Mentalist Oz Pearlman will headline the Award of Honor Dinner Gala at the 2024 Western Growers Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. The evening will celebrate Sonny Rodriguez, President and CEO of The Grower’s Company, as this year’s Award of Honor recipient.
Pearlman is a world-renowned mentalist with nearly 30 years of experience, making him one of the most sought-after performers in the country. He rose to fame as a fan favorite on America’s Got Talent and has since made over 100 television appearances, including The Today Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Beyond his performing career, Pearlman is an avid ultra-marathon runner. In 2022, he set the world record for most miles run around Central Park in a single day (116), raising over $100,000 for the Save the Children’s Ukraine Relief Fund. Later that year, he set another record by running from Montauk to Manhattan in just 21 hours.
His remarkable talents have earned him an Emmy Award for his NBC special and placed him among elite illusionists like David Blaine and David Copperfield. Pearlman’s unique blend of mind-reading with showmanship continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
Award of Honor Program Congratulatory Ad
The Award of Honor is Western Growers’ most prestigious recognition of achievement and is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the agricultural community. Western Growers will honor Sonny Rodriguez, The Growers Company President and CEO, with the award at the 98th Annual Meeting this November.
Founded in 1950, The Growers Company is a third-generation business specializing in custom produce harvesting. Rodriguez joined the team in 1975, and under his leadership, the company has flourished by prioritizing customer needs while ensuring fair, equitable and opportunity-rich employment for all its workers.
“Sonny started working in the fields as a teenager and has never strayed from the values his father inculcated in him, none more important than treating every worker with dignity and respect. Few in our industry have done as much to educate elected leaders and government officials about the many positive contributions – and the many challenges confronting – America’s fresh produce industry. He is a respected and well-known advocate for agricultural labor reform that would honor the work of our farm employees and bring rationality to the industry,” said Western Growers President and CEO, Dave Puglia.
Rodriguez graduated from Project CENTRL Arizona Leadership Program’s Class XII and served on the Agricultural Employment Relations Board from 1995 to 2005. He was also involved with the Yuma Vegetable Shippers Association for 15 years and was first elected to the Western Growers Board of Directors in 1998.
Additionally, Rodriguez is a founding member of Yuma Catholic High School. He served six years on the Diocese of Tucson Charity and Ministry Board, three years as chairman of the St. Francis Parish Board and two years on the Hospice of Yuma Board during his six-year term.
To read the full press release on Sonny’s selection, please click here.
If you’d like to recognize this year’s Award of Honor Recipient, Sonny Rodriguez, with a custom full or half-page ad in the dinner program, please click here or contact [email protected] with any questions.