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AMERICAN PISTACHIO INDUSTRY
2017 ANNUAL CONFERENCE Special Edition
AMERICAN PISTACHIO INDUSTRY
2017 ANNUAL CONFERENCE More than 800 pistachio growers, processors, and industry professionals gathered at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa, in Palm Desert, California, February 22-24, for the 10th Annual American Pistachio Industry Conference. Check out what our snapshots captured during our industry’s biggest event of the year. More photos can be viewed and downloaded at APGPOWER.ORG.
AMERICAN PISTACHIO INDUSTRY 2016/2017 ANNUAL REPORT Available at AmericanPistachios.org by logging into the member portal. Filled with information about pistachios production, acreage, shipments, market information, and much more.
AMERICAN PISTACHIO INDUSTRY
2017 ANNUAL CONFERENCE The APG staff, 89 exhibitors, our ambassador, Miss California 2016 Jessa Carmack, and our mascot, American Pistachio welcomed all with gifts, products and services.
PAC GOLF TOURNAMENT Shotgun start, line drives, holes-in-one and even a few mulligans. Fore!
PAC GOLF TOURNAMENT A pristine golf course, manicured greens and plenty of sunshine— a perfect day of golf in Palm Desert.
PAC GOLF TOURN
FIRST PLACE WINNERS John Weesner, Earl Mitchell, Leslie Jiles, Vince Genco, Devin Aviles, Mario DeFranseco (not shown)
SECOND PLACE WINNERS Mike Estes, Jason Errecart, Zack Raven, Jeff Schmiederer, Michael Newton, Robert Williams
THIRD PLACE WINNERS Matthew Verdegaal, Mark Zielinski, Rudy Hernandez, Jamie Bledsoe, Russell Waymire, Tory Fithian
NAMENT WINNERS
LONGEST DRIVE
STRAIGHTEST DRIVE
Shelly White and James Nichols
Dan Hoekstra and Stefanie Moshier (not shown)
CLOSEST TO THE PIN Phil Hansen and Marcia Anderson
APG INDUSTRY UPD MARKETING PROGRAMS, AND CONFE
ADAM ORANDI APG’s Board of Directors member and Membership Services Committee Chair, Adam Orandi, kicked-off the conference presentations with a warm welcome to all.
RUDY HERNANDEZ APG’s Marketing Committee Chair, Rudy Hernandez, spoke about APG’s Nutrition Summit held in Lyon, France.
MARK SLUPEK Guest speaker, Mark Slupek, Deputy Administrator for the Office of Trade Programs, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, presented an overview of the Market Access Program. Through this program APG applied for and received over $867,000 to help fund costs for trade shows, advertising and educational seminars.
DATES AND GLOBAL S, NUTRITION RESEARCH ERENCES...
RICHARD MATOIAN APG’s Executive Director, Richard Matoian, presented industry updates.
JUDY HIRIGOYEN APG’s Vice President of Global Marketing, Judy Hirigoyen, shared highlights of APG’s global marketing programs.
APG AMBASS SPOKESP
DR. MIKE ROUSSELL Guest speaker, Dr. Mike Roussell, Nutrition Advisor for Men’s Health, spoke about the benefits of pistachios for weight management and active lifestyles. He also addressed the collaboration between APG’s “Health Nut” campaign and Men’s Health.
SHARON RODEN Sharon Roden, APG’s Board of Director’s Vice-Chair and Nutrition Research Subcommittee Chair, introduced APG’s new Nutrition Research and Communication Manager Rene Yamashiro.
RENE YAMASHIRO APG’s Nutrition Research and Communication Manager, Rene Yamashiro, spoke about pistachio nutrition research and tradeshows APG attended around the world.
SADORS AND PEOPLE…
HAIYING ZHANG Director of Asian Markets, Haiying Zhang, provided an update on APG’s marketing programs in China.
REBECCA HALL APG’s Marketing Manager, Rebecca Hall, introduced APG’s ambassadors and two-time Olympic gold medal champions, the USA Women’s Water Polo Team. She also presented Miss California 2016 Jessa Carmack and our newest ambassador, Miss Arizona 2016 Katelyn Niemiec.
GUESTS SPEAKERS ENTERT
JIMI VALOV APG’s Chairman of the Board, Jimi Valov, kicked off the second day of presentations with highlights of his year as APG’s Board Chair, and gave a big thank you to all for their ongoing support of APG.
SSG TRAVIS MILLS Motivational speaker, SSG Travis Mills, is one of five servicemen, from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to survive injuries requiring quadruple amputations. Through humorous anecdotes, he inspired conference attendees with his amazing story of his life’s journey.
TAINED AND ENLIGHTENED
DR. LOWELL CATLETT Keynote speaker, Dr. Lowell Catlett, PhD, a consultant to the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Defense and Labor gave an unforgettable and animated presentation as he shared his vision of future trends for agriculture worldwide. He said, “It’s the best time to be in agriculture. There has never been a period in history where we have had the world rise out of poverty and into the middle class. So the world has a significant amount of money to spend. The new challenge is to serve the needs of the new consumer world, where personal choice and experience dominate every decision.”
CONGRATULATIONS
CLASS OF 2016 APG held LeadOn’s (APG’s leadership program) graduation ceremony during the Annual Conference. Executive Director Richard Matoian presented the 2016 graduates with their well-earned plaques, and APG’s Leadership Committee Chair, Alison Nagatani, welcomed them into service. Since its inception in 2011, LeadOn has maintained its mission to prepare volunteers to become the future leaders of American Pistachio Growers. Our very successful APG Leadership Program, LeadOn, is now in its seventh year. A total of 82 have graduated from the program, with 14 having served on APG committees and 11 currently serving on the APG Board. Two recent graduates were elected to this year’s American Pistachio Growers Board of Directors—James Nichols and Justin Wylie. The program is vital to our organization because without the active participation of our growers, APG would not exist. So, we heartily applaud all of our graduates, and look forward to welcoming many more in the future.
JUDY FALK
DAN KEVORKIAN
GABRIELLA NAMVAR
JAMES NICHOLS
ELISE SILVESTER
PATTI WATTE
North Bowie Farming
Nichols Farms
Pearson Realty
Setton International Foods
Nut Farmers
George Watte & Sons
CHASE WYLIE
JUSTIN WYLIE
Craig Wylie Farms
Wylie Farms
Not Shown: Darren Peguero, Peguero Pistachios
THE EVENT’S GRAND FINALE:
A GREEN AND GOLD GALA celebrating our beautiful green nut and our Ambassadors’ 2016 Rio Olympics Gold Medal.
COCKTAILS ON THE PATIO, AGAINST A DESERT BACKDROP, LAUNCHED THE CELEBRATIONS.
THE CLASSIC SONGS OF FRANK SINATRA ENTERTAINED OUR DINNER GUESTS.
GALA GUESTS ENJOYED THRILLING
CASINO-STYLE GAMING TABLES, AND …
THEY DANCED THE NIGHT AWAY.
THANKS 2017 ANNUAL C TITANIUM SPONSOR – $20,000 CONTRIBUTION
PLATINUM SPONSORS – $10,000 CONTRIBUTION
ONFERENCE SPONSORS! GOLD SPONSORS – $5,000 CONTRIBUTION
SILVER SPONSORS – $2,500 CONTRIBUTION Agri-World Cooperative
All Crop Insurance
Beeler Industries, Inc.
Cablevey Conveyors
Eriksson LLC
Fiddyment Farms
Industrial Design & Construction, Inc.
KAS-COT Farms, Inc.
Mary Roach Insurance Agency, Inc.
Pearson Realty
Seaman Nurseries
Steve Moore Farms
A Division Of Alliant Insurance
Union Bank
BRONZE SPONSORS – $1,000 CONTRIBUTION Bird Gard
C. Nagatani Farms, FLP
Doug Anderson Real Estate
Mitchell Insurance Services
Pacific Orchard Development, Inc.
Palogix International USA
SAS-Z Nuts
Sierra Gold Nurseries
PATRON SPONSORS – $500 CONTRIBUTION Cardinal Professional Products
Conservis Corporation
Fruit Growers Supply Company
Yara North America
Madera One-100
Magnuson Corporation - CCM
Roscoe Moss Company
Montage, Inc.
PistachiOpener LLC
Wilson Orchard & Vineyard Supply Pistacia Global Inc. Stewart Brothers Drilling Company Schuil & Associates, Inc.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Hansen Ranches Soil Basics
UPCOMING APG MEETINGS S E E YO U TH E R E !
REGIONAL GROWER MEETINGS
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP LUNCHEON
TUESDAY, MAY 9 The Southern Pacific Depot, Visalia 11:00am - 1:00pm, Lunch will be Served
FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2017 Visalia Convention Center
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10 Madera Municipal Golf Course, Madera 8:00am - 10:00am, Breakfast will be Served Harris Ranch, Coalinga 11:30am - 1:30pm, Lunch will be Served THURSDAY, MAY 11 Wool Growers Restaurant, Bakersfield 11:00am - 1:00pm, Lunch will be Served FRIDAY, MAY 12 California Farm Bureau Federation, Sacramento 11:00am - 1:00pm, Lunch will be Served
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