“The Councilman” Goes Down
Tulare's own city councilman, Carlton Jones, came out on the short end of a first-round TKO in his bout against Glover “the Brazilian Pitbull” Teixeira at the World Extreme Cage Fighting's 'Cinco de Mayhem,' held May 5 at Lemoore's Tachi Palace. Jones, whose professional mixed martial arts moniker is “the Councilman” and whose record going into the fight was 2-1, said his opponent, a Brazialian jiu-jitsu expert, “got me in a leg lock and that was it.” Jones will fight once more later this year before retiring and becoming a referee. After the fight there were no hard feelings: Teixeira will serve as Jones' trainer for his final bout.
Counterfeit Animal Drugs
Local Vet Experts: Case Does Not Signal Increasing Threat
By George Lurie
Tulare - Local veterinary experts say a recent situation involving a Hanford company accused of smuggling fake animal drugs into the United States and then selling them nationwide to dairies and ranches is an isolated case and does not signal a growing threat to area farming and ranching operations.
“Over the last few years, there has been an increase in counterfeit [animal] drugs coming into the area,” said Dr. Jim Cullor, executive director of the UC Davis Veterinary Center in Tulare.
“The fact that people appear to have been caught should give the public confidence that vets, producers and regulatory officials are all being vigilant,” said Cullors, who declined to speculate on how much of the fake drugs could have been used locally.
Cullor said use of counterfeit or mislabeled veterinary pharmaceuticals can “compromise an animal's health and potentially be a food-safety issue.”
A 24-page criminal complaint filed by the Food and Drug Administration in early May alleges that Harold Des Jardins, 65, James Mann, 60, and Marilyn Bracy, 52, ran an international smuggling operation, funneling into the U.S. market from Mexico an estimated $2.5 million worth of counterfeit or misbranded animal drugs, mostly injectable antibiotics intended for use on ranch and dairy cows.
Des Jardins is president and chief executive officer of Veterinary Pharmaceuticals Inc., an animal-drug distribution company whose office is located at 13159 Hanford-Armona Road in Hanford. Mann is identified in the criminal complaint as VPI's manager and Bracy as the company's office manager.
According to the complaint, first made public in the Fresno Bee, the VPI smuggling ring transported the phony drugs inside cattle trailers, bringing large shipments across the U.S.-Mexico border at Calexico in Imperial County and then selling the Mexican counterfeit pharmaceuticals out of their Hanford facility as FDA-approved drugs.
The complaint against VPI, filed May 2 in U.S. District Court in Fresno by the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations, accuses Des Jardins, Mann and Bracy of conspiracy to smuggle goods into the U.S., conspiracy to deliver a drug that is adulterated or misbranded, mail fraud and money laundering.
In 1999, VPI also ran afoul of FDA guidelines when officials at the agency reportedly discovered labeling irregularities and bacterial contamination in the company's products.
Telephone messages left at Des Jardins' office this week were not returned but another VPI employee, who did not wish to give her name, said: “Our attorney is preparing a statement that will be released to the media soon. Until that time, we have no comment.”
A company known as Groupo Protasa, located in Mexicali, Mexico, is, according to the FDA complaint, the source of the counterfeit animal drugs.
The complaint also states that VPI officials sold a portion of the fake drugs through another company, Animal Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Yakima, Washington, a company where Des Jardins reportedly was also a principal shareholder until several years ago. Des Jardins is also said to be one of the owners of Groupo Protasa.
Details of the company's alleged smuggling operations were obtained by a private investigator, who gathered some information from sources identified as former VPI and Animal Pharmaceuticals Inc. employees.
Dr. Jim Reynolds, chief clinician at the UC Davis Vet Center, said giant pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer has an operation in Mexico that, for many years, has been making and selling a number of animal pharmaceuticals, including Excenel, a popular animal health medication. “
There were reports of people buying Excenel in Mexico, stripping off the label and then printing new labels and selling the drugs here,” said Reynolds.
“If a company was to sell misbranded, watered down or improperly formulated drugs for animal use, it could potentially be a big problem here,” Reynolds added.
A recently enacted California law established formal protocols to assure that animal drugs were properly labeled and that they were used according to prescribed dosage.
“Before 1996, farms were actually allowed to use drugs without a lot of regulation being applied,” Reynolds said.
Then, in 1996, a federal law, the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act, was passed to formalize methods of drug dispersal and usage on farms.
“That has helped a lot,” said Reynolds, who added that all drugs used on food animals in the U.S. have to be FDA-approved.
“Drugs being made and manufactured some place else can only be used if they are FDA approved,” Reynolds explained. “If somebody was to not do that, it would be a violation of the law. With big dairies and cattle ranches, the risk of having a drug violation is pretty large and so they tend not to do it. At any time, the FDA can go to a cattle ranch or dairy and inspect the place. People know that they shouldn't get caught with the wrong things, so they stopped having the wrong things around a long time ago.
By Kim Clemons
Tulare - The mission statement for J.D. Heiskell & Company is simple: “We Sell Feed.” This clear-cut motto continues to work for the company as it prepares to celebrate 120 years of doing business in Tulare on June 21.
Scot Hillman, chief executive officer of J.D. Heiskell & Co., is the fourth generation of family leadership for the business. His dad, Dale Hillman handed over the reigns to Scot in the early 1990s. Dale started working for the company back in 1955.
“Since he had no sons, my father-in-law asked me to come work for him,” said Dale, who eventually took over the business in the early 1970s when his father-in-law retired.
The legacy began when Farmers Union Warehouse sent a 26-year-old named Jefferson Davis Heiskell to Tulare to construct and run a grain warehouse. Heiskell eventually bought the warehouse and called his new business J.D. Heiskell and Company.
In the beginning, J.D. Heiskell & Co. (family members say it's pronounced “high school”) not only stored grain, but also sold lots of seed, commercial fertilizer and insecticide. For a while the company got into cotton ginning.
“We gradually evolved. As the dairy business began to grow in this area, so did we,” said Dale.
“Dairy feed is our main business now,” said Scot. “We are always trying to refine our abilities, efficiencies and service.”
In the 1960s, the company became one of the first in the feed industry to hire nutritional specialists to assist their dairy feed customers.
“We are proud to be the premier provider of animal feeds and nutrition in the western USA,” said Scot.
The goal of wanting to improve and be the best is what caused the company in 2000, to triple in size by purchasing the grain division of PMAg Inc.
“We were looking to grow and the PMAg business was for sale,” said Scot. “We went from 75 to 400 employees when we bought it.”
“It was during this time that we hired a professional management team to help us,” said Scot.
“We are a professionally managed-family owned business,” Scot stated.
The growth in the company's size is reflected in its gross revenues.
“Our gross sales have more than doubled since the PMAg acquisition,” said Scot.
J.D. Heiskell & Company will continue to stay within the family as Scot's son, Jefferson Davis, and nephew, Sam, look to be a part of the next generation.
The proud father that he is, Scot talked about the day that his son was born they were celebrating the centennial year of being in business.
“We were there under the tent at the celebration, and my wife tells me she's in labor,” said Scot. “I knew then that we had to name him after my great-grandfather.”
Currently attending Stanford University, Jeff is studying economics so he can come back and work for the company.
Jeff hopes the degree will be a useful core that he can expand on when he actually begins working for the company.
“I idolized my father and grandfather for the hard work they put in to make the company into what it has become and so I always wanted to be that source of pride for my family,” said Jeff.
Looking to make his mark in the family legacy, Sam will be entering college in 2007 to major in business. His dad, Bret, is the company's attorney.
“Sam is an excellent business student and a strong candidate to be one of the fifth-generation family leaders here at J.D. Heiskell & Company,” said Scot.
As for being in Tulare for 120 years, both Dale and Scot say the success of the company has been due in large part to being located in Tulare.
“Tulare has been very supportive,” said both Dale and Scot, noting that Tulare is a good business host and is at the geographical heart of the dairy industry.
It is part of the company's belief to give back to the community. This part of the legacy started at the beginning. During the Great Depression Jefferson Davis Heiskell lent money to help farmers survive.
The family business has continued by supporting and giving to the community through various endeavors.
“Our family will always be committed to the business and the community,” said Scot.
As for the future of the company, Jeff sees steady improvement and growth.
“My grandfather has always said 'if you're not growing, you're going backwards,' so with that in mind I see the company expanding in the future,” said Jeff.
“There is a lot of legacy and tradition that I don't want to see lost, but at the same time I would like to see the company in a position to be a major player in the feed industry.”
In honor of J.D. Heiskell's legacy and tradition of doing business for 120-years, a three-day celebration has been slated for June19-21.
The
Last Straw...
Final Touches to Water Tower Coming
Tulare - Artist Colleen Cronister will ascend the 127 foot Tulare water towner on May 22 to put the final touches on a giant piece of folk art set to preside over Tulare for decades to come. She will paint the beads of milk drips and oversee the installation of the straw into what will appear like a massive glass of milk to celebrate Tulare’s claim to fame. “She says she needs about 4 to 5 days to complete the mural work on the tower,” says Don LeBaron who led the effort to raise money for the project through the Tulare Greater Foundation. “We’re still about $8000 shy” of funds needed to pay for doing the work on the perimeter of the tank. Cronister’s time schedule is set to be coordinated with the arrival of a giant crane that will assist in the work that can reach only the northwest and southern portion of the tank. “The view from the other side will have to wait until we raise more money,” says LeBaron - important because that’s where Highway 99 travelers will notice the landmark tank.
To help in the fund raising, LeBaron and fabricator Raul Madrid have designed a mini replica of the tower that doubles as a party ice cooler on wheels. The mini version was pieced together from surplus parts from a junk yard including a pool filter and shopping cart. The 2 foot replica will be auctioned off June 22 at a block party on L St. next to Aerodogs and Friends advertising agency. The party starts at 5 p.m. and the auction is set for 7 p.m.
To watch the work being done by the fearless artist atop the city water tower, LeBaron says he will set up a telescope at Aerodogs that people can use and you don’t even have to drop in a quarter.
The plan to paint the mural on the water tower has been underway for more than a year with the base painting on the tower completed last fall and the final brush strokes and installation of the sheet metal straw awaiting both fund raising and good weather.
The community role as dairy capital to the largest milk producing county in the US. “The tower is kind of the soul of the community and will be visible from miles away for the next 4 or 5 years,” hopes LeBaron. The tank will display the words “Tulare - We’ve Got It” slogan.
Tulare's Hispanic-owned Businesses On the Rise
By Kim Clemons
Tulare - A U.S. Census Bureau press release issued earlier this year confirmed that Hispanic-owned business start-ups are running three times above the national average for all new U.S. business ventures.
This statistic should come as no surprise to Tulareans, who have seen local businesses like Ruiz Foods, now marketed nationwide, start up in a Tulare garage.
“Hispanic Magazine indicated that according to the 2000 census, the Tulare County area is the 49th-largest Hispanic-owned business community in the nation,” said Gil Jaramillo, executive director for Tulare-Kings Hispanic Chamber.
“The growth we see in Hispanic-owned businesses illustrates the changing fabric of American's business and industry,” said Louis Kincannon, census bureau director in U.S. Census Bureau News.
Highlighted in the census bureau report was the fact that nearly three in 10 Hispanic-owned firms operated in fields of construction and other service industries; such as personal services, repair and maintenance.
This statistic is confirmed by Dean Leek, purchasing and revenue assistant for the City of Tulare, who oversees business licenses' being issued within the city.
“We are seeing the largest growth of Hispanic-owned businesses in the gardening and food business,” said Leek, adding that over the last three to five years there has been an increase of Hispanics starting their own businesses in Tulare.
“In our area, the Hispanic population is the fastest-growing segment. This has led to new opportunities, and of course, the need for Hispanic-owned businesses that cater to this group,” explained Jaramillo.
Sylvia Sun of Sun Taxes has been doing personal and business taxes in Tulare since 1999. Over the years of doing taxes, Sun has seen an increase in the amount of Hispanic-owned businesses.
“Most of the people that I do taxes for are doing business in daycare, construction, automotive and gardening,” said Sun.
Just one of the many Hispanic-owned businesses in Tulare is Central Valley Plumbing. Kathleen and David Parra started the business in 2001 after Kathleen's brother sponsored them as plumbers.
“The business became just ours when I got my plumber's license in 2004,” said Parra.
The census bureau report indicated that most Hispanic businesses continue to be relatively small in size. The high cost of having employees could be a part of that cause.
“We can't afford to hire anyone, because then we will have to pay workers compensation,” said Parra.
Like most small businesses, it has not been easy for Central Valley Plumbing. Parra talked about the expenses of marketing, liability and insurance.
Despite the struggles, their business has continued to grow.
“Much of our business comes from word-of-mouth,” said Parra, adding that many Hispanic-owned businesses that she knows of cannot afford to advertise so they rely on customers spreading the word.
Parra and her husband recently purchased a building on K Street that will soon have three Hispanic-owned businesses.
“When we purchased the property last year the barber shop was already there,” said Parra. “The other shop is a retro-furniture store that mainly has Mexican furniture and the third shop will be a beauty shop.”
Another interesting fact found in the census report showed that women own more than one-third of all Hispanic businesses.
'Hispanic Online' Web site indicates that: “The number of Hispanic women-owned firms increased by 64% and sales grew by 62% between 1997 and 2004.”
The rise in U.S.-born Hispanics could be one of the contributing factors to the rise in Hispanic-owned businesses.
Of the 33 percent of minorities in the U.S., the census bureau shows Hispanics are the largest minority group at 42.7 million. The second-largest minority group is blacks at 39.7 million.
The IRS predicts that by 2007, 1 of every 10 businesses will be Hispanic-owned, compared with 1 of 13 today.
For Tulare and the county, Jaramillo sees a lot more Hispanic-owned businesses on the horizon.
“[This month] the Tulare-Kings Hispanic Chamber hosted its annual Business Conference and Expo and drew a record attendance in excess of 400,” said Jaramillo, who explained that a number of corporations were at the conference looking to market to the fast-growing Hispanic community in the area.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
May 17, 2006
