The Relationships As Nassif prepares to exit the Western Growers center stage, he does say it is the relationships that made the job, both with staff and industry members. Again, he was reluctant to single out the few at the expense of the many. He did say he formed an extremely close relationship with his first two chairmen of the board—A.G. Kawamura and Edwin Camp—as he traversed the early days of his presidency. He also mentioned longtime top lieutenant Matt McInerney. “Matt and I developed such a great relationship and respect that I expect to endure long after I leave the office. There are a lot of people on the board and on the staff that have been very special but I just hate to name names as I will leave out too many.” He did note that he is leaving behind an excellent staff and is hopeful that the new CEO will treat them in much the same way he did 18 years ago. He mentioned that a handful of longtime WG staffers have retired in the past few years, creating a loss of a great deal of institutional knowledge. Western Growers Afterlife Tom Nassif ’s spiritual side has been on display for all to see throughout his years at Western Growers so it is not surprising
progress. Ag innovation has taken a prominent place with many investors coming forward. We are on the right track and we are starting to see results.” Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance Nassif plucks a success story from the early days of his Western Growers career as another highlight of his tenure. Working with the association’s contract lobbyist, Robert Schramm, Nassif said the two of them wrote the bill that eventually led to the inclusion of a Specialty Crop title in the Farm Bill. For decades, program crops were the only teams on the Farm Bill playing field. The work by Western Growers, in conjunction with other specialty crop organizations around the country, led to the new dynamic, which has funneled billions of dollars of public investment to the industry. That also led to another Nassif initiative with the invaluable assistance of Steve Patricio and Matt McInerney to establish full-time representation in the nation’s capital for the association. Western Growers had always used contract lobbyists but under Nassif ’s watch, the organization has established one of the most robust government affairs offices for specialty agriculture in D.C.
Nassif and McInerney at his 10-year anniversary award
and for thinkers to work on solutions for the industry’s most challenging problems such as a shortage of labor and water. Industry leaders Bruce Taylor and Vic Smith were instrumental in launching this effort, and Nassif says it wouldn’t have succeeded without them. But it was his idea to build and own the Center with Western Growers taking the lead position in this effort rather than a secondary role. Though, it will take time for solutions to emerge, Nassif said “we have seen phenomenal
Ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Sand Canyon location
24 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2019
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