WESTERN GROWERS OFFICERS – 2019
RON RATTO, Chairman RYAN TALLEY, Senior Vice Chair ALBERT KECK, Vice Chair CAROL CHANDLER, Treasurer VICTOR SMITH, Executive Secretary THOMAS A. NASSIF, President DIRECTORS – 2019 GEORGE J. ADAM Innovative Produce, Santa Maria, California ALEXANDRA ALLEN Main Street Produce, Santa Maria, California KEVIN S. ANDREW Vanguard International, Bakersfield, California ROBERT K. BARKLEY Barkley Ag Enterprises LLP,Yuma, Arizona STEPHEN J. BARNARD Mission Produce, Inc., Oxnard, California BARDIN E. BENGARD Bengard Ranch, Salinas, California GEORGE BOSKOVICH III Boskovich Farms, Oxnard, California NEILL CALLIS Turlock Fruit Company,Turlock, California DON CAMERON Terranova Ranch, Helm, California EDWIN A. CAMP D. M. Camp & Sons, Bakersfield, California CAROL CHANDLER Chandler Farms LP, Selma, California LAWRENCEW. COX Coastline Family Farms, Salinas, California STEPHEN F. DANNA Danna Farms, Inc.,Yuba City, California JOHN C. D’ARRIGO D’Arrigo Bros. Co. of California, Salinas, California THOMAS DEARDORFF II Deardorff Family Farms, Oxnard, California FRANZW. DE KLOTZ Richard Bagdasarian Inc., Mecca, California SAMUEL D. DUDA Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc., Salinas, California CATHERINE A. FANUCCHI Tri-Fanucchi Farms Inc., Bakersfield, California DAVID L. GILL Rio Farms, King City, California BRANDON A. GRIMM Grimmway Farms, Arvin, California JOHN JACKSON Beachside Produce, LLC, Nipomo, California A. G. KAWAMURA Orange County Produce, LLC, Irvine, California ALBERT KECK Hadley Date Gardens,Thermal, California FRED P. LOBUE, JR. LoBue Bros., Inc., Lindsay, California FRANK MACONACHY Ramsay Highlander, Inc., Gonzales, California JOHN S. MANFRE Frank Capurro and Son, Moss Landing, California STEPHEN MARTORI III Martori Farms, Scottsdale, Arizona HAROLD MCCLARTY HMC Farms, Kingsburg, California TOMMULHOLLAND Mulholland Citrus, Orange Cove, California ALEXANDERT. MULLER Pasquinelli Produce Co.,Yuma, Arizona DOMINIC J. MUZZI Muzzi Family Farms, LLC, Moss Landing, California MARK NICKERSON PrimeTime International, Coachella, California THOMAS M. NUNES The Nunes Company, Inc., Salinas, California STEPHEN F. PATRICIO Westside Produce, Firebaugh, California RON RATTO Ratto Bros. Inc., Modesto, California CRAIG A. READE Bonipak Produce, Inc., Santa Maria, California ERICT. REITER Reiter Affiliated Companies, Oxnard, California JOSEPH A. RODRIGUEZ The Growers Company, Inc., Somerton, Arizona WILL ROUSSEAU Rousseau Farming Company,Tolleson, Arizona VICTOR SMITH JV Smith Companies,Yuma, Arizona KELLY STRICKLAND Five Crowns, Inc., Brawley, California RYANTALLEY Talley Farms, Arroyo Grande, California BRUCE C.TAYLOR Taylor Farms California, Salinas, California STUARTWOOLF Woolf Farming & Processing, Fresno, California ROBYRACEBURU Wonderful Orchards, Shafter, California
TOM NASSIF | PRESIDENT AND CEO, WESTERN GROWERS PRESIDENT’S NOTES
How Do You Measure a Career? I have discovered that as I near retirement, I have become more introspective. The song, “Seasons of Love,” asks a thoughtful question: “How do you measure a year?” Lately, I have found myself asking a similar philosophical question: “How do you measure a career?”
On February 1, 2020, I will step down as president and the chief executive officer of Western Growers. The date will mark 18 years of service to the fresh produce industry, in what has been a fitting capstone to a God-inspired career that has taken me from the green fields of the Imperial Valley to the hallowed halls of the Reagan White House to the exotic shores of North Africa, and back again. Every decision I have made in my career has been prayerfully considered by my loving wife and me, and I have always been driven by the desire to impact the lives of others. Like the multi-generational farming families I have been honored to represent for the past 18 years, my intention has always been to leave a lasting legacy for the next generation, to make the world a better place for our children and grandchildren. Practically speaking, during my tenure at Western Growers, my focus has been on enhancing the competitiveness and profitability of our member companies, ensuring that we have a viable industry capable of thriving for decades to come. Achieving this goal has required strengthening the capacity of our association to serve our members. Western Growers was founded nearly a century ago on the concept of strength in numbers, and over the years has played a significant role in shaping the fresh produce landscape. Since taking over in 2002, my motivation has been to build on this tradition and solidify Western Growers’ position as one of the leading grower-based
trade associations in the country. Today, Western Growers is a leader in food safety, labor and immigration, water, business insurance and employee benefits, technology and innovation, and in many other areas. Our organization is politically influential, financially resilient, and poised to achieve even greater gains for the industry. I am proud of our accomplishments as an association and confident in our future. To what do I attribute such success, and why do I view our outlook with such certainty? The answer to both questions is the same: our staff and board. The enduring greatness of Western Growers stems from our deeply knowledgeable, extremely passionate, highly motivated staff and an equally impressive and committed board. Our board of directors is unparalleled in the industry in that it is comprised almost exclusively of decision-makers, which means we can address any matter in any board meeting and walk out of the room ready to act. Simply put, the makeup of our board gives us clout. However, as you can imagine with a room full of owners and CEOs, there are many strong personalities involved. I have often been asked if I would prefer to lead an army of generals or soldiers, to which I unequivocally answer: “Generals.” Recall that both Presidents Eisenhower and Lincoln assembled war councils made up of strategic-minded and battle-hardened generals committed to the successful conclusion of World War II and the
4 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2019
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