Manuel Sotelo joined Dramm & Echter in Encinitas, California, almost 30 years ago. He started out processing orders and cutting lilies and gerberas before working his way up, first to field supervisor and then to production supervisor, his role today. His career has taught him to be patient and flexible: Growers understand you can’t predict everything.
“We have learned to grow quality flowers with fewer expenses and have overcome many challenges, including leaf miner ,” he told Floral Management editors. “At one point 20 percent of production was affected. I’m proud because we got control of the situation before it got worse. Now, as a result, we have better production quality.”
Read more about Sotelo’s career and daily life in Floral Management’s Talent column, plus get tips on what to ask employees before they leave your business and tips on how to best communicate timelines to your team.
