Tag Archives: team profiles

Rick Zapata

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The Saturday after Christmas, another team member hit a huge milestone; Rick Zapata has now been working full-time with Pine Island Cranberry for forty years! During his time here, Rick has done a little bit of everything, and he’s always done it well.

“He was here for seasonal work at first,” says GM Fred Torres, who is also Rick’s brother-in-law. “I saw him when we were both down in Puerto Rico; I stayed longer than I was supposed to, and when I came back, Rick was here full-time and he’s been here ever since!” CEO Bill Haines has also worked with Rick since they were both teenagers: “Our first job together was spraying for dodder. He’s always been a bright guy; he’s very smart, very dedicated, and he always tries to do the job right, no matter what it is.” Both Bill and Fred also had high praise for his work during blueberry season back when Pine Island harvested those, as well. “He was our key guy in the field, in terms of managing the folks doing the harvesting,” Bill says.

Rick Zapata

“When you give him a job, he’s going to figure out the best way to do it,” Fred says. An excellent operator, Rick knows how to run every piece of equipment on the place, and what he doesn’t know, he’ll learn. “He’s always thinking,” Bill says. “And he’s never afraid to ask ‘why?'” When you challenge Rick, he will rise to the challenge. He also won’t shy away from new technology: when we started to run the new Gates Harrow, Rick quickly became the primary driver and was excited to wear the GoPro to show how the machine worked:

GoPro Gates Harrow from Pine Island Cranberry on Vimeo.

“He’s a pretty quiet guy, Rick is,” Fred says. “But he’s proud of his work; he’s proud of the farm and loves what he does. He’ll go home and tell his wife everything that goes on, how new equipment works, all of it.” And that goes both ways: “He’s a great employee, and we’re proud to have him,” Bill says. “I can’t believe it’s been forty years.”

Thanks, Rick, for everything you have done and for everything you continue to do. We say it a lot around here, but Rick genuinely embodies our core values of doing whatever it takes to help make this place better every day, and we’re glad he’s here!

Until next year!

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Work on the renovation continues, but our team took a break in the middle of the week to celebrate a successful harvest and bid farewell to our seasonal team members until next year. The harvest lunch is always a good time, and this year CEO Bill Haines was especially pleased. “We learned a lot this year. We tried new tech and brought in the second biggest crop we’ve ever had: 316,000 barrels. And when you add up our working days, we did it on only 32 days. No one else can do that anywhere. And we also saw what the future looks like. Panama #6, our best renovated bed, is only four years old and had 493 barrels per acre. When you’re looking at the bogs we’re renovating now, you’re looking at our future. And our future is a great one, because we’re getting better at everything we do.”

He also had high praise for our team members in general. “Some of you leaving this week have been here since March, helping out with frost and everything else. You all did a great job with the harvest; you come back year after year to do whatever it takes, and we’re looking forward to seeing you next year. It’s been great to have you. And for our regular team: you all did a great job as well. Now we get to spend our winter building new bogs so we’re ready when these guys come back. We all learned how to do new things, and we’re going to keep doing that, because I know you’re up to it. I’m proud of our team: we have the best team in the industry, hands down, and it’s only the beginning.”

GM Fred Torres also had nothing but good things to say: “We really appreciate the help. Sometimes we ask these guys to come up last minute; we do try to give advance notice, but sometimes we need someone now, and they always show up. There are long hours during harvest, but we get through it and we appreciate their hard work and their time here. And we got a lot of work done after harvest in a very short time this fall, and we’re especially grateful for that.”

All three harvest team leaders, when asked about their crews, immediately answered that theirs was “the best”. Orange Team supervisor Gerardo Ortiz says: “They know what they have to do, and they do it. I trust them to do their job, and they trust me to be there if they need assistance.” Jeremy Fenstermaker agrees: “There is a strong element of trust, and these guys always have each other’s back. They’re hard workers.” Blue Team supervisor Matt Giberson: “We come together as a team, and we work hard as a team, and we do what needs to be done.” (And with Alberto Torres assigned to the Blue Team, Matt also thinks they have the edge on good food.)

With the help of such a fantastic team, Pine Island Cranberry continues to do everything we do better every day!

Pine Island Team Profiles: Harry Mick

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This past June, team member Harry Mick hit a huge milestone: he’s been with Pine Island Cranberry for thirty-five years!

A lifelong area resident, Harry started with us just after finishing high school, and has become one of our most reliable team members. “You can always count on Harry,” says GM Fred Torres. “You tell Harry what he needs to do and he’ll do it. He never lets us down.” Harry’s main task is fueling up the equipment and he’s truly conscientious about it. “If there’s a problem, he always calls,” Fred says. “When Harry’s on duty, no one ever runs out of fuel.”

In addition to fuel, Harry’s task during cranberry season is helping the packing house run smoothly. He keeps the loading moving by signalling drivers Candido Rivera and Josue Rodriguez to keep the trailer inching forward as each section is filled with fruit. It is then his task to halt the line when the trailer is full or the bog is finished in order to bring the next waiting trailer forward. “He takes his job seriously,” says Facilities supervisor Mike Guest. “He shows up every day, ready to work, and then heads out to top off the fuel tanks every night. And he does a great job.”

Bog Renovation Manager Joe Colon works with Harry the most, and like everyone else, has nothing but good things to say! “He’s darn good out there,” Joe says. “Irrigation lines, putting in gates, hauling sand…he does it and he won’t waste any time about it, either. When it’s his job, he’s going to by-God do it; once he learns something, you’re not going to take it away from him. Tell him how you want something done, and he’ll take charge. All I have to do is give him a couple of helpers and turn him loose.” Harry’s favorite phrase is “Let’s get ‘er done!” and with Harry, you never have to worry about it for a single minute. If you ask him to do it, it’s done. If you ask him if something is working, he always makes sure to check before he tells you, “Yes”. And if something does go wrong, he won’t rest until it’s fixed.

The Pine Island team would also like to express our deepest sympathy at the recent loss of Harry’s father. “Harry’s a chip off the old block,” Joe says. “Bucky was the same way; he did what he had to do when he had to do it, and was a damn good mechanic besides.”

Harry is the living embodiment of doing “whatever it takes”, and we’re lucky to have him. Keep getting ‘er done, Harry!

Pine Island Team Profile: Fred Henschel

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This week, we took another trip to the shop to meet the newest member of our Facilities/Equipment team. Fred Henschel started at Pine Island Cranberry three months ago and has been doing a great job ever since.

He’s been doing a lot of the normal prevention and maintenance tasks; he’s rebuilt sanders, the reels for the boom reels, the pickers, and so forth. But his latest task is working on our new Gates Harrow machine. “This is what I like best,” Fred says. “I was an inventory control specialist, but I’ve been a builder and fabricator as a hobby for my entire life. Getting to do this for a living is great. If it needs to be built…I’ll build it.”

The Gates Harrow is the latest addition to our equipment program and everyone is very excited to try it come harvest time. “It’s much less labor intensive,” says manager Louis Cantafio. “We typically run a six man picking crew and their target is about 12.5 acres per day. On a more level set of bogs, they can do more than that, but with a Gates Harrow we’ve seen a two-man crew get through 40 acres. It’s a lot more efficient.” It’s not as hard on the plants as our usual method, and our renovation program is geared for increased efficiency by being user-friendly for equipment like this.

“Coco [Mercado] and Carlos [Baez] put the tracks on, and then they passed this part over to me,” Fred says. “It came in on a skid, but no attachments for the tractor, because we’re going to customize it.” He has an appreciation for form as well as function, and wants this new piece to fit into this aesthetic. “I want it so you can’t tell where the tractor ends and the additions begin. It has to look seamless. It’s got to be functional, but I’d like it to look nice, too.” Fred is especially looking forward to seeing the harvest this year. “I can’t wait to see this in action, but I’ve never seen it done the usual way, either!” he says. A professional photographer, he’s also looking forward to the opportunity to capture it all on film.

“Fred’s extremely creative,” Louis says. “His skill set has only increased since he got here, and he showed up in pretty good shape to begin with. I think he’s a keeper.”

Pine Island Team Profile: Javier Ruiz

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While he is only at Pine Island Cranberry for a short time this summer, valued Cranberries Austral Chile team member Javier Ruiz has truly made some fantastic contributions to our ICM program during his stay. “Several months ago, we discussed the idea of Javier spending time at Pine Island,” says COO Bryan vonHahmann. “During those discussions we quickly identified that an extended visit would benefit both operations.”

“I’ve been spending a lot of time on water management,” Javier says. “Irrigation here is a lot different than in Chile, but water is just as critical for us, if not more so. Here, I see water in the ditches every single day. At home, the soil is different. If we dig a hole here, we can find water very easily. In Chile during the summer, we have to dig pretty deep to find it. If we don’t have good water management, if we don’t have good frost control…we lose everything.”

In addition to irrigation, Javier has been working with PIICM manager Cristina Tassone and soil consultant Dr. Joan Davenport on soil tests and plant nutrition. “Now we have some data and are working on the percentage of water the soil can support,” Javier says. “And I’m training Eric [Gonzalez-Perez] how to do this in the future.”

He is also able to bring some knowledge back with him. “I’ve been doing a lot of fertilizer recommendations,” he says. “There are some things, though, that are done differently here. I’ve been taking a lot of notes and snapping a lot of pictures. If I can bring any of that knowledge back with me, it can help increase our efficiency [at CAC].” Supervisor Jeremy Fenstermaker agrees: “Javier’s a smart guy. A really smart guy. Some of the things we’ve been talking about here are things that he’s worked on at CAC, and he’s been teaching me a lot about how to deal with different situations. He’ll tell me what results he got, and then I can use that information to go forward.”

Javier’s stay with us has been all too brief. “It is hard to believe that he will be heading back to Chile in a week,” says Bryan. “Javier has a great understanding of cranberry production and a very positive attitude. It’s been a pleasure working with him, as well as watching both Pine Island and CAC share experiences and knowledge that will benefit both operations on their journey of continuous improvement.”

Pine Island Team Profiles – Mike Haines and Eric Gonzalez-Perez

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The new year also brings us new team members! Two former part-time team members have gotten their full time start at Pine Island this month: assistant manager Michael Haines and team member Eric Gonzalez-Perez.

Mike, a graduate of Fordham University and CEO Bill Haines’ youngest son (making him the fifth generation of the Haines family to join the business) comes to us from two years at Integrity Propagation, where he gained nursery experience and began to truly learn a lot about the cranberry industry. “Working with Abbott [Lee, owner of Integrity Propagation] was a tremendous help,” Mike says. “I worked at Pine Island over the summers, but was only really seeing the small scale. I was scouting, setting out traps, all the summer things, but I didn’t realize the implications. I just did what I needed to do when I needed to do it. Abbott helped show me the big picture; I got to see the growing season unfold over the course of a year, and then I got to compare and contrast the following year. Abbott explained everything; if I had questions, he answered them. And now I can bring that with me to learn the big picture on the commercial side.”

His education here, as with everything else in cranberry production, starts with the water. “Water is complicated!” Mike says. “It’s a long process and I’m always going to be learning it.” However, he has a great instructor in Gerardo Ortiz. “I go out with Gerard every day. The first thing he taught me was all the practical things that apply across the entire farm: how to take out and put in boards, which direction the water goes, how much has to move through.” The next step is going out on his own, starting at the top of the farm, and following how the water is flowing in order to make a plan.

Planning is Mike’s favorite part, and new COO Bryan vonHahmann is impressed with his willingness to ask questions. This week they’ve started meeting with all of the different managers, starting with Louis Cantafio. “Helping with the facilities plan appeals to my sensibilities,” Mike says. “I really like the organizational aspect; that’s a big help with learning the big picture.” He hopes to apply this to working with other growers; he enjoyed travelling with Abbott to meet growers in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and even Canada, and thinks it will be even better now that he’ll have experience of commercial production and not just the nursery side. Most of all, he’s excited for the warm weather to see the growing season really get underway.

Former seasonal team member Eric Gonzalez-Perez started full-time with us this week, and we’re glad to have him back with us! Last harvest was his sixth year at Pine Island, where he had previously worked with the fairy ring team, the Blue Harvest team, and planting. Currently he is working with Kelvin Colon on one of the sanding crews.

His adaptability and willingness to step in where he was needed made him a natural choice to move up to full-time. Kelvin was very pleased with his work during the fall planting, especially. “He did a great job out there and pretty much became my right hand man,” Kelvin says. Eric will be taking on additional responsibilities as a full-time team member, including working on the frost team and (thanks to his great work in past planting seasons) getting more involved in new production. His long history with Pine Island makes training a snap, as he already knows how to use a lot of the equipment. And like so many others, Eric’s favorite time of year is the harvest, and he can’t wait to see it again. But in the meantime, he says, “I want to learn as much as I can. I want to know everything.” It’s that kind of drive that made Eric such a valuable team member during previous years, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of it on a full-time basis!

Pine Island Team Profiles: Jorge Morales

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Harvest is now in full swing, and everywhere you look there are gorgeous red berries against the backdrop of green trees and blue skies. But that is not the only thing our team is working on this fall. This week, we reserved one of our team profiles for supervisor Jorge Morales, who is heading up the first ground crew in the history of Pine Island Cranberry.

The ground crew is a new addition to this year’s harvest schedule. Led by Jorge Morales and assisted by longtime seasonal team member Alberto Torres, the ground crew follows the gathering teams after they are finished with each bog in order to start clean-up. In previous years, this job was left until after all the bogs were gathered and the harvest was completely in. The crew has several tasks: ditching (both by hand and mechanical) and installing swan line as well as general clean-up.

Jorge is a well-regarded and experienced team member who will have been here for thirty-seven years in November. “I’ve done a little bit of everything,” he says. His knowledge and experience made him the ideal person to run this new project. Swan lines are particularly important because of the damage they can do to a crop. PIICM manager Cristina Tassone says, “Just three acres of swan damage can give us a loss of 200 barrels per acre, or even more, depending on the variety. That takes three years to come back.” The strings are effective because they help keep the swans out of the bog by limiting the space available. “Swans are like a commercial airliner,” CEO Bill Haines says. “Having the strings up disrupts their attempt to both land and take off again.”

Jorge has a lot of enthusiasm and has the process down cold. “First I have to look at the map and see what my targets are,” he says. “I talked with Fred and decided to finish out at Sim Place this week before heading back to the home farm. It’s easier on the guys that way and we can get things done a lot faster. And you have to get it done fast, because those swans, they do a lot of damage.” First, he says, his crew sets up the rebar that holds the string; the first rod gets placed at thirty feet from the end of the bog and after that it goes to every sixty feet. “You have to make sure it comes out even,” he says, demonstrating how he walks out a bog to measure for the long lines that are installed after the cross lines. “Once all the rods are in, we tie the string on one end and then walk it across.”

Once the lines are tied, the next step is to install the poles in a checkered pattern within the bog. “The pipe is lighter and it’s easier for the guys to carry, but I think the cedar holds up better,” Jorge says. “And it looks nicer.”

Jorge has an excellent team made almost entirely of new team members, with the exception of experienced seasonal team member Geraldo Cartagena. But, he says, they’re doing an amazing job. “These guys are really working hard,” he says. “We do get a little more done on the weekends, because we have some part-time help, but these guys really move.”

In addition to the swan line, his crew will also clean out the ditches either by hand or using a method called “Shinn ditching”, where a machine is hooked to a tractor to clear out bog debris. Usually this is done in November, but doing it now will mean being able to finish well ahead of both sanding and the winter flood.

A very hands-on leader, Jorge always jumps right in and does whatever it takes to make sure he and his team do what needs to get done. Bill says: “Swan line is a really important task and is a big key to production. It’s not the glamorous job everyone wants photos of, but it’s extremely necessary in helping us actually grow fruit and set our targets for the next year’s harvest. Jorge and his team are really doing a great job.”

Pine Island Team Profiles: Office Team

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There have been a couple of changes to the Pine Island office team since we last checked in. The biggest change, of course, was when CFO Holly Haines stepped down in December to head the Haines Family Foundation full-time, and former controller Joann Martin stepped up to fill the position.

“Holly is a tough act to follow,” says Joann. “People ask about her all the time. She was born into this, she grew up with it, it’s in her blood.” However, Joann has become fundamental to Pine Island Cranberry in her own right. As CFO, Joann is responsible for the budgeting and all the monthly reports, as well as taxes, bookkeeping, and all the insurance for the farm: liability, workers comp, heath insurance, and general liability (for buildings and residences). She also works closely with the other managers on their budgets so that everyone is on the same page. “I love how everyone is coming together,” she says. “I like numbers, but I like being part of the whole operation and not just being a numbers person. I love getting out onto the farm to see what’s going on; it helps me understand it better. Plus, it means I’m not doing the same thing every day. Every day I’m learning something new about the company, about the team, about the industry.” Out of all of it, though, she loves harvest the best.

We also have a new addition to the office team, Staff Accountant/HR Coordinator Stacey DeLaurentis. Stacey started with us in June and has immediately taken to the place. Stacey grew up in Sweetwater and has lived in the area her entire life. Among her many tasks are payroll, employee benefits, the profit sharing plan, and payables. When the part-time team members come in, Stacey makes sure they’ve filled out all the required documents. She also works with GM Fred Torres on time sheets, as well as tracking any missed time by any team member. In addition, she will soon start working with PIICM manager Cristina Tassone on OSHA compliance. “One of the things I just did was head to the big camp putting up new posters to make sure we’re in compliance with federal and state requirements.” This is going to be Stacey’s first harvest at Pine Island, and she’s very excited about it. “Cristina has been taking me around to see the operation. I read it on the blog, but it’s different being able to stop and see for myself what dewberry is, or how they crown dams,” Stacey says. It serves a couple of other purposes as well. “When I do their time sheets, I can now picture what they’re doing. Plus, if they see me out there and know who I am, it’s hopefully a little more comfortable for them to come in and see me for something if they need to. They have a face for the name.” She is also very pleased at some of the projects she’s been working on. “I was able to come in and make the time sheet system my own,” she says. “It’s a different system than I’ve used in the past, which is to be expected. But I was given the latitude to make any changes I thought could work. It’s great.”

The rest of the office team remains the same. Intrepid administrative assistant Debra Signorelli is well into her second year with us and has become an indispensable member of the team. She does everything, and by that, we mean everything. “The most important thing I do is assisting Bill,” Debra says. “He’s very busy and involved in so many different things, so I try to keep life as simple as I can for him. He has a lot of big things to worry about so I take care of the little things. That’s what I do for everyone here, really. Everyone is busy with their departments, everything is on a schedule, especially with farming. So I’m just here to help everyone so they can worry about the big picture: running errands, making copies, supplies, minutes, prepping for board meetings. Whatever it takes to run an office. It’s a growing office and a growing company; if you have positive efficient people it becomes contagious. It makes you want to do something better. Every day I learn something new. It keeps you green, keeps your energy level up!” And with that, she’s off to start a new project Bill found for her in the middle of her interview.

Finally, we have Stefanie Haines, your webmaster and blogger, who finds it awkward to talk about herself in the third person. It’s been about a year and half since the blog started, and since then we’ve covered a year in the life of a cranberry operation and have moved on to some more in-depth exploration of what we do here and what it means to us, the community, and even the environment. We have expanded into social media and now have a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and are exploring ways to make Tumblr work for us. It’s a job that combines the best of both worlds: being in a fun, supportive office environment but also being able to get out into the woods and the water. The best part of it all, though, is being able to talk to our team. I might write the blog, but those are just the words: it’s really our team who tells our story.

CEO Bill Haines agrees: “One of our core values is continuous growth, and you can’t grow faster than the team you have in place. Our entire staff here at the office is not only efficient, but are always looking to make Pine Island better, and doing it in a way that actually makes it fun to come to work.”

Team Profiles: Kevin Schuster and Coco Mercado

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A little over a year ago, we had the grand opening of our new shop, and it’s been going strong ever since!

As we mentioned last week, our Facilities and Equipment Team has been very busy preparing for harvest. Manager Louis Cantafio says that while he’s been ordering more parts in order to be as prepared for harvest as possible, the equipment team is already looking ahead and starting to focus on other machinery. “We’re finishing up work on the planters and the the sand screener, because that all gets going after harvest. And now that we’re starting to get moved into the new equipment sheds, we’re getting everything organized. If something is not in use, then we’ll put it where it belongs.”

Louis has also been training two new employees who started with us this summer: Miguel “Coco” Mercado and Kevin Schuster. Coco is a recent graduate of the Burlington County Institute of Technology (Medford campus), has been with us full-time since June, and is very excited for this year’s harvest. “I worked weekends on Blondie’s crew for the past few years, and also helped fill in on the picking crew sometimes,” he says. “But I’ve never seen it from this side!” He says he’s been learning a lot, especially from supervisor Carlos Baez and fellow team member Ernie Waszkiewicz. “I majored in auto mechanics at BCIT, and I learned a lot about cars and pickups there. But there are so many different things here, new things out in the field that I never knew about. I’ve known how to drive a dump truck for a long time, but I’d never worked on one! I’ve done a lot of new brakes, the oil changes, all the maintenance. It’s really cool.” He has also been working hard on pump house maintenance, prepping the harvesters, and this week, working on finding a leak in one of the tractors. Louis has been pleased by his work. “We have a lot of specialization here, and he’s really been picking up on both how and why we do things the way we do.”

Our other new team member is welder Kevin Schuster. Kevin started with us at the beginning of July and has done whatever it takes to help our team get the harvesting equipment ready. As Louis said last week, the equipment team has been doing a lot of work on the dump trucks: both major and minor repairs as well as preventative maintenance such as reinforcing the welding on tailgates and dump bodies. “During the season we’re always running hard, and those trucks are in use all year.”

Kevin, who trained at the Mercer County Technical School district and did a welding apprenticeship, has been working hard learning every aspect of our equipment program. He’s been out working on repairs to the suction lines, working on improvements to the harvesting machines, and working on all the trucks. “I’m not just working on the underbody of the trucks, though,” Kevin says. “Ernie and I spent some time this summer designing new latches for the tailgates, and I think it’s really going to make things a lot easier for everybody.”

“I really enjoy seeing a new project come together,” Kevin says. “Once you see it work, it’s a real feeling of accomplishment.” At Pine Island Cranberry, we’re glad to provide opportunity to team members like Coco and Kevin who are genuinely willing to do whatever it takes to help make us better.

Pine Island Team Profiles: Casey Koehler and Lisa Wassell

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In January, we talked with Kylie Naylor about the hows and whys of installing swan string in selected bogs. Tundra swans migrate to the area every year from Alaska and northwestern Canada and are particularly fond of red root, a weed that competes with cranberry vines for nutrients. When they fly in to feed, they not only tear out the red root, they also tear out vines and leave enormous holes that damage the beds themselves. The strings help keep the swans out of the bog by limiting the space available.

Now that spring is here and the swans have moved on until next winter, new full-timer Casey Koehler (pictured, below right) and BCC intern Lisa Wassell (pictured, below left) are two of the team members assigned to remove the strings.

Casey, who came to us on a recommendation from team member Vincent Arnwine, has been with us since March and is having the time of her life. No stranger to outdoor work, she grew up taking care of horses on her family’s farm, as well as working on other horse farms and doing some office and field work with an archeological firm. In addition to removing the swan string, she has also worked with the sanding and planting crews as well as helping install sprinklers.

Her favorite task so far has been taking down the swan strings. “It’s been beautiful this week,” she says. “Working outside is the absolute best. It’s so much better than sitting in an office!” When asked what the toughest thing has been so far, she said she had a hard time with the sprinklers. “The new bogs were easy, but it was a lot tougher in the established bogs. But I worked with Caesar [Colon] on that, and he was a big help. In fact, everyone’s been really nice.” She’s looking forward to learning everything she can. “I’m learning how to drive stick! I’m going to train on the dump trucks, I want to learn how to run the excavator, and I can’t wait until harvest. That’s going to be a lot of fun.” She’s curious about the fairy-ring treatment, and has been learning about that process as well. “Casey has a lot of energy,” says GM Fred Torres. “And she’s always asking questions. It’s great to have someone on board who’s genuinely enthusiastic to learn.”

Intern Lisa Wassell came to us just as we were finishing up sanding, and is also no stranger to the great outdoors. “I was a veterinary technician for years,” she says. “Working with horses means spending the time outside. It doesn’t bother me at all.” She’s worked alongside Casey on most of the same tasks. “Whatever needs to be done,” she says. A nursing major, she’d worked with Standardbreds on a breeding farm for years, and decided to go back to school. She was job hunting and needed elective credits, and her advisor thought this might be interesting. “And he was right,” she says. “There’s something different every day. I’m not afraid of hard work.” She’ll be here through the summer and is looking forward to see how the growing season progresses. Some of her other priorities as an intern will be helping us with process improvement as well as documenting the processes for Integrated Crop Management.

Casey and Lisa work well as a team. Taking down the string is simple. “The real key is doing it as efficiently as possible,” Casey says. They cut the string and remove the rebar in a pattern that tries to make sure that they only have to pick up bundles for two bogs along an adjoining dam, then store or recycle as needed.

Pine Island Cranberry is glad to have women like Casey and Lisa on-board; it is always a pleasure to find people who are enthusiastic about what we do and have the drive to learn and develop new skills. It’s people like that who help Pine Island do everything we do better every day.