. It will be called the ‘Hammons Black Walnut Emporium’ and will be promoted as ‘the ultimate Nut, Coffee, Ice Cream and Gift Shoppe.’ It will feature Hammons black walnuts and other nuts from the company’s mail-order nut program, a black walnut visitor center, gourmet coffee and espresso house, super-premium ice cream (specializing in nut flavors, naturally), gifts and books. “The key,” explains Brian, “has been finding a dynamic, enthusiastic manager who shares this vision and can put it together. I believe that God has done it again. The Emporium opens in August, with a Labor Day grand-opening.”

So now with almost 25 years of business experience under his belt since graduation from SMSU, does Brian have regrets about the path he took in school or heeding his father’s advice to become a marketing major? “I chose to major in marketing because I wanted to work in business management, and felt marketing would best prepare me for that. Now, with a sales and customer focus to the business I lead, I know my father was right.”

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