Sam Guy is my grain guy. He is also the guy that will open the store early if you need something for your animals. Last winter, one of my sheep, Tiny, was very pregnant with twins, had developed Ketosis and needed glycol to save her life. My vet was out, but Sam had the medication and offered to open up after hours if I needed anything like that. “Just give me a call at home, my number is in the book, I will come down and meet you here at the store.”

Sam is a quite kind of guy when you first meet him. He is always donating to local charities and is approached by many in the community for some sort of support. Ask and he gives. He serves on boards and does his part…more then most. What impresses me most about Sam is how humble he seems. Preferring little recognition, he just directs folks looking for a donation to simply go get something off the shelf, or he will have a check made out.

Photo courtesy of Alexandra Garven

But Sam is a man of contradiction. A while back, I need a pen to write out a check for grain. I grabbed one from the can on the counter. “This pen was stolen from Guy’s Farm and Yard because Sam was too darn cheap to give me one” was printed on the side. I nearly busted a seam from laughter. Emily at the counter gave a look of confirmation that indeed Sam can be pretty frugal. This got me thinking. With his great humility I wondered if he would allow me to write a profile on him.

His staff and son were not sure if he would agree to it. When I got to him, I was preparing for a rejection. I pitched my idea and he conceded with little arm-twisting. “Sam you surprise me with your willingness. I thought you would be too humble to let me do this.”

“This is good advertising, and that’s were my humble stops.” I scheduled a time to sit down and chat with him, and also asked if he minded that I talk with some of his family and staff to get the real dirt. Not that Sam would hide stuff; he is pretty open, but that to get a real flavor of his contradictions I felt that I would have to get different perspectives. My interview was more a conversation with him about the history of his family and the business. He didn’t say much about himself directly, but though conversation the character of the man appeared.

Sam is a second generation Vermonter. His Grandfather, Lucas Garcia was a stone worker from the Northeast Region of Spain, came through Ellis Island in the early part of the 20th Century, and settled in Barre. Sam remembers him working magnificent stone walls well into his Eighties. His mother, Carmen was born in this country and purchased the Farmer’s Grain Company in Morristown with her husband, Milford Guy, in the early 60’s. Milford’s family had “come down” from Quebec, not as part of the Quebec-Que farming movement of the 50s, but as Scott/Canadians hailing most likely Nova Scotia. This would explain part of Sam’s propensity for frugalness.

His parents, having come from little but an abundance of good work ethic, made a go of it with a business partner and built the business from the Farmer’s Grain Company to the Lamoille Grain Company in 1960. Sam was three and his sister a bit older.

At the age 12 Sam’s father died of lymphatic cancer, leaving his mother with a business to run and two children to raise. Early in his life, Sam made the decision contrary to most young Vermonters. He wanted to stay in the area, run the family business and in turn establish his own family here in Morristown. Although he claims that he had a “fear of leaving,” Sam’s strong sense of loyalty and dedication to his family is evident. Sam graduated from People’s Academy and attended Champlain College earning a degree in business in 1977. He was able to buy out his mother, affording her retirement and later became the sole owner in 1998. Lamoille Grain Co. transitioned into Guys Farm and Yard and has been going strong ever since.

Sam works his business like a hobby. He loves going to work, setting his alarm for 4:30 a.m. and often getting up before the alarm goes off. “I don’t remember a day that I didn’t like going to work,” he explained. But he is not myopic nor a slave to his work. He loves that his business affords him the flexibility to be able to see his kid’s sporting games. I was told that he has never missed one. He loves taking vacations with his wife and enjoys big game hunting. Sam knows how to play as well.

Sam has a quirky business mind and has a practical view of the world. He knows the books and business like the back of his hand, but keeps most in his brain instead of writing things down. Training Sam to write things down and organize is a task Lorna has been working on for 21 years. He is a multi-tasking savant. When you talk with him you know that he is listening to you, while thinking out a delivery that has just pulled up, and finding an item for the cashier all at the same time. He has a way with sayings that makes one giggle. “He’s as free from brains as a frog’s ass is from feathers.”

As for his frugalness, his family will attest that it is a strong characteristic. He is not cheap, mind you. He likes a good hunting rifle, seen as an “investment,” and enjoys his Crown Royal. Sam believes that his frugalness allows him to be generous in his support of the community. He believes that he has been lucky in life with good family and with good health. He believes that giving back is the right thing to do.

Sam is one of those Vermonters whose quite way of contributing is the stone foundation that close communities are built on. He is not as flamboyant as most Vermonter celebrities, nor does he seek the spotlight. I don’t think I have ever seen him in flannel and he is not noted for his twang. He is the Vermont native who runs a mean business, is happy to contribute, and portrays a quite confidence in knowing what he has is priceless.

Alexandra Garven lives in Morristown.