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HEARTPINE
A CALL TO A CREATIVE CURIOSITY By Karen Manning, Pro-Serve, Inc.
Pineland daisy
I
t started with a call in the Spring of 2020. It led to curiosity and creativity. And then my partnership with The Longleaf Alliance. But first, the disclaimer. And yes, every article needs to have a disclaimer or two to make it hopefully as truthful as the writer can make it in their own words. So here it is. In no manner, shape, or form, do I profess to know what you do about longleaf pine. I know less than what most of you will forget in your sleep tonight. But that makes my journey more simplistic, and for me, more profound.
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Our company, Pro-Serve, Inc., is in the business of killing things. Not quite closely aligned with my personal values, but as they say, “it is what it is.” We manufacture and sell herbicides to control unwanted plants. I’m new to the family business, having spent most of my career in consumer package goods marketing. The family business is a legacy to our children, and as I moved to a new stage in my professional life, I decided to give it a go. And then came the call. A longleaf tree farmer from Georgia named Reese Thompson called our office to order herbicide. I was both
