Central Valley Fund Exits Ultra Gro Plant Food

The Central Valley Fund (“CVF”) announced the exit of its investment in Ultra Gro Plant Food (“Ultra Gro”) in Madera, CA. CVF supported a management-led buy-out (“MBO”) of Ultra Gro in 2008 by investing $3.35 million in Mezzanine Debt and Equity to assist management in financing the purchase from the company founders.

The long-tenured MBO team – Don Parreira, Harold Peters, Steve Best, and Craig Fourchy – saw the opportunity to take advantage of the company’s strength in the market place and further grow its dedicated offerings in the fertilizer industry. Over the last five years, the company continued to grow its product range, expand geographically throughout the California Central Valley and into Mexico, and grow its client base.

“The MBO gave Ultra Gro the opportunity to take full advantage of the expanded demand for fertilizer products in a strong commodity market. Thanks to continued internal and external investment in the product range, Ultra Gro has captured new market share and continues to expand its customer base domestically, and in Mexico”, according to President, Don Parreira.

The MBO gave Ultra Gro the opportunity to focus fully on those new and existing clients and grow to meet their needs and requirements.

Ed McNulty, Partner at CVF, said; “Ultra Gro has become a market leader in specialty fertilizer in the Central Valley. The transformation of the business demonstrates our partnership with the management team and their hard work in creating a diversified business in a competitive market. We wish the business all the best in the future as it embarks on its next stage of growth”

About Ultra Gro Plant Food, LLC: Ultra Gro is a full-service provider of custom-blended fertilizers that can be tailored to a variety of crop, soil, and microclimate conditions. From product field trials to timely order turnaround and delivery, the company works closely with its customers to ensure that its fertilizer programs meet and exceed the expectations of today’s growers. For more information, please visit, http://www.ultragroplantfood.com .

Media Contacts:

Ed McNulty, Partner

Central Valley Fund

Ph. 530-757-7004 ext. 226

Don Parreira, President

Ultra Gro Plant Food, LLC

Madera, CA

Ph. 559-661-0977

Ex-49er Ronnie Lott stars in Fresno business forum

Former San Francisco 49ers defensive back Ronnie Lott believes the lessons he learned during a Hall of Fame playing career have served him well during his post-football career as a successful entrepreneur.

Lott will share those insights Tuesday when he delivers the keynote remarks for the Central Valley Venture Forum, a conference for businesses and investors at the Save Mart Center. Lott’s speech is slated for 10:30 a.m.

“It’s understanding that you’ve got to compete,” Lott said in a telephone interview. “When you think of competing — whether it’s Joe Montana competing to win a game or my competing to make an interception or a big hit, that spirit of competition is trying to do the best you can do.”

Not that business is necessarily a matter of tearing into a running back or wide receiver. But, Lott said, being an entrepreneur requires the same kind of toughness and courage as playing football at the highest level.

“The way I played, the way I hit, I’ve seen a lot of entrepreneurs who were just as demonstrative, just as talented, and just as aggressive,” he said.

Lott, who now owns several automobile dealerships and manages a multibillion-dollar portfolio of private-equity investments, is the headline attraction in a daylong program that includes panels on female business leaders, the growth of Hispanic businesses, and how small businesses can attract investment capital. Economist Jeffrey Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at Stockton’s University of the Pacific, is the luncheon speaker for the conference.

The event is organized by California State University, Fresno’s Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Central Valley Fund, a venture capital investment fund for small and midsized businesses.

Lott wasn’t always interested in business. “For me to sit here and believe that the first 15 formative years of my life was thinking about running businesses, no,” he said. “It was about trying to play a role in winning football games.”

But the entrepreneurial bug bit him early in his pro football career. “I had my share of endeavors from the time I signed my first contract with the 49ers and throughout my career,” he said. “It’s in my DNA to be an entrepreneur.”

The common ground between success in football and success in business is the quality of teammates, Lott said. “Everything I’ve done has led me to partner with great teammates,” he said. “On the entrepreneurial side, I always try to partner with really good people.”

But like football, the business offers its hits and misses. “Sometimes it works out with teams, and sometimes it does not work out,” he acknowledged. “Whether it’s finding a great wife, or working with a great quarterback, inherent to having a chance to work with great people in the pursuit of being around people who are interested in enhancing their life and enhancing their endeavors.”

Failure, Lott added, offers its own lessons. “You have to have a willingness to fail. How many tackles did I miss?” he said. “The beauty of life is that you’re never going to be 100% right. It’s the person who decides to get in the arena, the person who sees an opportunity.”

“A lot of times, it’s easy to throw in the towel. I know a number of great business people who were on the brink of disaster, but they found a way to weather the storm and continue to play.”

If there’s one thing Lott said he hopes his audience gets from his talk, “it’s that you’ve got to exhaust every opportunity.”

“The greatest players leave everything on the field,” he said. “At the end of the day, they’re not measured on the quantity of money in their contract, but that they left everything on the field.”

Whether in sports or in business, Lott added, “what a great quality to have.”

If you go

What: Eighth annual Central Valley Venture Forum

When: Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: Save Mart Center

Cost: $75 per person, includes lunch and an afternoon reception

Who: Speakers include former San Francisco 49er and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott at 10:30 a.m. and University of the Pacific economist Jeffrey Michael at 12:15 p.m. Valley Entrepreneur Showcase competition, 2:45 to 3:45 p.m.

Details: ValleyVentureForum.com

The reporter can be reached at (559) 441-6319, tsheehan@fresnobee.com or @tsheehan on Twitter.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/26/3573188/ex-49er-lott-stars-in-fresno.html#storylink=cpy

8th Annual Central Valley Venture Forum

Featuring Ronnie Lott and UOP Economist Dr. Jeffrey Michael

Former San Francisco 49er and successful entrepreneur Ronnie Lott will be the keynote speaker at the 8th Annual Central Valley Venture Forum (CVVF). Dr. Jeffrey Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at the University of Pacific, will serve as the event’s luncheon speaker.

Scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tues. Oct. 29, the forum will be held at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. CVVF is a collaboration between the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at California State University, Fresno, and Central Valley Fund.

Lott will talk about “Total Impact: Lessons from the Gridiron for Business,” and Dr. Michael will discuss “The Road Ahead for Central and Northern California: Economic Analysis for Business Planning.”

The forum will also include a panel about “Hispanic Business Growth: Successes Shared and Lessons Learned” as well as a panel of women business leaders and CEOs. Other sessions will cover how to raise investment capital in the Valley.

Presenters will include public policy leaders, angel investors, venture capitalists, Central Valley entrepreneurs, business owners, lawyers, accountants, bankers, and community leaders. They will share advice, information, and strategies for both surviving and thriving in today’s economy, said Dr. Timothy Stearns, executive director of the Lyles Center.

Also featured is the annual Valley Entrepreneur Showcase in which five new or early-stage businesses present in front of attendees to a panel of investors and compete for best in the show.

“This conference provides the only venue in the Central Valley for growth companies to demonstrate their readiness for private equity investment,” Stearns said. “Entrepreneurs can learn and make valuable connections in this powerful yet informal setting.”

Individual tickets, which include lunch and afternoon reception, cost $70 before Oct. 15 ($75 after). Students can attend for $25. Tickets and more details are available via the event website: www.ValleyVentureForum.com.

Additional information is available by contacting Casey Lamonski, 559.917.7971 or clamonski@csufresno.edu