[Leadership] Lon Records

Events often shape a person’s outlook on life. How people react to them varies like the waves of an ocean — no two are the same. Target Specialty Products President Lon Records and his family have experienced events that could have left others bitter or resentful. However, it is not in this former college wrestler’s make up to walk away from a challenge, let alone let it get the best of him.

THE EARLY YEARS. Records enjoyed a typical "Baby Boomer" childhood in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, Calif. "It was an ideal place to grow up," Records said. "There weren’t any worries. You had freedom to play and enjoy your friends."

The oldest of three children, including brother Rich and sister Cheryl, Records was on the high school football and wrestling teams and also wrestled in college. He learned a lot from those experiences. "You have to do it on your own in wrestling," Records said. "When you are struggling with competition or an issue, it’s you and that problem. Either you solve it or you don’t."

Records’ parents, Hank and Ruby, were also strong influences, stressing a good education — he has a bachelor’s degree from Long Beach State and an MBA from Pepperdine University — and instilling a competitive spirit.

"My father was a hard worker and so was my mother," said Records. "They expected us kids to work hard and do the right thing. We got disciplined when we didn’t do the right thing and I got enough discipline to know that I didn’t like it.

"We lost both of our parents to cancer — our dad to lung cancer and our mom to breast cancer," added Records. "When you go through it, especially with your mother, it’s a rough deal."

The Records siblings were immersed in their mother’s struggle to beat the disease, accompanying her to every doctor’s appointment. The subject, still tough for Records to discuss, prompted him to get involved. Joining forces with the American Cancer Society, the family invested time and resources into the cause they’re passionate about.

"I attended a lot of classes sponsored by the Society during my mom’s fight, and it opened my eyes," recalled Records. At the same time, Target was seeking to support a worthy cause, he said. "I could honor my parents but also serve as an example for the pest management industry."

Then a single phone call took the involvement to another level. "I received a call from Jayne Lastusky (the head of the cancer society’s Long Beach chapter) and she asked, ‘Who are you guys?’" said Records. Lastusky appreciated their annual contribution and wanted to know more about Target.

She asked if she could come for a visit, during which Lastusky asked Records if he would serve on the society’s Advisory Committee. He couldn’t turn it down. "I thought it was my responsibility to the community to get involved," Records said. "After having gone through the battle with both my parents I wanted to help others in their fight."

Records eventually became chairman of the Long Beach Chapter, and when Lastusky was promoted to the Los Angeles regional office, Records became a board member, and today serves as regional chairman.

His efforts have helped raise awareness of the fight for a cure and has raised thousands of dollars to help cancer patients and their families. At Target’s recent Charity Golf Tournament, which raised more than $50,000 for the society, Lastusky thanked Records and his staff, while acknowledging cancer survivors Larry Musgrove, Darla Larsen and Ron Suber, as well as the family of Dick Scoville, who passed away earlier this year, for their "very courageous presentations."

One in two men and one in three women will hear the words "You have cancer" at some point in their lives, Lastusky said, but "the landscape has changed dramatically" since the society’s early days. "Cancer is curable today," she said. "The five-year survival rates for many cancers are as high as 97 percent if discovered early."

Since its inception in 2000, Target’s golf outing has raised $452,000 for cancer research and support.

DUAL EFFORT. While the money raised through Target’s efforts contributes much to the fight, Records also wants to win the battle of awareness. He said fear and denial grip cancer victims after the diagnosis and that gives the disease an advantage. "I’ve been through it so many times and I go to funerals and say, ‘If they had just done this or just done that after they were told what to do,’" Records said. "Cancer is a competitive, complex disease with a lot of dimensions and you have to be aggressive in combating it."

He strongly encourages cancer victims and their families to take advantage of the American Cancer Society’s resources. "There is a better outcome for many cancer victims but they have to pick up the phone or go to the website and get started," he said. "The resources offered are incredible and can make dealing and coping with cancer easier."

Records’ passionate support to help wipe out cancer is accompanied by a burning desire to defend the professional pest management industry against charges that pesticides lead to increased incidents.

"Our industry is unfairly maligned by activists for despoiling the environment and cancer causation, which are both absolutely bogus assertions," Records said. "There is no cause and effect relationship between any of the specialty agriculture chemicals used at label rates and cancer."

Records cited the activists’ claim that DDT has a direct link to cancer as an example where sound science was not used. "They want to keep people in a constant state of fear, and I feel strongly that our industry needs to be engaged in fighting back," he said.

Records noted that specialty agriculture chemicals are what give the country an abundant, affordable and nutritious food supply. This is often taken for granted until one sees images from developing countries where food is often in short supply and of low nutritional value. "It would be a very, very cruel world if we were not allowed to use specialty agricultural chemicals to protect crops and our urban environment," Records said. "We would not have the abundance we have today. It’s as simple as that."

FAMILY FOCUSED. Away from his work, Records relishes his role as a husband, father, grandfather and good friend. His wife, Lynn, recently retired after 38 years teaching hearing impaired students. The couple met at a dance in Scottsdale, Ariz., and now have three children and three grandchildren.

Today, oldest daughter Lory manages a landscape architect business; son Erik is a manager at Target Specialty Products; and youngest daughter Heather is an interior designer.

Records is known in the industry as a no-nonsense, straight shooter who is a tough but fair competitor and has helped build Target into a significant player in the pest management, golf course, specialty agriculture and lawn care/ornamental product distribution market. He is also known for being as good a friend as a person can find.

"Lon is one of those rare dedicated individuals who have the ability to lead others by his own example," said Larry Eichler, president of Prentiss and a long-time friend. "His sincere dedication to the American Cancer Society became much more than a Records family cause but also a Target Specialty Products cause and spread through the supplier side of our own industry nationally."

At 67, Records has no plans to slow down. As this former collegiate wrestler says, making a difference and being a positive influence in people’s lives is a big order, and one he intends to fill for many years to come.

"My work at Target and with the American Cancer Society is certainly not about me," he said. "It’s part of a calling and is multi-dimensional. I love my wife and family, my friends, my work at Target and what I do for the American Cancer Society."
 

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IN BRIEF…

NAME: Lon Records

COMPANY/AFFILIATION: Target Specialty Products

LOCATION: Santa Fe Springs, Calif.

POSITION: President

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Bachelor’s in Zoology, Long Beach State University; MBA, Pepperdine University; president, Target Specialty Products; chair, American Cancer Society Los Angeles Region; former president, United Producers, Formulators & Distributors Association; past chairman, Western Plant Health Association Board; Citizen of the Year, Santa Fe Springs.

PERSONAL: Married 38 years to wife Lynn; three children: Lory, Erik and Heather; two grandsons: Nolan and Luke; enjoys spending time with his family and his dogs.