COVER STORY How to Get the Most Out of a WG Membership
By Tim Linden W estern Growers has long been known as the major voice of the western fruit, vegetable and nut industries. Since its inception almost a century ago, the association has represented the best interests of its members as they go about the business of growing, harvesting, packing, selling and shipping the best medicine in the world. Western Growers began its life in the Roaring 20s of the last Century representing grower-shippers as they battled with the railroads to secure reasonable rates and schedules for shipping their production across the country. The association has been there for decades making sure its members get the crops harvested and to market and, most importantly, get paid in a timely manner. Over the decades, the needs of the average producer have greatly expanded beyond the operations directly affiliated with the crop in the ground. Today, WG offers many services that help growers run their businesses as they focus on producing the best products. For example, Western Growers has a Legal Department to help with all types of disputes and also to secure labor. The association’s Assurance Trust and Insurance Services departments offer a myriad of insurance options that are as necessary to keep a vegetable operation thriving as water. The Western Growers Financial Services team is equally important to help keep companies afloat and allow businesses to thrive and employees to prosper as they dedicate their careers to the noble profession of feeding a planet. WG University was established to offer training programs to business owners and their employees—both the mandatory training requirements as well as the business-enhancing programs that can help a company’s employees do their jobs better and grow personally and professionally. These are just a few of the business services available to members of Western Growers. Joseph “Sonny” Rodriguez, who is
the President and CEO of The Growers Company, an Arizona-based labor service provider, has been an enthusiastic user of Western Growers business services for more than a quarter of a century. “We use Western Growers for our medical insurance, workers’ comp, liability insurance…any insurance we have we get through Western Growers,” he said. Rodriguez notes that when he is choosing a provider for his business needs, the service is very important as are the rates. He also factors in that Western Growers does so much more for the industry with the revenues it earns from its business services. “It’s a puzzle,” he said. “We look at a lot of different factors when we make our decisions.” The company has had its medical insurance with Western Growers Insurance Services for more than 25 years; workers’ comp was added more than a decade ago and the liability insurance it obtained through WGIS became part of the company’s stable of WG products about a half a dozen years ago. “We have been doing our H-2A in collaboration with Jason (Senior Vice President & General Counsel Jason Resnick) for a long time. Now about 60 percent of our workers are H-2A.” He noted that the entire Western Growers staff “is great to work with. They handle all our needs and make sure we have options.” He reiterated that the bottom line of an insurance bid is an important aspect of getting the business, but it’s not the sole decider. “Western Growers usually meets the bid, but sometimes we have a lower bid, and we have to take a look. Building relationships is very important to us. And it is important to factor in all the work Western Growers does for the industry. We are very happy with the services we get from Western Growers.” The Growers Company was established in 1950 by Sonny’s father, Joe L Rodriguez, to serve the needs of growers in the
Glendale, Ariz. region. Sonny joined the operation fulltime after graduating from Arizona State University in 1975. Today the company has operations in multiple states, including California, Arizona and Colorado and it is a three-generation family-owned business, like many of the farming companies it serves. David Zanze is the Executive Vice President of Western Growers Assurance Trust, and the President of Pinnacle Claims Management, Inc., WG’s third-party administrator of self-funded insurance plans. He has been with Western Growers for 37 years and said the individual service Western Growers insurance teams offer to its members is what sets it apart. “We provide services that no one else offers,” Zanze said. “Of course, we are price competitive but it’s not about price, it’s about our quality of service.” Zanze said The Growers Company’s insurance plans are representative of what WGAT offers to members. “Other outfits offer similar plans but no similar service,” he said. “We go out to the field and explain our plans to the workers in their language. And if you have an issue, you can call me or any of our other executives. Try doing that with one of our competitors. You’ll never even get close to talking to a top officer. We give direct access at every level.” The fact that Western Growers is an ag-based association that is offering these services can’t be overstated, according to Zanze. “We are member-driven and member-focused. Our customers and clients are in effect, our shareholders. We answer to them, and we report to them. It is not about profits; it is about service and offering the products they need.” Tim Baloian is CEO/President of Baloian Farms in Fresno and is the third generation to farm under the family name since 1917. His grandfather, Charles Baloian, began the family’s farming tradition on Staten Island in New York Harbor. But he soon followed the trail
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MAY | JUNE 2022
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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