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Businesses donate to scholarship fund

C.H. Robinson and FoodSource recently showed their support of CSU Monterey Bay with a donation to the university’s School of Business.

FoodSource general manager Ray Griffin presented a check for $10,000 to Dr. Marylou Shockley, head of the business program, and other university officials at a ceremony on Feb. 13 in the university’s Alumni and Visitors Center. The money will be used for scholarships for students studying agribusiness, marketing and management.

“We’re very pleased to be here to present this check,” said Ray Griffin, general manager of FoodSource, a C.H. Robinson company.

Griffin told the group that FoodSource – which was started in Monterey 15 years ago – has 136 employees. Fifteen of them are from CSUMB.

“CSUMB graduates bring an entrepreneurial spirit,” Griffin said. “The talents students bring are just what we’re looking for.”

Said Dr. Shockley, “I want to thank C.H. Robinson for hiring our students. Jobs are so critical now . . . we want to be one of your sources of employees,” she told the company representatives in attendance.

She shared her recollection of a student who was “gangly and running around in a T-shirt” who wanted to start a business club. That student, Wyatt Meiggs – now a member of the Alumni Association board – is employed by FoodSource and was in attendance. He and fellow alumnus Coy Williams were instrumental in securing the donation.

Also in attendance were members of the School of Business Advisory Council.

Robinson, a Minnesota-based international transportation firm that matches shippers with cargo carriers, is one of the world's largest third-party logistics companies. It has an office in Monterey.

FoodSource is a leading produce supply chain expert, providing services and flexible solutions to retail, wholesale and foodservice operators.

Through the company and its foundation, C.H. Robinson and its employees contribute millions of dollars annually to a variety of organizations.

Photo by George Machun Left to right: Marylou Shockley, chair of the School of Business; Kathy Kobata, chair of the Business Advisory Council; Brian Simmons, dean of the College of Professional Studies; Wyatt Meiggs, account manager at FoodSource and CSUMB alumnus; Laura Grossman, sales and marketing manager at FoodSource; Ray Griffin, FoodSource general manager; Janie Fanoe, assistant marketing manager at FoodSource; Margaret Hill, district manager for C.H. Robinson Co.; Barbara Zappas, assistant vice president for university development