SACRAMENTO, December 6, 2022–The California Affiliation of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) introduced the choice of Central Coast grower Dana Merrill because the 2023 Grower of the 12 months, and employment and immigration legal professional Jeanne M. Malitz because the 2023 Chief of the 12 months. To honor each, CAWG will probably be internet hosting an Awards of Excellence Reception on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. The reception will probably be held throughout the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, instantly following the welcome reception on the Sheraton Grand Lodge in Sacramento.
“We applaud the management of each Dana and Jeanne, who’re deeply deserving of recognition by their friends and our trade,” stated CAWG Interim President Natalie Collins. “Dana has been a pillar within the winegrape sector, from his dedication to sustainable farming, to his innovation in creating new rising strategies. Dana has not solely confirmed to be a pacesetter inside the winery area, but in addition by means of the trade and his local people.”
“Jeanne has been and continues to be the trade’s go-to legal professional on all H-2A issues,” stated Collins. “In a time when growers are persevering with to take a look at numerous avenues to rent labor, Jeanne’s recommendation has been instrumental. She has devoted numerous hours to schooling, talking on quite a lot of panels and at trade occasions. The California winegrape trade has benefited tremendously from Jeanne’s management and willingness to share information.”
2023 CAWG GROWER OF THE YEAR
The Grower of the 12 months Award is the best honor given by CAWG. It’s bestowed upon a person, household or firm representing an excellent instance of excellence in viticulture and administration. The recipient is an environment friendly and profitable producer of high quality winegrapes and acknowledged for innovation and management inside the trade.
Dana Merrill is a seventh era Californian who grew up in an agricultural household and has been farming on California’s Central Coast his whole life. He earned a level in Agricultural Enterprise Administration from California Polytechnic State College, San Luis Obispo.
In 1989, he began Mesa Winery Administration, Inc. to supply premium winery providers for Robert Mondavi Vineyard. Immediately, Templeton-based Mesa Winery Administration is a pacesetter in creating and managing high quality winegrape vineyards within the Central Coast counties of Monterey, San Benito, San Luis
Obispo and Santa Barbara, and extra lately expanded operations into Southern Oregon. Merrill serves as firm President and his son Matthew Merrill handles day-to-day operations as Normal Supervisor. Merrill and his household additionally began Pomar Junction Winery & Vineyard to showcase property wines from their Templeton winery within the El Pomar District inside the Paso Robles American Viticultural Space.
Merrill has been energetic in trade points and organizations all through his skilled life. He served as CAWG Chair from 1999 to 2001 and was the primary Chair from San Luis Obispo County. In 2001, he turnedthe primary Chair of the California Division of Meals and Agriculture Pierce’s Illness (PD) and Glassy Winged Sharpshooter (GWSS) Board, main the efforts to forestall the unfold of GWSS and PD in California by means of administration and management actions, and by funding analysis to know the vector and illness for efficient administration.
Merrill was a constitution member of the Winery Sustainability Group and the Central Coast Winery Workforce (now referred to as Winery Workforce) that led and promoted sustainable winery administration practices within the Central Coast by beginning the self-assessment, “Optimistic Factors System,” and now manages the Sustainability in Follow (SIP) Licensed program. He’s a previous Director of the Paso Robles Wine Nation Alliance that named him a “Wine Business Individual of the 12 months.”
2023 CAWG LEADER OF THE YEAR
The Chief of the 12 months Award acknowledges a person whose report of remarkable management has benefitted California’s wine trade and who’s an inspiration to others. The recipient has demonstrated an excellent dedication to points of serious significance to winegrape growers and has achieved lasting modifications to advertise and shield the pursuits of California winegrape growers. This management can embody profitable and efficient illustration of trade pursuits earlier than policymakers on the native, state, or federal authorities ranges.
Jeanne M. Malitz is an legal professional with a long time of expertise specializing in employment-based immigration issues with an emphasis on everlasting and short-term labor certification for agricultural employers. She obtained a B.A. from the College of San Diego, and her J.D. from Boston College of Legislation.
Malitz is the principal of Malitzlaw, Inc., a San Diego-based legislation agency she established in 2002. Her observe consists of counseling on employment verification associated to E-Confirm and Type I-9 necessities.
CAWG is honoring Malitz for her management on the federal H-2A visitor employee visa program and for aiding winegrape grower employers in maneuvering by means of the authorized and administrative paperwork and necessities to acquire wanted short-term ag employees. California agricultural employers are more and more counting on the H-2A program as a way to rent dependable and authorized workers, despite the fact that it comes with larger prices. Malitz’s counsel and recommendation have additionally confirmed invaluable throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which added a brand new layer of rules. Her help was important, as she labored with employers to make sure compliance and security for H-2A employees at their work websites and housing amenities.
Malitz has been a pacesetter by means of participation in roundtable classes and academic shows for California winegrape growers on the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, webinars, CAWG’s Summer time Convention and quite a few regional conferences. Malitz actively participates in advocacy for immigration reform by means of committee work on behalf of the American Immigration Attorneys Affiliation (AILA) and the Nationwide Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE). She is a member of AILA’s nationwide Division of Labor Committee and chairs the H-2A Committee for the NCAE.
