Chemical Dynamics

4 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4 CHEMI CAL DYNAMI CS 50 years of industry experience. “My father started Chemical Dynamics in 1973,” shares David Carson, President, and CEO of Chemical Dynamics. “He’d worked for several national fertilizer companies, had a degree in agronomy, and worked mostly with insecticides and pesticides. However, when the EPA started cracking down on harmful agrochemicals, he decided to focus on nutrients and soils because he saw this as a more sustainable path.” After switching focus, the elder Carson started representing other companies selling plant nutrients. By the late 1970s, Chemical Dynamics started manufacturing its own products, ramping up production into the early ‘80s, which coincided with the development of additional in- house products, a precursor to the extensive line of products the company has today. “Environmental stewardship has always been the backbone of our company,” says David. “Micronutrients serve this purpose well because you can supply plants with exactly what they need without polluting the environment. For example, most copper additives had a 50 percent copper composition back in the ‘70s. We started representing a company making an eight percent copper composition, which meant less copper left in the soil.” Another factor that convinced Chemical Dynamics that it was on the right path was the introduction of drip irrigation. “Drip irrigation has taken precision agriculture to the next level, especially when combined with liquid fertilizers,” avers Nathan Carson, VP of Operations at Chemical Dynamics. “In Florida, we have sandy soils, making it easy for fertilizers to wash out, leading to fertilizer leaching. With drip irrigation, you can spoon-feed crops the exact nutrients they need, reducing the chances of any sort of leaching and boosting farmers’ ROI due to reduced wastage.” Capitalizing on the benefits of drip irrigation, the company conducts soil testing at the beginning of every season to determine what nutrients growers need to add back into the soils and periodically test leaf and soil samples to ensure everything remains on track. Chemical Dynamics currently maintains a workforce of between 25 and 30, including administrative staff, salespeople, and manufacturing personnel at its 15,000 square foot production facility. “Our core competency is manufacturing,” says Ben, “which includes research and development into new products and upgrading or enhancing current ones.” This focus explains why the company’s manufacturing arm hosts some of its longest- tenured employees, a factor that also underscores its positive and inclusive family- oriented work culture. He adds, “Many staff members at our manufacturing plant have been with the company for fifteen-plus years. Another interesting factor is that some of our people have worked here across generations, with one