President, CEO of Pandol Bros. retires at 57 after 25 years 
     By Don Schrack   "The Packer- April 16, 2007 edition"


Delano, Calif. -- After 25 years with Pandol Bros., Inc. president and chief executive officer Jack Breech, 57, is retiring.
In announcing his decision to Pandol Bros. employees April 11, Breech said he plans to remain until a successor is hired, to ensure a smooth transition.
Breech, a certified public accountant who had worked for Arthur Andersen LLP before joining Pandol Bros., was hired to oversee the company's foreign investments. He later became general manager of the family's box manufacturing operation and the the Agri-Cel division.
In 2001, the firm created his current position.
Breech said he inherited a very competent staff that helped him learn the fresh produce industry.
John Pandol, marketing specialist for Pandol Bros., said Breech went above and beyond to learn about table grapes.

ON THE JOB TRAINING: "Early in his tenure as chief executive officer, Jack spent two full weeks harvesting grapes with the crews," Pandol said. "The only time he was available to others in the company was during his breaks and his lunch hours."
Pandol said Breech took the same approach the following winter to learn pruning techniques.
Through it all, marketing efforts evolved.
"It's not just selling grapes in a plain wooden box any longer," Breech said.
Ranch manager Andrew Pandol said the company plans to seek candidates through an executive search firm, but there is no timetable.
"The right person will come along in time," Andrew Pandol said. "Jack is not leaving a pair of shoes that will be easily filled."
Breech said he was able to adjust easily from the suit-and-tie world of accounting to the more informal San Joaquin Valley lifestyle because he was reared on a Pennsylvania farm.
He has no plans to leave the Delano area. When he retires, he said he plans to relax, spend more time with his family, play more golf and get more exercise.
John Pandol said his grandfather founded the company in 1941. He said the company began marketing its own commodities in the 1950s, began exporting in the 1960s, began importing in the 1970s and began investing internationally in the 1980s. That's when Breech joined the company.
In the 1990s, Pandol said, the family owned company decided to refocus on its core business, table grape growing, and sold off many of its investments abroad.