Doug Naylor speaks with FFA members during a #SpeakAg Pioneers event at the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo this past October in Indianapolis.
“I think any organization would be lucky to have a workforce full of FFA members,” said Doug Naylor, national director of key western accounts for Wrangler, a division of Kontoor Brands. Naylor is an FFA alum and serves on the National FFA Foundation Sponsors’ Board.
Wrangler has deep ties to National FFA and has been a corporate partner of the organization for nearly 60 years.
“One of the things about FFA, and ag in general, is that it hits us from all sides,” said Naylor. “When I started on the sponsors’ board, I didn’t really appreciate the connection that Wrangler had to agriculture.”
“Not only do our customers participate in ag, but we — and the whole world, really — rely on agriculture,” Naylor said.
As a five-star partner, Wrangler impacts FFA in a variety of ways.
Their support helps fund programs such as the National FFA Talent Show, #SpeakAg Pioneers, Delegate Experience and the Environmental and Natural Resources Career Pathway.
Additionally, Wrangler leverages their relationships to help uplift and promote FFA. For example, Wrangler partners and musicians Trace Adkins and Cody Johnson, also FFA alums, have posted their support for FFA on their social media. In a collaboration with jeweler Kendra Scott, 20% of the purchase price of a bracelet from the collection is donated to FFA.
Last year at the National FFA Convention & Expo, Naylor judged the Extemporaneous Public Speaking Leadership Development Event and was floored by the impressive agricultural knowledge and abilities of the FFA members who competed. This year, he has also encouraged his colleagues at Wrangler to participate in judging FFA events and competitions.
“Ag is everywhere,” Naylor said. “It touches everyone way more than they realize.”
Naylor said that while the world ponders questions such as how we feed the world, how we do more with less, and how we battle environmental issues, FFA members are already problem-solving.
“These are big things that these young people’s brains are already starting to work on,” Naylor said. “So, if you can help develop that, it’s going to make for a better world.”
