100% Co-op
Maynard Mullins has served the farmers of Hawkins County for more than 55 years
Story and photos by Glen Liford
Over his career, Maynard has done “a little bit of everything,” beginning with fertilizer deliveries before moving to the front counter as a salesman under the mentorship of assistant manager Kyle Mathis, whom he credits with teaching him the business.
When Maynard Mullins joined Hawkins Farmers Co-op in February of 1971, he was simply a teenager looking for a part-time job.
That part-time job turned into a 55-year Co-op career that serves as a wonderful depiction of the “Drive to Serve” Co-op brand statement.
Through the years, Maynard has become a fixture at the Co-op in Rogersville and a favorite of fellow employees and customers.
Former manager Tom Henard elevated Mayard from a part-time to a full-time employee shortly after he assumed the managerial reins in 1972. He began his tenure driving the Co-op’s fertilizer delivery truck.
“Back then, we delivered the fertilizer in bags,” he says. “We had two or three guys that came in and loaded the fertilizer, and then we would take it out to the farms.”
That changed during an extra-busy day at the store when Assistant Manager Kyle Mathis came to get Maynard and asked him to work the sales counter.
“He just said, ‘Get inside,’” recalls Mayard. “I didn't know nothing about nothing. But Kyle helped me. He took me around and showed me what to do. He probably jumped on me more than anyone, but he was good to me. He just wanted me to learn.”
Kyle was instrumental in teaching Maynard all about the business and instilling the many aspects of providing exceptional customer service. But his influence didn’t end there, says Maynard.
“He taught me a lot about farming when I helped him cut his tobacco,” Maynard says, noting that Kyle also led him to attend West View Baptist Church.
Maynard eventually started a cattle herd of his own and kept them for many years until he finally decided to sell after he retired from the Co-op in 2016. That retirement was short-lived, however, and he was soon back to work at the Co-op.
“My wife, Ellen, was tickled to death when I sold the cattle,” says Maynard. “I was gone all the time taking care of them, and she said she would rather I be working part-time at the Co-op.”
A short time later, former manager Brian Julian invited Maynard to come back to work part-time, and he’s been working part-time ever since.
Hawkins Farmers Co-op Manager Mathew Ball, left, has worked with Maynard Mullins for 22 years, and offers praise for the value he brings to the business.
“I really don’t have any hobbies, and I missed the Co-op,” says Maynard.
The business has changed dramatically since Maynard was hired as a teenager. He recounts the change from writing hand tickets to electronic checkout as one of the biggest transitions. But agriculture in the county has changed, too, he says, noting the disappearance of dairies and tobacco as shifts in the Co-op’s business as well as ever-changing customer needs.
He mentions the opening of the Co-op's new showroom in 1996 and the addition of Ace Hardware products — which expanded offerings in paint, plumbing, and electrical supplies — as essential to maintaining the Co-op’s ability to continue to service the community while supplying essential farm supply products that the area’s farmers require.
“I’ve enjoyed working here and still do,” he says.
These days, Maynard oversees the receiving area where he handles stocking, pricing, and ordering from a dimly lit room at the back of the showroom that fellow employees and customers affectionately refer to as “Maynard’s Hole.”
He said he appreciates the chance to keep working several days a week, while reserving Fridays and Saturdays for breakfast outings with friends at a local country kitchen.
Current Co-op Manager Mathew Ball has worked with Maynard for 22 years and offers praise for the value he brings to the business.
“I have a lot of good employees, and I’m proud of all of them,” says Matthew. “I would like all of them to learn from Maynard. He is 100% Co-op.”
Story by Glen Liford,
Contact gliford@ourcoop.com