Top 100 Grower To Receive Award From Western Growers

Western Growers’ 89th Annual Meeting will be held in Las Vegas, NV from Nov. 2-5, 2014, at the Las Vegas Bellagio where attendees will honor this year’s Award of Honor Recipient, Gary Pasquinelli of Pasquinelli Produce, Co., and be entertained by Jay Leno.

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The reception and dinner honoring Pasquinelli will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 4, in the Bellagio Ballroom. Pasquinelli, a second generation Arizona farmer, who is CEO and co-owner of Pasquinelli Produce Co.and a Western Growers Board Member, will be honored for a lifetime’s worth of work and accomplishments in the produce industry and for his humanitarian achievements in his community and within his company.

Pasquinelli is also a deacon in the Catholic Church which has helped guide the way he manages his business. “I believe that the strongest part of my company is the folks out there working in the fields.  Without them, we couldn’t do what we do,” he said during a recent interview about receiving the award.

Following Gary Pasquinelli’s Award of Honor Reception and Dinner later that evening, attendees will experience a part of late night television show history when comedian, Emmy award winner and longtime host of the “The Tonight Show,” Jay Leno, will be the featured performer to close out the evening’s events.

Also in action during the annual meeting will be the Bravo Network’s Top Chef finalist Louis Maldonado. Maldonado will be preparing a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in unique ways at one of the scheduled workshops in the Bellagio’s Tuscany Demonstration Kitchen on Nov. 3.

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In addition to Maldanado’s workshop, three other workshops are taking place on Nov. 3 and 4.

  • “Managing Compensation” is a workshop that will feature Google’s Director of Compensation, Frank Wagner, and Western Growers’ Senior Vice President Karen Timmins. Wagner and Timmins will share compensation philosophies so participants will know how to hire and retain the best talent in the fresh produce industry.
  •  “The Ebb and Flow of Water and Cash: Challenges Facing Our Industry” will feature a panel discussion of experts examining how companies can deal with changing  conditions associated with two of agriculture’s biggest resources  – water and cash. It will be moderated by Stephen Patricio of Westside Produce.
  • The last workshop features expert panelists from the health care industry such as Web MD and Anthem Blue Cross. It will be moderated by David Zanze, president of Pinnacle Claims Management. The panel will discuss how companies can build a corporate culture of health and maximize health benefits through customized wellness programs.

Participants will also have the opportunity to attend the Political Action Committee (PAC) Lunch on Nov. 3. The PAC Lunch boasts two nationally known syndicated columnists Rubin Navarrette and Michelle Malkin who will discuss their very different takes on the immigration reform debate.

For more information go to: www.wgannualmeeting.com.

Source: Western Grower’s Association press release

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