14 • September | October 2026 • abasto.com ARTICLE COURTESY OF BROCK NEMECEK VP OF CLIENT SERVICES TEN ACRE MARKETING S ome of life’s most impor- tant lessons begin with something as ordinary as a family moving in across the street. I was in the fourth gra- de when Miguel Ortiz and his family became our new neighbors. Like most kids, I was mostly interested in whether they had someo- ne my age to play with. Fortunately for me, they did, and Miguel became my best friend. Over the years, the Ortiz family became much more than neighbors. They wel- comed me into their home with a generosity that, at the time, I simply accep- ted as part of childhood. Their house was my intro- duction to homemade tor- tillas, chorizo and—per- haps just as importantly to two 10-year-old boys— WWF wrestling. But what left the grea- test impression wasn’t the food or even the wrestling. It was the family itself. Grandparents, aunts, un- cles, cousins and friends gathered effortlessly The Greatest Harvest around the table. Meals weren’t simply about ea- ting; they were about be- ing together. As a young boy, I didn’t think of it as “Mexican cul- ture.” It was simply the Or- tiz family. They welcomed me as though I belonged there, and in doing so, they quietly expanded my understanding of what community could look like. Looking back now, I realize they also expan- ded my understanding of America. An Industry That Brought Back Those Memories Every Hispanic Heritage Month, I find myself thin- king about that house. Years later, my career led me into the fresh produce industry. As I built rela- tionships throughout the world of agribusiness, those childhood memories began to feel familiar again. I found myself surroun- ded by remarkable people whose stories reflected not only hard work, but re- markable progress across generations. I think of one leader I worked with in Washington’s apple indus- try. His parents had picked fruit in the orchards. He grew up to become an ope- rations executive, helping guide the adoption of sta- te-of-the-art technology at one of the region’s largest packing facilities. Beyond the Labor Force Too often, conversations about Hispanic contribu- tions to agriculture begin and end with labor. That work deserves enormous respect and recognition, but it re- presents only one chapter of a much larger story. Across our industry are innovators, scientists, researchers, en- trepreneurs, executives, marketers, retailers, food safety experts and business owners whose ideas continue to shape the future of fresh produce. The evolution of American agriculture cannot be told without them. That’s one of the many reasons I love this industry. Fresh produce is unlike almost any other business. But beneath all of that are relationships built over decades, family businesses passed from one genera- tion to the next and trust that can’t be measured on a balance sheet. Thank You for the Harvest I don’t write this as an ex- pert on Hispanic heritage. I write it as someone whose life has been enriched by it. As a child, I was wel- comed into a home that broadened my perspective without anyone intending to teach me a lesson. As a professional, I’ve had the privilege of working along- side people whose resi- lience, ingenuity and lea- dership continue to move agriculture forward. That’s what Hispanic Heritage Month has come to represent for me—not simply a celebration of his- tory, but an opportunity to pause and recognize in- fluences that have become so woven into our lives that we sometimes forget to ac- knowledge them. For me, it begins with the memory of a boy cros- sing the street to spend another afternoon at his best friend’s house. So this month, my message is a simple one: Thank you. Thank you for opening your homes, for sharing your traditions, for strengthening com- munities, for building bu- sinesses that continue to move agriculture forward. And thank you for re- minding all of us that the greatest harvest isn’t measured only by what grows in our fields, but by the people whose lives enrich everyone around them. BROCK NEMECEK How a Childhood Friendship in Mexico Shaped My View of Leadership. Special Insert Agriculture industry