The Longevity of Our Employees
As the calendar year has come to an end, we wanted to step back and reflect on all the good that came out of 2021. Every year has its hardships, but the focus always is how do we continue to move forward and correct any past mistakes. A key part of what held us together through this tough time is our employees. The message that is constantly reinforced is, we wouldn’t be where we are today without our staff. They are the ones that make it possible for us to continue growing oranges and provide the world with sweet orange juice. One thing we take a lot of pride in is the years of service that our workers have given to the company. As a result of this, we look for ways to recognize the individuals who have stayed with us through the big and small changes. An example of this would be Buddy Strickland. Buddy started working in our Joshua grove in Arcadia, Florida on June 11, 1975. For the last 46 years, he has nurtured the same grove every day to help it get to be where it is today. He has worked every part of the field, from equipment operator to production manager. This wasn’t something that just came to him overnight. It was something that only years of experience could provide. As a reward of our gratitude to Buddy, we have renamed our Joshua board room, “Buddy’s Room for Succinct Story Telling or The Buddy Room”. As we continue to move forward in the future, we hope to have more employees like Buddy that stay with us for the long term and are able to carry on the Alico legacy.