What do you get when you combine an excitement for agriculture, a passion for retail, a young man who “likes jawing with the old farmers?” Ben Suggs. I have 6 years of retail experience and an extensive knowledge of farm and agricultural products, ranging from livestock, equine, small animals, carpentry, and small engine. With these skills I would love to grow into a career involving merchandise presentation and marketing for outdoor and agricultural sales.Growing up I was always involved on the farm. From raising my own herd of goats, to winning state and national awards through FFA, I strived to strengthen my knowledge of a rural lifestyle at every turn. My first official job was at Tractor Supply Company in Mooresville NC, growing my communication and customer skills leaps and bounds from where they once were. If only I knew where it would take me from there!Working throughout the store as a sales focused team member, backroom focused team member, and receiver gave me insight into what it takes to properly run a retail store. Inventory management, ethical business practices, building customer relationships, and learning to work with people that were not entirely like myself were some of the invaluable skills that I acquired. Alongside learning the nuts and bolts of a typical retail job, hard work, motivation, and competitiveness were some of the soft skills that developed in my professional career. I cannot be more grateful for learning these expertise since they have been the reason that I have progressed as far as I have. Multiple awards through the company such as the Country Mile Quarterly Winner and in-store recognitions have been given to me over the last 6 years, proving that I have stepped up to the plate in my position on countless occasions.As for my next steps, I have been accepted as the 2023 Summer Intern for Merchandising at Tractor Supply Company and plan to follow my interest in Merchandise presentation. I hope to one day have a career leading into store merchandising or involved with a buying program for a firm, where I can continue to grow my established skills. I would love to connect with you and through LinkedIn or my email: bensuggs00@gmail.com, and look forward to networking!