Taylor originally joined GAR Tootelian, Inc. (GAR) to assist the marketing department with their ‘DAM Water Grows Food’ sign campaign. As the sign maintenance specialist, Taylor spends his time going out to signs located throughout the entire Central Valley—sometimes further—to update, repair and maintain the signs. These may be out in a grower’s field, along the highway or a grove. Now, Taylor is updating these signs once again with a new campaign the marketing team is rolling out. When we had tradeshows/events pre-COVID, Taylor would help with the logistics, covering everything from set up to tear down. Currently, Taylor helps with a major need for the company: delivering parts. His time is split delivering small scale product to and from locations while also picking up parts from suppliers. Many times, our retail locations must wait until a truck load is completed to receive an order. Taylor gives us an advantage by serving as our interbranch pipeline so we may help our growers continue to feed the world.
Taylor’s introduction to agriculture started at a young age. He grew up in Lindsay on a small pomegranate orchard. He and his family would take care of the trees’ needs and then harvest the fruit to make jellies and preservatives to ship out locally. He gained a green thumb of sorts, growing an appreciation for what farmers do and understanding the tools needed to be successful. Taylor attended Tulare Western High School, graduating in 2012 and went on to attend College of the Sequoias (COS) where he enrolled in the vocational training to become an electrician. However, while undergoing the program Taylor soon realized he had a passion for cooking. He decided it was time to switch gears, left COS and enrolled in culinary school at the Tulare Adult School. While here, Taylor gained a great mentor and chef to learn from: Jeffery Riggs, aka Cheffery. Jeffery taught Taylor the power of positivity. Working in a restaurant can be high stress and mistakes can happen. He learned from Jeffery how it’s more important to acknowledge that a mistake was made and devote your energy to fixing it and being more efficient than getting upset. Taylor has carried this life lesson with him to this day.
Upon completion of the program, he began interning for various restaurants and landed a job at the Pitching Wedge. Taylor served as the cook for some time but wanted to find more reliable employment. Out of the blue, he received a call from Bailey Munday. She discussed an opportunity available with GAR and encouraged him to apply. Shortly after, Taylor was interviewed and brought on to the team.
When Taylor isn’t on the road, he can be found spending time with his lifelong friends playing games or traveling. Taylor’s life goal is to own his own restaurant in which he may display the bounty of whichever county he is located in. He enjoys going to the supermarket or farmers market to try different ingredients for a new recipe. Many times, his friends are the guinea pigs for these recipes. Taylor also sings and acts in the local community theater. He has started to coach people on diet and lifestyle changes after his own major weight loss as well. Taylor is also an avid pet sitter for the Munday family and others.
Taylor is excited for the growth the company continues to undergo because of the merger.
“A merger is usually a sign of prosperity. As two respective companies, we have been able to come together as a whole and grow. Even during COVID, we were able to continue to do well and grow. Its nice to be with a company that is constantly looking toward the future to improve.”
