Q. How are you involved in the almond industry?
A. I am both a grower and packer in the industry. We farm in Madera, Merced, and Stanislaus County and our family has been in the industry since the 80's. A few years ago we opened up our packing operation and now we export our almonds all across the globe.
Q. How did you get involved with the Almond Leadership Program and how many years have you been a mentor?
A. I first got involved with the Almond Leadership Program by joining it as a participant in 2016. The program opened a lot of opportunities for me and a lot of things I'm doing can be traced back to my time in the program.
Q. What is your favorite part of being a mentor in the Almond Leadership Program?
A. One of the best parts of being a mentor is being able to get a fresh perspective and learn from my mentee. I was paired with a mentee who had a strong discipline in a part of the industry that I'm less educated in and it was great to learn from him. It was also awesome to give him tips on how to make the most out of the program and prepare for his project.
Q. What is your favorite memory during your time as a mentor?
A. Earlier this year my mentee and I went to a neighbor of mine's grower workshop and it was great to see my mentee absolutely thrive amongst strangers and really get to flex his knowledge.
Q. What advice do you have for young almond leaders?
A. My No. 1 advice to young almond leaders is do not be afraid to ask "dumb" questions, if you need answers then go get them because the ones who don't are the ones who get left behind.
Q. How do you like to eat almonds?
A. I'm an almond butter guy through and through, I'm especially partial to putting a spoonful on top of my Chobani yogurt.
