SALINAS, CA - “His passion is in what he does,” the Honorable Joe Gunter, Mayor of Salinas, said to a crowd of hundreds on Thursday at the Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit.
The man he was speaking about was Bruce Taylor, Founder and CEO of Taylor Farms. I was lucky enough to sit in the crowd this week as he accepted the Impact Award in Leadership and gave thanks to the community and people who have helped to make Salinas, California a leading hub for agtech.
"You don't ask for anybody to be more of a leader than Mr. Bruce Taylor when it comes to leading our agriculture industry."
Naming Mr. Taylor as one of the agricultural leaders in our industry, Mayor Gunter said, “You find that [Bruce] gives back to the community in leaps and bounds. When you watch the man talk about the produce industry – when you watch him talk about the Salinas Valley – his passion is in what he does. The fact that he is a leader in where we’re going, and what this community has got to offer, and what he expects the community to do – You don’t ask for anybody to be more of a leader than Mr. Bruce Taylor when it comes to leading our agriculture industry.”
Described as a “man of action” and a "forward-thinker," Mr. Taylor has always been there for his community, having been instrumental in the revitalization of the Salinas downtown. It’s easy to see why so many look up to his achievements in the industry.
As the leader of one of the world’s largest value-added produce companies, Bruce Taylor could not have been more appreciative and thankful for the award and the role he has been allowed to play as a Salinas produce leader.
“You have to have the right people, in the right place at the right time,” Mr. Taylor said. “All of you that are here, it’s an honor to have you here. And the reason you’re here is because this is where the people are who are going to make the decisions on driving our agricultural industry forward.”
Mr. Taylor was also involved in selecting the ten AgTech finalists who represented the industry for the Thrive Accelerator Program, an initiative sponsored by SVG Partners and Forbes. Mr. Taylor, along with a select group of expert mentors, sifted through over forty entries from innovative leaders in Peru, Israel, Switzerland, Panama, France, UK, Ireland, and from across the USA at Thrive Accelerator’s Seed Camp.
Congratulations, Mr. Taylor, on this recent Forbes award and all those yet to come.
