Joseph Landsell of Poynters, Inc., recently visited the Indiana FFA Center. His company already supports Indiana FFA and will continue to do so. He was interested in seeing how his dollars were being used, and he was impressed with what he saw.

Poynters, technically known as Poynter Sheet Metal, was founded by Don Poynter, Morgantown. Poynter, who served on the Indiana FFA Center Committee for a while, is a big believer of FFA, both the students and the concept of the Indiana FFA Center. He introduced Landsell to FFA after he sold his business.

ENTHUSED SUPPORTER: Joseph Landsell, head of Poynters, Inc. has pledged support to the Indiana FFA Center and special projects. He believes leadership development of young people is crucial to the future of the county.

Today, the company goes by Poynters instead of Poynter Sheet Metal because they have greatly expanded their line of products. They specialize in fabricating unusual designs for products, including conveyor lines used in factories to perform simple tasks automatically. They have also constructed individual ‘clean rooms,’ which are shipped overseas for isolation where Ebola is a problem.

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Why does he continue supporting FFA? “We need leaders in this country, and this organization definitely develops leaders,” he says.

During his recent visit, Landsell visited with Annalee Witte, one of the current Indiana FFA state officers. She will complete her year of service as a state officer at the Indiana FFA State Convention in June. Witte plans to attend Purdue University, majoring in Ag Communications as one of her options.

“These are going to be the young adults that will lead our country tomorrow, and we need to support them,” Landsell says.

Joe Park, former ag teacher and currently director of the Indiana FFA Center, adds that companies also receive another benefit by supporting the Indiana FFA and FFA Center. “These students that are going through the program now will be the work force for tomorrow,” he says. “Hopefully when companies support our programs, they are supporting students that will become part of their potential pool of workers for tomorrow.”