Hampton selected for Western Grower leadership program
IRVINE -- Rocky Hampton, regional manager of business development for LIDCO in Brawley, is among nine individuals selected for the sixth class Western Growers’ Future Volunteer Leaders Program.
The program is intended to identify and prepare the next generation of Western Growers members for positions of leadership within the Western fresh produce industry.
This year, for the first time in program history, the FVLP includes a representative from Colorado, which joined Western Growers in 2015.
“The increasing number of FVLP alumni serving on our board of directors is testament to the value of this leadership program,” said Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia. ”This incoming class is a vibrant group and I look forward to their participation and future industry leadership.”
Hampton holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Biola University.
Prior to joining LIDCO, he worked for Ag Laboratory & Consulting selling agronomy lab services, CALEVOO managing an olive orchard, and Hortau selling remote irrigation monitoring equipment.
LIDCO is the largest farm drainage specialist in the Western United States, offering dewatering, tile drain maintenance, and farm drainage systems.
Over the course of the next two years, Hampton and other members of the current FVLP class will shadow current members of the Western Growers board of directors during board meetings, learning about federal, state and local issues affecting the Western fresh produce industry.
Additionally, during the second year of the program, Class 6 will travel to Florida to tour a host of agricultural operations as part of an exchange program with the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association’s Emerging Leader Development Program. Future Volunteer Leaders will also participate in agtech initiatives through the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, as well as engage in media relations and social media efforts.
Since the FVLP’s inception in 2011, seven FVLP alumni have graduated into a seat on the Western Growers board of directors, including six who are on the 2021-22 board. That group includes J.P. LaBrucherie, president of LaBrucherie Produce in El Centro.
Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.