TONY LOPEZ AND THE FARM BUREAU BOARD: A Good Fit By Jim Frankowiak
Tony Lopez is neither a farmer nor a rancher, but there are a
Ag Operations Management from the University of Florida (UF) while he also became proficient in milking cows through a work-study program at the UF dairy. He continued his education earning a Master of Agribusiness, also from UF.
One is his professional career, with nearly 14 years of service helping farmers and ranchers with their financing needs. He is a Senior Relationship Manager and Team Leader with Rabo AgriFinance, part of the Rabobank Group, founded in the 1890s by farmers as a small cooperative of banks serving their rural communities. Since its founding, Rabobank Group, which currently operates in 48 countries, has become a leading global financial services provider serving more than 10-million customers worldwide. The North American headquarters are located in St. Louis while their international headquarters are in the Netherlands.
Two more reasons for his new relationship with Farm Bureau came about through his selection to participate in the Wedgworth Leadership Institute at UF. Founded in 1989, the institute develops and refines the leadership capabilities of those involved in agriculture and natural resources in Florida, outside of the state and in other countries during a 22-month period. “Through my travels my class and I were able to visit our international headquarters in the Netherlands during our international trip,” said Lopez.
number of good reasons for him to have been selected to join the board of Hillsborough County Farm Bureau.
Lopez’s office in Plant City is one of 50 Rabo AgriFinance offices across the U.S. Their offices are located in rural towns, agricultural centers and farming regions. The clients he and his colleagues serve are located throughout Florida. “Our office locations are where our clients live and work, helping us to understand their businesses through changing economic and agricultural cycles,” said Lopez. “Even though our company has grown significantly over the years, it has remained a cooperative organization, operating on the same principles and with the same dedication it had from the very beginning. Agricultural finance is all we do – it is our sole focus.” Born in Denver and raised in Winter Haven, Lopez has two sisters that live in Denver and two sisters living in Winter Haven. He was involved with sports in high school, primarily football and wrestling. Sports played a big part in his life, but his interest in agriculture came about at an early age when he would visit his grandparents who worked at Adams Packing in Auburndale. “I remember being treated to a glass of Florida OJ with each visit,” said Lopez. Following graduation from Winter Haven High School, Lopez earned an undergraduate degree in WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
“Part of the Wedgworth Program was the preparation of a letter to myself, outlining initiatives I would take in the future to enhance and develop my leadership skills,” noted Lopez. “In my letter, I detailed becoming more actively involved in agriculture and becoming more aware of the challenges facing our industry. Becoming involved with Farm Bureau will help me in that regard.” Additionally, one of Lopez’s Wedgworth classmates was Will Womack, vice president of Hillsborough County Farm Bureau, who nominated Lopez for consideration as a new board member and encouraged his participation in various Farm Bureau outreach programs over the last few years. Lopez resides in Lakeland with his wife Angela and their three children – Layla, Luke and Levi – just across the county line from the Springhead area of Plant City. In his limited free time, he enjoys fishing and playing golf with his regular golf partner Womack. For more information about Hillsborough County Farm Bureau and its service to agriculture and the community, visit: www.hcfarmbureau.org. INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
November 2015
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