Information courtesy of the San Benito County Business Council:
Tanimura & Antle, an employee-owned grower, shipper and marketer of premium branded produce, announced the appointment of Hollister resident Scott Grabau as chief executive officer.
Gary Tanimura stated: “The Board has the utmost confidence in Scott’s abilities. Scott has a proven track record within our operations from seed to customer, and has served as a trusted Executive for many years.”
Mr. Grabau assumes the mantle of CEO after the recent death of Rick Antle, who passed away April 14 after a brief battle with cancer. Business Council Executive Director Kristina Wyatt was among an estimated 3,000 business and community leaders who were honored to attend the the celebration of life for Mr. Antle — a great leader, teacher and friend who was the embodiment of “larger than life.”
Grabau commented: “I am saddened by the recent vacancy, but am honored to be entrusted to serve our customers, growers, and both employee and legacy shareholders. The recent creation of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) was a fantastic benefit to memorialize the Company’s commitment to invest in our number one asset, our employees. This culture has, and will continue to be, the number one factor in our success.”
Earlier this year, Rick Antle appointed Grabau as Tanimura & Antle’s president. A 16-year veteran with the company, Grabau previously served as chief financial officer for Tanimura & Antle and president of a number of the company’s other operations. Grabau also led the company’s mergers and acquisitions and their corresponding integrations. Grabau studied engineering at Cal Poly and obtained a business degree from Sonoma State University. He received his certified public accountant designation in 2000 while working at a national public accounting firm specializing in agriculture.
Brian Antle, president of PlantTape, joins the board filling the vacancy of his father, Rick Antle. As they have always been, the Tanimura and Antle families remain very much involved in the strategic management of the company.
Grabau’s analytical approach to problem solving, strategy, and innovation will complement this experienced board that will continue to lead Tanimura & Antle as the premier fresh produce leader.
Tanimura & Antle recently submitted an application for the development production facility for their new company, PlantTape on Orchard Road in north Hollister. For those unfamiliar with PlantTape, the innovation offers an automated transplanting system that is more efficient than conventional transplanting methods using proprietary and unique tape-like plugs and soil blocks. PlantTape offers a fully integrated system from sowing the tape, to germination, nursery care and transplanting into the field. The technology can also be tailored to a company’s specific needs should they just require specific parts of the whole.
