Meet The Team
Diego Barison
Owner
Diego has been an indispensable driving force in establishing the company as it is now. He was born and raised in a vineyard farming family in Calamandrana, Italy and began his career in growing grapevines at a young age. He attended the agriculture high school in Asti and in the year 2000, he started his own nursery in which he integrated innovative technology and began clonal selection in Piedmont vineyards. He received a degree in Agronomy from the University of Turin and completed a master’s thesis at the French ITV, Institute for the Research on Vineyard and Wine. As the new general manager of Herrick Grapevines, he hopes to continue learning innovative methods of grape growing. In addition to his work with the nursery, Diego has co-authored a reference book on viticulture named VITIBOOK.
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Ofelia Hurtado
Operational Administrator
Customer relations and operational administrator, Ofelia is essential to the enterprise of Herrick Grapevines. She grew up in a farming family in the Sacramento Valley of California and has a bachelor’s degree in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and Marketing from Sacramento State University. Ofelia’s grapevine experience of almost 15 years brings a wealth of knowledge to the company. She has played important roles during her career that include sales, customer relations, production planning, grafting programs, and inventory control. Her easygoing capability of connecting with clients has gained her the respect of many in the industry.
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Pam Baer
Office Manager
Controller@herrickgrapevines.com
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With decades of experience in the agriculture industry, Pamela has excelled as a retail feed store/office manager. Known for her exceptional customer service and hands-on approach, she’s not afraid to bale hay, operate a forklift, or plant crops when needed.
Pamela has also held high-level positions, including executive director for a Fortune 500 company, journalist for a Scripps-owned paper, and best-selling author. She continues to write a column for the American Quarter Horse Association’s monthly magazine.
Pamela is excited to bring her diverse skills to Herrick Grapevines and work with our customers.
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Todd Gerrow
Central Coast Sales Representative
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Todd is the sales representative for the Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara Counties. He was raised in San Luis Obispo receiving his AA in accounting from Cuesta College. He began his 20 years of Successful Sales Experience in industrial abrasive sales for 7 years and then expanded his career into agricultural sales by working for a sod farm in the central valley of California . There he spent 13 years leading his company in customer and revenue growth by leveraging top notch abilities in networking and lead development. Here, he also developed his love for farming while overseeing farm and install crews as acting foreman for large jobs.
Todd has now returned to his native home area, the city of Paso Robles, with its rich wine history, where his daughter is now attending Cal Poly-SLO.
Brandon Emery
North Coast Sales Representative
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Brandon grew up in Winters, CA, where he was an active member of FFA. He pursued his passion for agriculture by studying Plant Science at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. His diverse experiences include an internship with a vegetable producer in Guatemala, which broadened his understanding of agriculture across different geographies. After graduating, Brandon began his career with Corteva Agriscience, where he served as the Crop Protection Territory Manager in Oregon for four years. He then transitioned to the role of US Biologicals Product Manager, further enhancing his expertise in the field. Now residing back in Winters, CA, Brandon is eager to support our growers in the North Coast region.