R.W. Griffin owner and CEO Ralph Evans was inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame on March 21 at the 69th University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Alumni Association Awards and Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame Ceremony at The Classic Center in Athens. Evans is a business and peanut industry leader whose family has been serving the agricultural community since 1922.
Since taking over R.W. Griffin Feed, Seed and Fertilizer in 1977, Ralph Evans has expanded it from a single location to a conglomerate of 42 companies.
Ralph Evans has played a significant role in advancing agriculture in Georgia through his leadership at R.W. Griffin Feed, Seed and Fertilizer, a company founded by his grandfather, Ralph Waldo Griffin, in 1922. Evans’ grandfather instilled a work ethic and passion for agriculture in him at an early age, recalls Evans, who helped out measuring garden seed for customers at his grandfather’s store before and after school as early as age 9.
After graduating from East Tennessee State University, Evans’ influence in the industry was felt early in his career as he was invited to join the board of the crop protection cooperative buying group, Chem Nut Inc., in 1983, joining its executive board in 1995. During his tenure, Chem Nut has expanded to 40 states and more than 400 independent agricultural retailers.
Evans took a lead role in organizing Premium Peanut and serves on its board of directors. Premium Peanut has grown to 480 producer members, accounting for approximately 10% of the U.S. peanut crop, making Premium Peanut one of the largest shellers in the country.
Since taking over the family business in 1977, Evans has expanded it from a single location with 25 employees to a conglomerate of 42 companies with more than 500 employees.
This growth includes 21 agricultural retail stores, seven wholesale fertilizer terminals, two cotton gins, and four peanut buying points, making it one of the largest privately owned diversified agribusinesses in the Southeast. The R.W. Griffin family of companies services hundreds of thousands of acres of Georgia crops every year.
Under Evans’ guidance, R.W. Griffin has adapted to the evolving needs of Georgia’s farmers, emphasizing principles of service, integrity, and mutually beneficial partnerships. This approach has nurtured loyalty among employees and farmers alike. Evans takes pride in the fact that all four of his adult children, as well as three nephews and two sons-in-law, have joined him in the family business.
Evans is also a founding board member of First National Bank of Coffee County, which has been a reliable source of financing for farmers in Coffee County and surrounding areas.