2023 Women in Produce: Lilly Garcia
Editor's Note: The Packer’s 14th annual Women in Produce issue honors eight industry leaders who play pivotal roles in the success of their own organizations, as well as the produce industry as a whole. Read about this year's other honorees at the end of this story.
The Packer recently connected with Lilly Garcia, office manager at the Texas International Produce Association, to learn more about her over two decades' experience at the association. Garcia shared her story, along with some advice for other fresh produce leaders making their way in the always-evolving industry.
Edited for length and clarity.
The Packer: What do you do at the Texas International Produce Association?
Garcia: My duties at TIPA have changed a lot during the last two and a half decades, partly because the association has changed so much. A few of the projects I work on include helping arrange Texas Town at IFPA’s Global Produce & Floral Show, organizing and executing Viva Fresh and TIPA events, inputting shipments and compliance documents for the South Texas Onion Committee and Texas Valley Citrus Committee marketing orders, and managing memberships at TIPA.
But why do I do it? I do what I do because I love my job and the people whom I work with and for. TIPA is my family; the members are my family, and I always want to see TIPA grow and be the best in the world. I want people to think of TIPA and see us as a professional, caring organization that does everything possible for our members.
Tell me a little about your career journey. How did you get involved in produce?
In 1999, I started as a temp worker with a staffing agent at the association. Two months later I was hired full-time, and six months after that I had a new boss. It was a very interesting start to life in the produce industry, but here I am 24 years later, and I love it. I wouldn’t do anything else. This is where my heart and my people are.
Over the years a lot has changed, and most of those changes have been positive. Everything has gotten bigger for us at TIPA. Membership used to be less than 100 companies, and now it’s almost 400 companies.
We do so much more now with fewer people on staff, and our events are bigger. For example, our show used to be the Texas Produce Convention at South Padre Island. I used to think it was a lot of work for a few hundred people to attend. But today we put on Viva Fresh for a few thousand people every year, and it makes me think back to planning TPC and how easy that was, comparatively.
What are some of the lessons you’ve learned in your career so far?
I’ve learned you must stay on top of your work and be diligent, otherwise you fall behind and it can overwhelm you quickly. I am reminded of this every Viva Fresh and GPFS show; because there are so many moving pieces and so many deadlines, managing my time to meet those deadlines while also doing all the other work is critical.
I also found that working “regular” hours (i.e. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) was not as important as working the hours that fit me, personally. I can get so much done in the evening hours that it makes more sense for me to adjust my schedule to come in later in the day and stay later.
The other lesson I’ve learned is to always be professional. Things are going to go wrong sometimes, but how you handle those situations is important.
My advice is to always keep cool, be smart and do not let someone else’s attitude affect how you do your job. Take the high road. It doesn’t mean you have to say yes to everything; just say no without getting ugly.
What do you find most interesting about the produce industry?
It is so interesting to me that so many companies handle the same or similar produce items, but each company has a different point of view or does it a little differently. And even though our industry is big, sometimes it can feel small.
What advice would you give to others about being a leader in produce?
The advice I’d give other leaders would be: Family is first. Always. Make time for your family.
Do what you love. If you don’t love the job or the industry, then change. Fresh produce can be challenging, and if you don’t like what you are doing, it only makes the job harder.
Don’t do or say things in anger. Think before you speak. Wait a day to send that response. You regret a lot of what you do when you speak when you’re angry.
