Meet The Team
ULTRA GRO MANAGEMENT TEAM
DON PARREIRA
Partner | Madera
Don runs all of the operations of the company and works out of the Madera facility. As a longtime veteran of Ultra Gro, he is the glue that makes everything stick. Don grew up in Los Banos, and as a member of the storied Parriera/Cozzi Clans, has plenty of local knowledge. Don graduated from Fresno State and continues to serve his alma mater as past-president of the board of the Ag One Foundation.
Cell: 559.647.0000
Email: dparreira@ultragro.net
CRAIG FOURCHY
Partner & Sales Manager | Fresno & Stanislaus Counties
Craig is the Sales Manager at Ultra Gro. Based in Madera, Craig is most commonly found in his pickup. He has been at Ultra Gro since 2008 and has a strong Ag background from his 20+ years as a commodity trader working throughout the Valley. Craig’s family hails from Firebaugh where his Father and Grandfather have farmed since the 1930’s. An avid skier and active family man (six kids…yikes!) Craig lives in Fresno and sits on the Board of the Central Valley Community Foundation.
Cell: 559.284.6867
Email: cfourchy@ultragro.net
HAROLD PETERS
Partner & Crop Advisor | Madera, Merced & Butte Counties
Harold is the “Answer Man” at Ultra Gro. He started his fertilizer career in 1972 in Paso Robles and has worked throughout Northern and Central California ever since. With a strong knowledge base in the strawberry world (not to mention everything else), you might find Harold in the far reaches of Northern California or the fields of Zomora, Mexico. Beyond traveling for business, he and his wife Estelle have a long list of destinations checked off on their bucket list.
Cell: 559.479.0106
Email: hpeters@ultragro.net
STEVE BEST
Partner & Crop Advisor | Kern & Kings Counties
Steve lives in Fresno and has a lot of history in Kern County. He has a large following in the table grape industry and spends a great amount of time in Delano. Some 35 years ago, growing up in Caruthers, Steve started out in the fertilizer business working for his father, Dick Best. An “all or nothing” kind of guy, Steve has been enthusiastically waving the Ultra Gro flag since 2001. He is a passionate Fresno State Bulldog supporter and an avid motorsports fan: cars, boats, quads, as he puts it “it doesn’t matter… the faster the better!”
Cell: 661.201.1035
Email: sbest@ultragro.net
MELANIE RASMUSSEN
Office Manager | Madera County
Melanie has been an integral member of the Ultra Gro family for many years. As our office manager, she is the official gatekeeper and truly knows the in’s and out’s of all things Ultra Gro. Melanie wears many hats and is responsible for all of the billing and bookkeeping functions. When she isn’t chasing her grandchildren around, she might be found at a Country-Western Concert.
Office: 559.661.0977
Email: mrasmussen@ultragro.net
ROBERT SMITH
Agronomist
Robert comes to Ultra Gro with an exceptional track record in agronomy, production, and food safety. He has diverse experience in California crops, from blueberries to nuts, grapes, stone fruit, strawberries, and citrus. He has served on the Kings County Agricultural Roundtable, Kings County Dairy Review Committee, the Tulare County Agricultural Advisory Committee, and is a long-time board member of his church in Tulare. Robert is a graduate of University of California, Davis and California State University, Fresno. He now resides in Tulare with his wife, Kathy.
ULTRA GRO SALES TEAM
DUSTIN STEWART
Partner & Crop Advisor | Fresno, Tulare & Kings Counties
Dustin joined the Ultra Gro team in late 2007. He has developed a strong customer base in citrus, almonds, walnuts and grapes. Known for his hard work and can-do attitude, Dustin is extremely likable. This family man is a member of Visalia Rotary and on the Board of Directors of Tulare County Boys and Girls Club.
Cell: 559.994.0291
Email: dstewart@ultragro.net
RICH KREPS
Partner & Crop Advisor | Fresno, Madera & Yuba Counties
Rich has been on the Ultra Gro team since the summer of 2012. His science background from UCSB and strong work ethic have helped him get ahead of the agronomy learning curve. Rich is busy: He writes a monthly pistachio column for an Ag magazine, does a weekly radio spot providing timely farm advice, and has several “Farm to Fork” videos on his resume. Rich is married, farms pistachios with his wife, LeeAnn, and lives in Madera.
Cell: 559.706.6903
Email: rkreps@ultragro.net
DEREK SISSOM
Partner & Crop Advisor | Fresno, Madera, Merced & Stanislaus Counties
Derek is a native of Chowchilla. This Cal Poly Grad has experience ranging from the cotton ginning business to fertilizer sales. On the roster at Ultra Gro since early 2011, Derek has developed a strong base of business in the North Valley and, with an eye on the future, moved to Oakdale in 2017. He is our main man from Merced to Lodi, with some additional customers in Sac Valley.
Cell: 559.301.0611
Email: dsissom@ultragro.net
FRANK CASARES
Crop Advisor | Kern, Tulare & Kings Counties
Frank started with Ultra Gro in 2010. With involvement in family farming operations over the years, he has developed a strong knowledge in grapes, almonds, pistachios and blueberries. Always well prepared, Frank leverages this production experience with his growers and uses his eye for detail to deliver expert advice to his customers. Frank lives in Visalia, has a growing family and a rising golf handicap.
Cell: 559.474.0389
Email: fcasares@ultragro.net
DENNIS LAUX
Crop Advisor | Kern, Tulare & Kings Counties
Dennis joined the Ultra Gro team in Fall of 2011 and hit the ground running. Much of his success can be attributed to his longtime relationships from former lives in the Farm Management and Nursery industries. Dennis is a well-respected relationship guy and problem solver for many of his customers. Dennis is also a family man that tries to make a difference, often found volunteering on weekends by tending the barbecue at different nonprofit fundraising events.
Cell: 559.474.2101
Email: dlaux@ultragro.net
TERRY SCHULTZ
Crop Advisor | Ventura & Santa Barbara Counties
Terry joined Ultra Gro in 2008, teaming with his father-in-law, Bob March, in Santa Maria and Oxnard. With Bob’s retirement in 2013, Terry has become a truly accomplished crop nutritionist. His training and experience have proven him well in the service-intensive strawberry world. Terry works hard and keeps his growers ahead of the pack.
Cell: 805.868.0175
Email: tschultz@ultragro.net
SEAN HIXSON
Crop Advisor | Reedley, CA
Sean is the newest member of the Ultra Gro team, but comes to us with an abundance of experience and qualifications. He has his PCA license and focuses on citrus, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, stone fruit and grapes. Sean is a fifth generation farmer from Reedley with in-depth knowledge on every aspect of running a farm. His goal is to be a part of the solution for the issues that face growers today, helping them succeed every step of the way.
Cell: 559.333.0013
Email: shixson@ultragro.net
HAN NYUNT
Crop Advisor | Napa, Butte & Sonoma Counties
Han has been with Ultra Gro for almost 20 years and is semi-retired. He covers the Sacramento Valley and Napa/Sonoma. This service-oriented representative has extremely loyal customers in almonds and wine grapes stretching from Chico to Lake County. Han’s enthusiasm for his customers is only matched by his passion in the kitchen.
Cell: 707.326.3168
Email: hnyunt@ultragro.net
JESSE SANCHEZ
Crop Advisor | Madera & Merced Counties
Jesse joined the Ultra Gro family in August of 2012. His prior experience with inside sales and customer service has served him well in developing relationships among the farming community. Jesse splits time between the Valley and Watsonville, specializing in trees and berries. His mentors, Harold Peters and Albert Rascon, are both singing the praises of Jesse’s strong work ethic. This family man from Madera is married and has three school-aged daughters.
Cell: 559.706.6705
Email: jsanchez@ultragro.net
MIGUEL GUTIERREZ
Crop Advisor | Santa Barbara County
Miguel has been on the Ultra Gro team for a few years now, working side-by-side with Terry Schultz on the Central Coast and specializing in all things berries and beyond.
Cell: 559.661.0977
Email: mgutierrez@ultragro.net
TOM OLIVEIRA
Crop Advisor | Kings County and Tulare County
A Valley native, Tom resides in Tulare and grew up in a farming family. He got his start in ag working with his family’s farming and dairy operation, and spent some time in the construction industry as well. He’s now an Ultra Gro Crop Advisor serving Kings and Tulare Counties and is thrilled to be back in agriculture. Tom has been married to his wife Cheryl for 23 years and they have two daughters, Kendra and Hannah.
Cell: 559.802.8072
Email: toliveira@ultragro.net
ALEX RUVALCABA
Crop Advisor | Merced County
Alex joined the Ultra Gro team in January of 2021, with a focus on helping almond and pistachio growers in the Merced County area. An El Nido native, Alex studied Plant Science at Fresno State (Go Dogs!) before joining the ranks at Ultra Gro.
Cell: 209.777.6384
Email: aruvalcaba@ultragro.net
CHASE THOMAS
Crop Advisor | Fresno County
Chase is a Valley native, was a standout baseball player at Bullard High School in Fresno and went on to play ball at San Diego State. He obtained a degree from San Diego State and later on, a second degree from Fresno State. His science background has served him well as he has fast-tracked his knowledge base in Agronomy. Chase was recently married in Spring 2019.
Cell: 559.301.7061
Email: cthomas@ultragro.net
JEFF ANDERSON
Crop Advisor | Kern, Tulare and Kings Counties
Jeff Anderson serves Kern, Tulare, and Kings Counties with a crop focus on pistachios, almonds, and whatever else comes his way. He is the newest member of the Ultra Gro team, joining our ranks in the Fall of 2022. Jeff has a lifelong Agricultural background from trucking to farming to management. He is looking forward to this next step in his career evolution while helping growers reach their crops’ fullest potential.
Cell: 559.994.0277
Email: janderson@ultragro.net
DAVID SILVA
Crop Advisor / Northern Central Valley
David specializes in row crops, serving the northern part of the Central Valley. He joined the team in 2022 and his favorite part of his role as a Crop Advisor is learning new things every day, while helping growers with their unique issues. In his spare time he likes to hunt, enjoy the outdoors, and spend time with his wife, Veronica, traveling and hanging out at home.
Contact: 209.913.0439
Email: dsilva@ultragro.net
NICK PARREIRA
Sales Support Technician
Nick started with Ultra Gro in January of 2021, working closely with our Crop Advisors in supporting their efforts. He focuses on helping with injections, pulling soil, tissue, and water samples, and delivering product. Nick attended Fresno State, comes from a family heavily involved in Valley agriculture, and was in the stone fruit industry for 10 years prior to joining Ultra Gro.
Contact: 559.661.0977
Email: nparreira@ultragro.net
Our Mexico Team
ULTRA GRO & ALVITA AGRO
Ultra Gro sees Mexico as an incredible opportunity with vast potential for our products. We are working hard to establish our presence there. Through the tireless efforts and contagious enthusiasm of veteran crop nutrition specialists, Alberto Rascon and Harold Peters, we have been selling and shipping fertilizer to Mexico for the past nine years.
In 2010, Ultra Gro made a lot of progress in Mexico, aligning ourselves with local fertility company Alvita Agro. Alvita Agro shares Ultra Gro’s “agronomy-first” approach to fertility. We are honored to be affiliated with Alvita Agro and its manager, Sr Liborio Alvizo. Liborio has an extensive background in plant nutrition from his past employment at Bayer Agri-Science. We have high expectations and are strongly committed to supporting Liborio and his group in all of their endeavors.
MEET THE ALVITA AGRO TEAM
LIBORIO ALVIZO
Plant Nutritionist | Mexico
Liborio is deeply educated in plant nutrition, and friendly to boot. With his background working for a large multinational plant science company, Liborio leads the Alvita Agro team. He uses Ultra Gro products in several crops, including Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Avocados, Wheat, Corn, Sorghum and Citrus. Liborio and his team cover a lot of ground. They are serving accounts in: Zamora, Jacona, Tanganciquaro, Los Reyes, La Piedad, Penjamillo, Atotonilco and others.
Cell: 351.12.11080
Email: liborio83@hotmail.com
EDUARDO ALVIZO
Office Manager | Mexico
To reach Eduardo, please contact Liborio Alizo.
Contact: (See: Liborio Alvizo)
Email: eduardo@ultragro.net
HAROLD PETERS
Plant Nutritonist | Mexico
Harold is the “Answer Man” at Ultra Gro. He started his fertilizer career in 1972 in Paso Robles and has worked throughout Northern and Central California ever since. With a strong knowledge base in the strawberry world (not to mention everything else), you might find Harold in the far reaches of Northern California or the fields of Zomora, Mexico. Beyond traveling for business, he and his wife, Estelle, have a long list of destinations checked off on their bucket list.
Cell: 559.479.0106
Email: hpeters@ultragro.net