FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Roger A. Isom
California Cotton Ginners & Growers Associations
Phone: (559)252-0684
Fax: (559)252-0551
email: roger@ccgga.org
The California Cotton Ginners Association is pleased to announce that Russell Patterson has been named as the recipient of the 2015 Ginner of the Year. The award is given each year to honor and recognize an individual who has provided dedication, knowledge, and special service to this Association as well as the ginning industry. This year’s recipient graduated from Fresno State University in December 1978 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Finance. He began his banking career with Bank of America in January 1979. During his 22 years with Bank of America, he held positions as a General Lending Officer, performing consumer and small business loans. He spent 2 years in the Bank’s Special Asset’s Department restructuring and/or recovering non-performing loans. He also managed a Small Business Group. His last banking position was in the Bakersfield Commercial Lending Group where he managed a $50 million portfolio of loans/lines of credit for growers and processors. In 2001, Russ was employed by Tech Ag Financial Group, where for the last 14 years he has provided crop financing as a tool to obtain business for our Chemical, Fertilizer and Ginning business. In 2007, he was asked to include as part of his duty to Manage Buttonwillow Gin for one year until a replacement was found. According to Steve Houchin, he did such an outstanding job we convinced him to manage the Gin for the next 7 years. From the Association’s perspective, he has played an active role from his first day as a board member, all the way up to becoming the 2nd Vice President. He is the first one to show up at every board meeting, never misses a board meeting and has even traveled to Sacramento numerous times for Association activities.
The California Cotton Ginners and Growers Associations are voluntary dues-based organizations representing cotton growers and cotton gins throughout California on regulatory and legislative issues ranging from energy and air quality to labor and water quality.