2020 WG CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Talley to ‘Embrace Change’ During Transition Year
By Tim Linden W hile incoming Western Growers 2020 Chairman of the Board Ryan Talley does not expect there to be sweeping changes under his watch, he does note that it will be a transition year for the association and some change is inevitable. “I am very excited for Western Growers as we bring on board Dave Puglia as the new president/CEO. My role is to be as helpful
to Dave as I can be during this year of transition,” he said. “I don’t expect there to be major changes but I also hate to say it will be status quo. We are bringing on a new chief executive who will have a different management style and will see things differently. I embrace change and know that Dave does as well. This is a great opportunity to see our issues with some fresh eyes.” For his part, Talley will highlight the role small and medium size farmers play in western specialty agriculture and will pay specific attention to this sector. “I am not saying that this group has been ignored by Western Growers in the past, but it is the sector I represent and this a great opportunity to use my platform to emphasize this group,” he said. “Medium-ish” is the descriptor Talley uses to describe his family’s operation. The company was founded in 1948 in Arroyo Grande, CA, by his grandparents Oliver and Hazel Talley. Hazel hailed from Canada while Oliver was a Central Coast guy who came back home after graduating from U.C. Berkeley. He was not a farmer by birth nor education but rather entered the industry simply because that is the path he wanted to follow. He first farmed in the Los Osos Valley, west of San Luis Obispo, before starting his own company in the late 1940s in Arroyo Grande, which is south of SLO. Oliver and Hazel had two sons—Don and Ken—both of
6 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2020
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