blazed by others of Armenian descent and moved to California’s San Joaquin Valley. “My grandfather had a vision for a vertically integrated company,” Tim says. He did not quite reach the full extent of the vision, but he did grow crops, had a wholesale business and evolved into marketing over time. Tim’s father, Ed Baloian, and uncle, Jim Baloian, carried the tradition forward and passed it on to the next generation. Tim joined the company full time in 1971 at the age of 19. It was the second and third generations that expanded the vertical integration further and also honed in on vegetables as their fresh sector of choice. Tim said the next generation is stepping up to the plate as he has two daughters and two nephews that are working for the operation in key spots. And there are other potential fourth generation leaders still working through the education system. “We do have a transition plan in place,” he said. It is with this background and 50 years of farming under his belt that the current CEO decided to expand his employee training program this year through the WG University. In the past, Baloian said the company utilized Western Growers for the mandatory trainings required by law, but it had not gone further than that. “This year we decided to do five different trainings,” Baloian said, noting that trainings are taking place at the rate of about one a month over four to five months. They cover several topics including workplace behavior and regulations, management 101, navigating change, building trust and developing leadership skills. He added that because of their busy harvesting schedule, which tends to get underway in earnest in May, the company wanted the formal education program concluded before the workload started to escalate. “We’ve done four of the five classes and it’s been great,” Baloian said. “I can’t say enough about Anna (Bilderbach), Learning and Development Manager, who conducted the classes. She has done a great job. She is very knowledgeable and built a rapport with the participants. That was the key.” Baloian took each of the classes along with about 20 employees each time. “I learned a lot,” he said. “I think I got as much out of it as anybody else.” The company went down this path because employee evaluations identified a need for more training sessions. Baloian said employees wanted to learn
about improving their own business and interpersonal skills. “It’s not cheap but it’s well worth it,” he said. “I highly recommend it. I believe over the years the trainings will produce a significant ROI. It’s hard to put a value on giving your employees the opportunity to learn but I’ve already seen changes. I know the classes have made me a better manager.” Bilderbach has been with Western Growers for a handful of years but has been in the employee training industry for two decades. “We basically offer a learning and consultancy service to our members,” she said of WG University. “We offer our programs in English and Spanish— on-site, online and on-demand for an affordable price. We have an extensive list of opportunities.”
When working with a member, Bilderbach said she starts the conversation with “What do you need and what are you trying to achieve? We have competitive pricing, and we give a 20 percent discount to members.” She noted that among the more popular offerings are classes on Leadership Development, Supervisory Skills and HR & Employment Law. “We also customize programs to fit the member’s exact needs.” Bliderbach believes on-site courses are the most effective, but she said the live online webinars, and the e-learning sessions on-demand are credible alternatives. She did say that the programs are very popular, and members should plan ahead. “Right now, I am pretty booked until at least June,” she said in mid-April.
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