Words by Reagan Young | Images by Ryan McGill
Cam Thrasher, owner and operator of Thrashers Feed and Supply, made a promise to Rod Donaldson when he purchased Rod’s feed and grain business in 2012: shake hands when meeting clients, know customers by name, and always maintain eye contact. Rod, the late owner and operator of Donaldson Feed and Grain, would be proud to see Cam—his former employee—honoring that commitment while providing quality products to their customers.
Cam began working in the feed and supply business at 18, starting at Donaldson Feed and Grain in Bessemer, Alabama. He continued working there throughout college, and after graduating from UAB with a degree in nuclear medicine, the Sumiton native launched a landscaping business as a side venture. Rod hired Cam to manage landscaping at the store, and in 2012, he told Cam he planned to sell the business—and wanted him to buy it.
“I looked at Rod and said, ‘Rod, I can’t buy that store,’” says Cam. “He looked at me and said, ‘Yeah you can. We are going to work out a deal.’”
Rod and Cam worked through the numbers, settled on a price, and before long, Cam became the owner of the same store he had once mowed grass for and worked in. With new ownership came a new name: Thrashers Feed and Supply. Over the past 13 years, the business has grown to include three locations— the original Bessemer store, a storefront in Woodstock, and the newest location in Sumiton.
Two years after purchasing the Bessemer store, Cam visited a recently closed feed and seed store in Woodstock in hopes of buying a forklift. After striking up a conversation with the owner, he walked away with both the forklift and a lease agreement for what would become Thrashers’ second location.
“We struck up a deal on a one-year lease just to give it a try and never looked back,” says Cam.
Cam’s wife, Rachel, and his brother, Trey, help manage the daily operations at Thrashers, while Cam focuses on the company’s growth and future. He credits the business’s success to his dedicated team.
“That is what helped me get here is my employees,” says Cam. “I treat my employees like family, and they treat me like family.”
As the customer base grew, so did the need for a broader product selection. That led to the purchase of 11 acres in Sumiton and the grand opening of a new 26,000-square-foot Thrashers location in August 2024.
The Sumiton store carries the traditional hand-bagged seed offered at all Thrashers locations but has expanded to include hardware, grills, gardening tools, custom paint, key fob programming, fishing supplies, and outdoor gear. Thrashers also offers farm consultations to help customers improve the health of their livestock and the quality of their land.
“Our goal is to be a one-stop shop,” says Cam.Thrashers prides itself on delivering excellent customer service and high-quality products. This family business continues to make a lasting impact across Alabama—one bag of seed at a time. WL
