Burritos and Brainstorming Take Over Lunch at the WGCIT, Taylor Farms
Posted on March 18, 2016 08:34 AM by WGCIT
Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology brought a little extra flavor to lunch last Friday with its first ever Burritos and Brainstorming luncheon. The event featured five Taylor Farm team members who spoke with the WGCIT resident startup companies about a variety of topics relating to agriculture and technology, while enjoying burritos for lunch.
Taylor Farms employees kicked off the event by speaking about the types of jobs, people and tools needed to make an ag organization such as Taylor Farms succeed. They then learned about solutions each startup offered and their latest innovation updates. Russell Pacific, Concentric Power, iFoodDecisionSciences, Plant Nutrition Technologies, Heavy Connect and Specright were all in attendance. Taylor Farm team members included: Rachel Molatore, Western Sales Represenative; Tommy Wang, Food Service Product Manager; Lee Mitchell, Product Manager of Packaged Salads; Mike Manderson, Director of Logistics; and Kelley Lopez, Account Manager.
During the event, startups were able to ask the Taylor Farm team questions regarding the state of the agriculture industry, technology needed by growers and ag organizations, challenges ag entities faced, and more. In-depth discussions arose from these questions, and all parties had the opportunity to weigh in and offer valuable insights, which will be significant in helping innovators enhance their solutions and products, as well as giving ag organization like Taylor Farms an inside look at ag tech startups.
The Burritos and Brainstorming luncheon, which was catered by La Plaza Bakery in Salinas, is among a number of events offered by the WGCIT. The Center hosts a number of programs and events—including Tech Talk and Talk and Tour—where residents can meet with agricultural leaders, learn more about the agricultural industry and speak to growers about their products.
For more information on the WGCIT, please contact Hank Giclas at (949) 885-2205.