“My first job in produce was in 1975, working during the summer with strawberries at the Dave Walsh Company and then Stewart Packing. Stewart Packing was owned by Hampton Stewart, a true gentleman who came to work every day in a coat and tie. Stewart specialized in celery, which was then packed in 65-70 pound wire-bound crates. Product was not palletized, so we loaded straight loads on trucks and railcars by hand.
I returned to Salinas in 1977 post-college and went to work for my Uncle Howard, mom’s brother. Howard was a brilliant and colorful salesman, known for multi-syllable adjectives like 'terrific, fantastic, stupendous, wonderful, excellent.'
Howard often told us he was going to run the business as if his mother (my grandmother) was at his side. This meant no cussing or swearing over the phone as was the norm of the day, nor slamming down the phone in anger. We were taught to listen to a customer, service their needs, and treat them and others with integrity. It was the best training for my role at Markon that I could have received.
I worked with Uncle Howard until the opportunity to venture out on my own with Markon in 1985.”
