VegetableGrowerConnect Highlights The Value Of Networking
January 11, 2016 
Joe Ferrari from Dole (left) and Liphatech’s Chuck Hathaway discuss strategy during a one-on-one meeting at the VegetableGrowerConnect in San Diego, CA, in November.
Photo credit: Rosemary Gordon
Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, CA, again was the setting for American Vegetable Grower® magazine’s second annual VegetableGrowerConnectSM. Some of the largest vegetable growers in the West and decision makers from leading suppliers met in late November for two-and-a-half days of meetings and networking.
The focal point of the event was the one-on-one private meetings. Prior to the Connect, the growers were interviewed in order to match them with suppliers who created specific presentations to address their individual needs.
According to Ryan Coultas of Coultas Farming in California and a first-time attendee, attending VegetableGrowerConnect was a good use of his time. Coultas said the Connect was a great place to learn about new ideas and ways of doing things.
“The event provided an avenue to network with other growers and vendors in various regions,” he said. “We were able to discover new ideas and products that could improve and grow our business.
Mark Mason of Huntington Farms, also a new attendee, said he wasn’t sure what to expect at the Connect but wound up being pleasantly surprised.
“The event is totally worth it. I wasn’t with suppliers who tried to sell me things I didn’t need. It was a good learning experience,” he explained.
The Value Of Networking
In addition to the one-on-one meetings, growers and suppliers had ample time to network during the opening reception and meals.
According to Bruce Frasier of Texas-based Dixondale Farms, whenever you have an opportunity to meet some of the leaders of the industry, there is always a great opportunity to network.
“The great thing about this conference is the openness that attendees had to help others, even their competitors,” he said. “A rising tide raises all ships might be a cliché, but it was definitely the atmosphere of the Connect.”
Attending VegetableGrowerConnect for the second time, Frasier said he has built relationships with several of the suppliers he met with in 2014, and of the new suppliers he met in November, he said they were well prepared and knew the specifics about his business.
Suppliers also mentioned the benefits of relationship building at the Connect. In fact, Karl Manges, president of DS&A, Inc., a distributor of beneficial biological products, talked about the difference between attending the Connect and going to a trade show.
“It is better than a trade show because at a trade show we get maybe a minute or two of the grower’s time,” he said. “At Vegetable-GrowerConnect, the grower walks in the door for the one-on-one meetings with the desire to learn about our products and find out how we can help him.
“The event is great the whole way through — from the one-on-one meetings where we have about 50 minutes with these growers, to the lunch and dinner events where we can have additional conversations. The Connect is a big thumbs up for us,” Manges said. “Everyone we talked to was very receptive to what we had to say. This event gave me my ‘after-New-Year’s enthusiasm’ in November.”
If you would like to learn more about VegetableGrowerConnect or participate in the event in 2016, visit VegetableGrowerConnect.com or send an email to Rosemary Gordon at [email protected].
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