Office Staff

Don Smith   Owner 
Don Smith was born and raised in Turlock, California. He is the second generation grower/shipper of melons and vegetables; his father started the business in 1918. He has worked in both the field and packing operations all his life. He earned a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of the Pacific in 1952. He has been actively involved in many industry groups, including serving as President of the Western Growers Association, Director of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, and as a member of the California Melon Research Board.

Stephen Smith  Owner 
Steve is the third generation of the Smith Family to be actively involved in management of the company. His responsibilities include irrigation and fertility management, as well as planting and harvest scheduling. He has a BA from the University of the Pacific and an MBA in agribusiness from Santa Clara University.

Alec Smith  General Management 
Alec is the fourth generation Smith to work at Turlock Fruit. He joined Turlock Fruit Company in 2006. He is involved in the growing, harvesting and packing of cantaloupe, honeydew and mixed variety melons.

Neill Callis  Sales & General Management 
During the summer melon harvest, Neill works mornings on the sales desk and afternoons in our honeydew packing shed coordinating production and sales. During our spring asparagus harvest he works as General Manager of R&N Packing, which packs our asparagus under the Peacock and JMB labels.  He has a B.A from Elon University.

Greg Cooper  Sales 
Greg grew up in Southern California and later moved to the Central Valley. He has been in the produce industry for over 30 years. He has sold produce in both Texas and California. He began working for Turlock Fruit selling honeydews and mixed variety melons in 2003.

Neal Cunningham  Sales 
Neal was born and raised in Turlock, CA and began his career in the produce industry in 2006 as a sales assistant at Turlock Fruit during his summer break from UC Davis.  Since graduating in the Fall of 2007 he has sold several commodities and was most recently with an avocado grower/shipper/packer for the past several years. Neal began working for Turlock Fruit selling cantaloupes, honeydews and mixed variety melons in 2016.

Melinda Degraff  General and Financial Management 
Melinda first joined Turlock Fruit while working seasonally on the shipping desk during college; she joined us full-time 1988 after working as a financial auditor outside the produce industry.  Her primary responsibilities are finance, accounting, and tax planning, but also extends to managing our information systems and shipping offices.  Melinda has a B.S. In Accounting from California State University - Stanislaus and has been a Certified Public Accountant.

Nilo Rivera  Human Resources, Food Safety, Worker Safety 
Nilo has recently joined Turlock Fruit Company as a full time associate but has worked as a seasonal shipping clerk in the past. He spent 17 years in the banking industry, managing a large processing department for 10 years. He has spent the past few years in the logistics industry. Nilo’s responsibilities with Turlock Fruit are Food Safety, Worker’s Safety and Human Resources.

Diane Landmeier  Administrative Support 
Diane works in our Turlock Office.  She provides administrative support to our office and sales team.  She has many years of experience in business and customer service and ​oversees the shipping melons during the harvest season.