Alan Brugler came to The Ohio State University from Burghill, Ohio in Trumbull County. He majored in agricultural education and graduated with Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degrees in 1976. Today, Brugler resides in Omaha, Nebraska where he serves as the president and CEO of Brugler Marketing and Management LLC.
[ACEL]: Hello Alan! You chose to major in agricultural education? What influenced you to select that major?
[Brugler]: I was looking for a major with flexibility in future career choices, and preferably with an opportunity to work with or help farmers. Agricultural education offered paths toward teaching, Extension, agribusiness and farm organizations.
Why did you choose to attend The Ohio State University?
I received enough grants and scholarships to cover my tuition costs, I could major in agricultural education and I was far enough from home I wouldn’t have to come back every weekend to milk cows!
How did your education at Ohio State influence your choice of career or your career path?
It reinforced that I was on the right career path for me via various classroom and extra-curricular experiences and gave me the tools to be successful.
What classes did you enjoy the most while at Ohio State? That was a long time ago! One that sticks out was an international agricultural economics class with Kelso Wessel that included eating caviar and drinking vodka, as well as a term paper on changes I expected in the Chinese economy following the Nixon visit. Another was learning to program in COBOL on a mainframe in Hitchcock Hall my freshman year (1973) in a computer science class.
The first made me a life long Chinese and international agriculture watcher. The second allowed me to advance a number of technology initiatives in agriculture as computerization spread, because I knew how the devices could be made to do the tasks and meet the needs.
Was there a faculty member for professor that you stands out as someone who influenced your education?
My advisor, Dr. Robert Warmbrod, probably had the biggest influence on the mix of classes I took, and was invaluable in navigating the honors and graduate school programs and helping me to get both my B.S and M.S. in four years. A number of other College professors and staff members also provided valuable insights and support.
How were you involved in student life activities while a student?
I was a member of the OSU Varsity Pistol Team, Alpha Zeta fraternity, Agricultural Education Society, intramural sports, Dates & Data Photographer, Undergraduate Student Government and Towers and Gamma Sigma Delta honoraries.
What is your favorite memory related to your time at Ohio State?
Social activities with the fraternity (including a Rose Bowl trip) and road trips with the pistol team (particularly Wisconsin and West Point). Football Saturdays would also be in the list.
What was your first job following your education at Ohio State?
I was an Organization Director for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation in Morrow, Crawford and Richland Counties.
For what schools, companies and/or organizations have you worked throughout your career?
I worked for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation for 15 years, first in the field and then primarily in commodity marketing education and technology implementation. I was with Data Transmission Network (DTN) for 10 years as Director of Analysis and a market outlook speaker. I have owned and operated Brugler Marketing & Management LLC for 15 years.
During your career, have you received any awards or honors? If so, what are those?
I was selected for Class 2 of the OSU LEAD program, named one of the Outstanding Young Men of America in 1988, Who’s Who in the Midwest in the 1990’s and received the CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award in 1988 and the CFAES Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011.
As of today, what is your favorite career highlight?
Certainly, receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award from CFAES in 2011 would be a highlight. Being chosen as a featured speaker for dozens of agricultural industry meetings each year and getting to share what I have learned is an ongoing recognition. Receiving calls and letters from clients thanking me for guiding them through turbulent markets financially intact always makes me feel that I’ve accomplished something.
What advice would you give to a current student?
Have real world jobs and internships while you are an underclassman. Student teaching works, too! Real jobs put course work in context and make it more relevant. I was a much better student after working one summer for Extension, and after a fall student teaching gig.
Also, work on your writing skills and public speaking. We reject many applicants for analyst positions at our firm because they can’t write well enough to put their work on public web sites unedited.
Look for “leading edge” ideas and technologies and seek to understand them. Many of the tools and concepts I use today didn’t exist when I was at Ohio State. Things will be a lot different in 10 or 15 years!
What did ACEL cultivate in you? How
The agricultural education core gave me a broad base of agricultural knowledge – entomology, botany, animal science, agricultural economics, agricultural engineering, computer programming, public speaking and lesson planning, anticipating learner objectives, the need to be well prepared…the list goes on. My time with ACEL helped me learn how to identify needs, research solutions, present them effectively, and teach thousands of others how to apply that knowledge for economic advantage in their own lives and businesses.
Brugler receives the 2011 CFAES Distinguished Alumni Award from Dean Bobby Moser.
Brugler teaches a Rick Steves Tour Group about rapeseed cultivation on Aeroe Island in Denmark.