Salinas, CA — The Grower-Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) held its Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 19 at Corral de Tierra Country Club in Salinas. Butch Corda, the Association’s new Chairman of the Board, was inaugurated at this event in front of more than 100 members, dignitaries and guests.
Butch Corda noted how well outgoing Chairman Henry Dill has bridged the history of our industry and Association with the present through the historical video project he spearheaded in his year as Chairman. Corda plans to continue building upon that bridge into the future of GSA with his Future Leaders Program. Through this program, Corda and the GSA Board of Directors will focus on developing the “next generation” of GSA Directors through mentorship, as well as participation in Board meetings, GSA committee meetings and other educational events. Through the Future Leaders Program, a new generation of ag professionals will be exposed to issues and facets of the ag industry beyond what they manage in the day-to-day duties of their respective jobs.
Corda has been actively involved in the GSA Board as well as the activities of the Association for many years. He has seen the focus of GSA shift throughout the years as the ag industry has grown and changed. He said, “The complexities of this industry grow exponentially from year to year, with the major issues changing as the industry moves forward. Managing these issues as individual companies can be overwhelming and cost-prohibitive, which is where GSA comes in. The combined efforts of the staff and membership creates the collective pool of resources that this industry needs to effectively address the big issues.”
The son of a farmer, Corda was born and raised in Gonzales. A graduate of Gonzales High School, Hartnell College and San Jose State, he returned to his native Salinas Valley not long after college and has been working in the ag industry for over 35 years. His career started working for a produce broker for three years. He then worked for Oshita in sales. He has also previously worked for Growers Vegetable Express and Fresh Innovations. Corda has spent the last 10 years at Ippolito International where he is the General Manager. He lives in Salinas with his wife Nancy, whom he met while she was working in sales for Dole. Agriculture is truly the family business as their daughter Brittany also works in the industry.
During GSA’s annual meeting, outgoing Chairman Henry Dill spoke of the significant accomplishments of GSA’s staff and directors over the past year, including the organization’s increased focus on issues management, education and workshops. The guest speaker for this event was Gary Pisoni, who is a third generation vegetable grower in the Gonzales area. Pisoni is also a pioneer in planting wine grapes in the foothills west of Soledad/Gonzales, an area that is now recognized as the acclaimed Santa Lucia Highlands.
The event concluded with the announcement of GSA’s annual E.E. “Gene” Harden Award Honoree for lifetime achievement in Central Coast agriculture. Jim Bogart, GSA President and General Counsel, announced that the award would be presented posthumously to Richard Smith of Smith Family Wines, Paraiso Vineyards and Valley Farm Management. The award will officially be presented at the organization’s annual gala event to be held June 25, 2016.
Corda will lead the organization as its Chairman until May 2017. Dan Canales of Ippolito International is the Vice Chairman for 2016-2017 with Patrick Collins of Dole Fresh Vegetables serving as Treasurer. In addition to these, the 2016-2017 Grower-Shipper Association Board of Directors will be made up of Brian Antle (Tanimura & Antle); Rod Braga (Braga Fresh Family Farms); Brian Church (Church Brothers); Patrick Collins (Dole Fresh Vegetables); Dwight Ferguson (Naturipe); Jeff Jackson (Earthbound Farm); Cindy Jewell (California Giant Berry Farms); Colby Pereira (Costa Farms); Jerry Rava II (Rava Ranches); and Jason Smith (Smith Family Wines).
The Grower-Shipper Association is an organization representing over 340 members throughout Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. For more information or to learn how you can become a member contact Jim Bogart, President at (831) 422-8844 or jim@growershipper.com.
Source: The Grower-Shipper Association