US: Owner Paramount Citrus receives community service honor

A New Jersey native who turned a San Joaquin Valley citrus farm and packaging plant into a $2 billion conglomerate is being recognized for his broad range of philanthropy. Stewart Resnick, owner of Paramount Citrus and Paramount Farms, will be honored at the Ag One Community Salute in March. Through Resnick's philanthropy, children of 450 of his San Joaquin Valley employees have been awarded more than $2.2 million in scholarships, and the March event will be the birth of the Stewart A. Resnick Endowment, said Alcidia Freitas Gomes, director of development at the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at California State University, Fresno. "It will help raise money to support our students and programs in perpetuity," said Gomes. "You can see how the state budget has affected higher education.

Outside resources are critical for us to offer not only good but great education." She said Resnick's efforts in transforming agriculture in the Valley through his use of technology and efforts to conserve water are lessons that will carry on. "Our students are the next generation of employees and leaders in agriculture to learn those skills. This event will raise money to support our students and programming in perpetuity," said Gomes. "It's not only the fact that he is big in agriculture, but he has profoundly supported education and health care and clearly cares about investing in the betterment of the Valley," added Gomes. Fresno State President John Welty said he was delighted with Ag One's choice. "Stewart and his wife Lynda have developed the Paramount group of agricultural companies into one of the San Joaquin Valley's most significant agribusiness enterprises," said Welty.

Resnick could not be reached for comment, but Bill Phillimore, executive vice president and CFO of Paramount Farms, was not surprised by the choice. "His business success made an enormous difference in the Valley. The way the size and scope of his operations have grown, the number of people employed, the extent of his operations, which in some cases led the way in new products, coming out with new markets, it's a relatively obvious choice as far as I see," Phillimore said. Resnick is chairman and owner of Rolo Global, a Los Angeles-based corporation with 4,000 employees and diverse interests, including agriculture through Paramount Citrus of Delano and Paramount Farms of Lost Hills, as well as consumer packaged goods like FIJI Water and Pom Wonderful and Teleflora floral services. The Ag One Foundation has existed since the late 1970s to raise money for Jordan College at Fresno State. More than 3,200 students have been awarded in excess of $2.2 million in scholarships and grants. This year, Ag One will provide $475,000 for scholarships and other programs.

Source: visaliatimesdelta.com