Don Smith  Don Smith was born and raised in Turlock, Ca.  He is the second generation grower/shipper of melons and vegetables and his father started the operations in 1918.  He has worked in both the field and packing operations all his life.  He earned a Bachelors degree in economics from the University of Pacific in 1952.  He has been actively involved in many industry groups including serving as President of the Western Growers Association, Director of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association and a member of the California Melon Research Board.

Steve Smith  Steve is the third generation of Smith to work at Turlock Fruit Company.  He earned a Bachelors in Political Science in 1974 and a Master’s in Business Administration from Santa Clara University in 1976. He is also active in many industry groups serving as Chairman of the California Melon Research Board, Vice Chair of the California Cantaloupe Advisory Board and serves as a board member for Western Growers.

Alec Smith  Alec is the 4th generation Smith to work at Turlock Fruit.  He joined Turlock Fruit Company in 2006 after earning his Bachelors in Economics at Yale University.  He is involved in the harvesting and packing of cantaloupe, honeydew and mixed variety melons.  He also manages the Food Safety and Worker Safety Programs.

Greg Cooper  Greg grew up in Southern California and later moved to the Central Valley.  He has been in the produce industry for 28 years, and has sold produce in both Texas and California. He began working for Turlock Fruit selling honeydews and mixed variety melons in the summer of 2003.

Dan Kerrigan  Dan graduated from Notre Dame De Namur University with a BA in Business Administration and Economics. He began working in the produce industry as manager for Dole’s west coast sales.  After working for Dole, Dan began to work as a produce broker for the Produce Exchange and moved on to partner in his own shipping and brokerage company.  Dan amicably split with his partners in 1992 and began selling cantaloupes for Turlock Fruit Company in 1992 and working as a broker for Bay Area Produce in the winter.

Melinda DeGraff  Melinda joined Turlock Fruit Co. in 1988 after spending five years as a financial auditor for the national accounting firm of Grant Thornton.   Melinda’s start in the produce industry began on the shipping desk while completing her accounting degree. She earned her bachelor of science degree from California State University Stanislaus in 1983 and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Melinda’s responsibilities are wide spread from financial and accounting matters to computer implementation to overseeing general operations.