CASTROVILLE, Calif. – Ocean Mist Farms celebrated the completion of its inaugural leadership development program with a graduation ceremony Nov. 19 for Class I participants of the program designed to develop the company’s emerging leaders from within.
Conceptualized, designed and implemented over several years, the leadership development program included curriculum that included topics such as self-awareness, organizational behavior, team building, change management and strategic planning among others.
Jorge Suarez, director of human resources, said the six employees in the Class I program invested more than 165 hours of classroom, field, and experiential time over a year and half, read 10 books and benefitted from 20 different presentations from experts in their fields – both in and out of the company.
The program curriculum educated the participants about the entire Ocean Mist Farms process, from seed to sales, Suarez said, and then moved on to broader program topics that included areas such as business acumen and principles of leadership.
“This program is about developing key human capital at Ocean Mist Farms,” Suarez said. “We identified the employees with the potential to grow our business, and we invested in them as part of our company’s future.”
The employees were selected to participate in the program based on several criteria including current job performance, significant responsibility for people and/or resources as well as functional diversity and expertise within the company. The Class I graduates include:
· Christopher Drew, Production Manager
· Terry Lynch, Operations Controller
· John Pattullo, General Manager
· Paul Scheid, General Manager
· Gary Silacci, Sales Manager
· Adrian Zendejas, General Manager
Moving forward, the program will continue to identify qualified Ocean Mist Farms employees to take part in future leadership classes, Suarez said. For more information visit www.oceanmist.com.
About Ocean Mist Farms
Ocean Mist Farms' growers are focused on meeting the needs of their customers and consumers. That means they are committed to the highest standards in the industry for quality, service, innovation, social responsibility and delivering year-round premium fresh vegetables. Ocean Mist Farms is four generations of family farmers who lead the artichoke category and grow a full line of fresh vegetables.
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Source: Ocean Mist Farms
