Exacto Leadership

Wally Beecroft
Wally Beecroft
Chief Executive Officer

Wally is Exacto’s Chief Executive Officer. His involvement began in 2015 when was appointed to the Board of Directors of Exacto’s former parent company, Cox Family Holdings (CFH). Beginning in 2017, he served as CFH President and COO responsible for the holding company and its entities, including Exacto.

In 2019, Wally took the helm directly at Exacto as CEO setting a new strategic direction for the company centered on leading edge innovation, operational excellence, and a best in class customer experience. A new leadership team was appointed and strategic plan forged to strengthen Exacto as a strategic innovation partner for customers and platform for crop and plant health optimization.

Wally has an extensive track record of senior-level business management in several industries including agriculture, commercial horticulture, and the food industry. Prior to Exacto, he was an LP for the Brickman Group responsible for leading and growing a portfolio of businesses in major markets.

Wally earned a B.S. in Business Management from Northern Illinois University and continued his executive education at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has served for nearly 20 years on both corporate and non-profit boards.

Phil Kuk
Vice President, Finance & Controller

Phil is the senior executive responsible for managing all financial aspects of Exacto.

He directs the accounting and finance teams as well as oversees external resources responsible for financial planning, allocation, analysis, risk management, tax, and reporting.  Phil brings more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience with industry-leading, middle-market, and Fortune 100 companies.

He has a B.S. in Accounting, an M.B.A. from Northern Illinois University, a CPA certification, plus a certification in Corporate Finance from Harvard.

Frank Sexton
Vice President, Technical Services & Innovation

Frank Sexton has been helping to build Exacto for over 30 years. He has worked in nearly every company operation from production to product development, research, quality assurance and control, regulatory, innovation, and sales & marketing support.

He is currently a member of the Senior Leadership Team and thriving in the role of Vice President of Technical Services & Innovation, where he works with a diverse, cross-disciplinary team of scientists, chemists, biologists, agronomists, engineers, and sales & marketing teams to solve customer and industry level challenges in crop protection, plant and soil health, water conservation, and sustainability issues.

Throughout his career at Exacto, Frank has formulated and co-developed hundreds of adjuvant products. He holds nine inventor patents. He is also a co-author of several crop protection-related publications.

Eva Magnusen
Director, Strategy & Operations

Eva Magnusen joined Exacto in November of 2016 as a business analyst in the marketing department supporting the sales team. 

In 2018, she was promoted to lead the Turf and Ornamental and Industrial Vegetation Management business teams. Eva was promoted to Director of Strategy and Operations in 2021, a cross-functional leadership role connecting Operations, Sales, and Exacto’s key customers and suppliers. Prior to joining Exacto, Eva was a CFO for a logistics firm and a project manager in telecommunications.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University.  

Byron Henrix, Director of Agricultural Sales

Byron Hendrix
Director, Agricultural Market

Byron Hendrix became a part of the Exacto team in February 2022, where he currently serves as the Director, Agricultural Market. In this role, he oversees the company’s core tank mix adjuvant business, which has been at the core of Exacto’s operations for over 40 years. Byron brings a wealth of expertise to this position.

Before joining Exacto, Byron has had a long and successful career in the agricultural industry. He has been a Certified Crop Advisor with the American Society of Agronomy for two decades. His journey in agriculture began in 1998 when he started working for his family’s retail ag business. Over the years, he gained valuable experience in various aspects of the industry, including basic manufacturer chemical sales, agronomy seed sales, and commodity adjuvant raw material sales.

Throughout his career, Byron has also been involved in training and education programs, playing significant roles in intern programs and new hire trainee initiatives. Additionally, he has contributed to marketing departments by assisting with the launch of new products.

Beyond his professional life, Byron enjoys officiating for the Illinois High School Association, demonstrating his dedication to both his work and the community.

Byron’s educational background includes a B.S. degree in Ag Business from Western Illinois University and a M.S. degree in Plant and Soil Science, with a specialization in Weed Science, from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. This academic foundation, coupled with his extensive experience, makes him a valuable asset to Exacto’s leadership team in the agrochemical industry.

Glen Obear

Glen Obear
Director, Research, Development & Innovation

Glen Obear joined the Exacto team in 2016 and leads the company’s efforts in agronomic research for product development.

Glen has conducted extensive research in the fields of soil and water chemistry with 14 peer-reviewed publications and over 60 conference proceedings, extension publications, and outreach presentations.

Glen holds a B.S. in Soil Science and M.S. degrees in Soil Science and Entomology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received a Ph.D. in Agronomy at the University of Nebraska.

Brent Swanson, Director of Human Resources

Brent Swanson
Director, Human Resources

Brent Swanson joined Exacto in April 2016 and has been in the position of Human Resources Director since January, 2021. 

Brent leads all human resources functions, including employee relations, talent management, leadership development, compensation, benefits management, performance management, and human capital planning.  He also guide’s Exacto’s environmental, health, and safety programs. 

Before joining Exacto, Brent spent over a decade as a manager at QPS Employment Group, where he was responsible for full-cycle recruiting, managing customer accounts, and leading a team of professional recruiters. 

Brent graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in Mass Communication.