We are delighted to announce that Ag One will bestow the 2010 Community Salute honor to Edward "Ed" Baloian, Chairman of Baloian Farms on the evening of February 27, 2010 at Pardini’s in Fresno. We hope you will help us make this a special evening for Ed, his family and future generations of students in the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State.

Ed is being honored for his more than 60 years of devoted service to the California produce industry coupled with his unwavering commitment to his community. That combination has made him a natural choice to receive this award.

The Baloian Family has been in the produce business since 1923 when Ed’s father Charles, started a full-service produce business. Brothers Ed and James joined their father as partners in the business in 1945 upon returning to Fresno after serving in World War II.

In 1965, the brothers and their father formed Pam Pak Distributors to package and market fresh vegetables from a large number of local growers who supplied Charles Baloian Company. Ed took on the responsibility of managing the operations at Pam Pak. In an effort to increase their annual business and to supply the rising local demand for their products, Pam Pak Distributors began its own farming operations in 1968.

In 1985, Ed’s brother James retired from Pam Pak. Later that same year, Ed and his son Tim Baloian started Baloian Packing. This new business continued the efforts of Pam Pak, their #1 label today. Other business labels include Marty Boy, Balo, and Valley Jewels.

While the company headquarters is in Fresno, Ed’s leadership has grown the business to include growing regions from Lodi to Bakersfield, Santa Maria to Oxnard, the Coachella Valley as well as Mexico and Chile. The company is a leading California fresh fruit and vegetable grower, shipper and packer specializing in bell peppers, lettuce, eggplant, red onions, melons, and squash. These products are shipped to grocery store, restaurant, and food service customers all over the United States and Canada.

Among his awards and honors, Ed accepted the Central California Excellence in Business Award on behalf of his company two years after it was burned by arson. He was quoted as saying "I’m not about to give up, no fire’s going to burn me out," when asked about calling it quits and laying off employees. "We are not going to quit. We have a responsibility to our employees, our partners, our growers, our customers, our community, and to ourselves" he said. This response speaks volumes about Ed’s values, vision, leadership, and love for what he does. As a Paul Harris Fellow, Ed has been active in Rotary. He has also been a strong supporter of the Peoples Church serving on its council. We could go on and on but we will save the rest of the story for February 27.

We invite you to join us and Baloian Farms as a sponsor to make this a truly memorable "Salute" to Ed and his family.

• Link to flyer PDF

Sponsorship Opportunities
Bell Pepper Sponsor at $5,000 (2 tables of 10)
Romaine Sponsor at $2,500 (1 table of 10)
Eggplant Sponsor at $1,000 (4 tickets)
Red Onion Sponsor at $500 (2 tickets)
Table of 10 - $1,000
Individual Reservation - $100
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