IGGPRA Annual Meeting and Elections 2024

This year, we have four Board positions that need your vote:

• President
• Vice President
• Winery Outreach
• Event Chair

Vote Online

2024 Candidates

• Joe Irick (Current President)
  Member of IGGPRA for 18 years, growing Cab Franc and Petite Sirah.  Also Board member of the Paso Robles Housing Authority and Paso Robles Rotary Club.  Joe has assembled the strongest, most diverse Board in the history of the organization and is always focused on making our members better wine grape growers. Through seminars, socials, attendance at WiVi and other industry events, the organization has continued to grow new members and maintain a strong bank account.  Moving forward, the Board will continue to keep our growers informed of Industry issues, trends and actions that will benefit our members.

• Tom Taylor (Current Board Vice President and Co-chairperson for Seminars) 
  Tom is a retired scientist and owner of T&A vineyard, growing Cabernet for a major winery in the area.  Partnering with Linnea Norton, on the IGGPRA Board, Tom has arranged excellent speakers for the grower seminars this past 2 years.  Using Zoom, he has brought our growers speakers from UC Davis, Texas, Sydney Australia and other places, allowing the presenters to not travel.  Though necessitated by Covid Pandemic, he has effectively used virtual presentations to educate our growers, with 30-50 people each of the seminars.   During his tenure as Seminar co-Chairperson, the organization has grown by over 40 new members, primarily due to the speakers and presentations.
   

• Steve Baker (Current Board member and Chairperson for Winery Outreach)
  Steve is retired from the Construction Industry and owner of Circle B Vineyard and Cellars.  He’s an excellent winemaker and grower of various wine grapes.  Prior to Steve joining the IGGPRA Board, there was no Winery Outreach person.  With 23 winery members of IGGPRA, Steve is an able spokesperson for their interests and has proposed a number of positive actions we can take to support and grow the winery memberships.  As past President of the Paso Robles Rotary Sunrise, he has developed strong skills in the construction and maintenance of 501c3 Bylaws.
   

• Field Gibson (Member of IGGPRA since 2015 and Board Member since 2016)
  Field has been the Event Chair since 2018.  He is a Vice President with DiBuduo & DeFendis Insurance Brokers and is a Business Insurance Broker and Risk Manager.  In that role, he works with businesses of every type and industry around the state.  Field also owned and farmed a 10-acre vineyard outside of Creston for 4 years.  He has extensive background in working with non-profits, having both helped start and having served on numerous non-profit Boards.  His background includes having served for 2 terms on the School Board and a term on the City Planning Commission.