Larry Nixon

Joined as the senior team leader with the task of growing this 75+ year old business. Expanded retail offering, secured long term grower contracts. Maintained a 2 branch operation focused across the spectrum of municipal, agriculture, and landscaping.

• Developed and executed strategic plans for business growth and expansion, resulting in increased market share.
• Managed a diverse team of professionals, fostering a positive work environment and high employee satisfaction.
• Cultivated strong relationships with clients, vendors, and partners to ensure long-term success and loyalty.
• Championed continuous improvement initiatives that enhanced operational performance across all departments.

• Completed 120,000 sq.ft greenhouse project, broken up into 2 growing mediums in Lanai Hi.
• built a 350,000 sq.ft. fully automated greenhouse in Lockhart Tx.
• Grew a successful farm plan of mixed lettuce, vine crops and fodder, all in support of food security for the island and state
• Developed and executed all packing, cooler and food safety programs.
• Built,mentored and managed a local island staff that had primarily been linked to hospitality,
• Expanded distribution to all Hawaiian Islands; logistically difficult route for perishables, even more so during a pandemic.
• Added commissary routes for production in the Austin area
• Managed a diverse team of professionals, fostering a positive work environment and high employee satisfaction.
• First truly successful island/state wide greenhouse adding to food stability, with multiple products to food service and retail.

• Developed and executed plan to turn 41,000 acres of former sugar cane into diversified permanent crop operation
• Transitioned former employees from plantation operations into standard farming practices
• Crop selection, nursery on boarding , soil conditions, field prep were challenged by 150 year sugar cane history. Planting plans were delivered in first 60 days
• Delivered successful 5 year plan, including equipment, employee and facilities. First rounds for capital funding approved as submitted
• Managed Farm team, cattle operations, infrastructure and water district divisions with limited resources

• 4000-acre Macadamia nut/ mixed tropical operation, grower- packer- processor. Tripled the branded label offerings, added private label offerings in Hawaii and Asia, implemented good farming practices and increased yields by 16%,while maintaining quality
• Built and staffed all peripheral support programs to serve a 10-year plan
• Maintained tight budgets, successful capital raising for expansion
• Developed addition new acreage
• Worked with co-packers for consistency of quality in a retail product lines
• Implemented innovative programs to increase employee loyalty and reduce turnover
• Managed outside growers/members for best farming practices and variety planting to meet sales demand Marketed and sold entire crop, recruited contract growers to fill in season gaps

• Brought in to assist with large projects in the Wonderful divisions of the parent company
• The focus - streamlining the almond operation, in a new facility
• Focused on 3rd party land development in citrus and pomegranate With a successful package in the almond division, took management of the pomegranate operation, which included, a juice division, fresh, and cut fruit
• Worked with all of the co-packing operations, to fully understand the business, and the steps it would take to operate these processes under one roof
• Helped plan launch of secondary Clementine label Tasked making an environmentally friendly operation, upon final construction

• Developed a Kiwi fruit program, starting with long-term storage and proper post-harvest procedures, thru packaging
• Designed, constructed and operated a large-scale soft fruit-packing house
• Rebuilt the long-term table grape storage programs for increased post season revenue
• Assigned the directive to design and construct over a three-year period, the largest fresh fruit plant in the industry, under the brand of Cuties, easy peel citrus. Tripled the packing capacity, and cut work force by phase three, the most aggressive expansion by an individual packer at the time
• One of three team members on the largest citrus planting and packing operations, continued advancing post-harvest handling procedures, packinghouse procedures, and strengthen the employee retention programs while projects were being constructed