Bob Gray

Chief Executive Officer
Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc.
Salinas, California and Oviedo, Florida

Bob Gray grew up in Yuma but agriculture was not where he saw his future. After high school he used summer jobs in cantaloupe sheds to pay for his college education, but it was clearly just a means to an end – a well-mapped out end.

Gray earned a double-major degree in English and Philosophy from the University of Arizona in Tucson. He then competed for and received a British Marshall Scholarship to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland where he furthered his studies in literature. With an Honours Master of Arts in English Language and Literature, the studious Mr. Gray returned to the United States determined to become a doctoral candidate and pursue a career as a college professor.

In an effort to recharge his bank account after studying in the United Kingdom, Gray once again turned to the produce industry for some hard-earned dollars, and a career was born. He decided to pursue a professional path in the industry, with Couture Farms giving him his first opportunity. He worked for several Arizona and California firms in the 1970s before joining Gene Jackson Farms, which was a Duda subsidiary, in 1980. He has held a variety of positions ever since, eventually ascending to the position of CEO of the renamed Duda subsidiary, and was also named an executive vice president of the parent corporation.

Farm

Duda Farm Fresh Foods

What started out as the pursuit of the American dream by Andrew Duda, a young Slovak immigrant, has become one the country’s most reputable family-owned and operated enterprises. One of the world’s largest celery producers, DUDA Farm Fresh Foods, Inc. is a full-service grower, packer, shipper, marketer, importer and exporter of fresh fruits and vegetables, and fresh-cut vegetables. More...

Personal

Family

Bob and his wife Pat both work at Duda, as Pat joined the firm in 1981 after an earlier stint filling in for an injured worker, and today she serves as Production Accounting Manager, handling grower accounting, materials purchasing and a staff of six.

Community

Though Mr. Gray does not appear to regret his decision to turn pro in agriculture rather than academics, he has kept his head in academia throughout his adult life. Much of the volunteer work he has done in the Monterey County community revolved around Hartnell College Foundation, where he served as both a director and for three years as chairman of the foundation board between 1995-2001. He also continues to assist the British government with the selection of current Marshall Scholars (as Chair of the San Francisco Regional Selection Committee), and still harbors a desire to teach once he retires. “Though rather than literature, I might be better suited teaching business classes, based on my experiences in produce,” he said.

Interests

Fly fishing and pleasure travel, though he suspects he will do neither during his year as chairman of Western Growers.

Words to Live By