The 76th annual Grower-Shipper golf tournament and gala events were highlighted by the presentation of the Association's E.E. (Gene) Harden Award for Lifetime Achievement in Central Coast Agriculture to Robert V. (Bob) Antle.

According to GSA, a capacity crowd at the June 21 dinner dance honored Antle for his lasting and significant contributions to agriculture as well as his extensive and longtime generosity to many philanthropic and educational institutions and endeavors in our community.

Robert V. (Bob) AntleWhile a student in 1949, he joined his father, Bud Antle, and grandfather at the family’s lettuce harvest operation. During this time, he worked as a loader, met the Tanimura family and developed the relationships that eventually led to the formation of Tanimura & Antle Inc. After graduating from Stanford, Antle’s first job was directing the company's carrot business, “Antle Carrots.” He then moved into sales and marketing, eventually becoming the general sales manager.

In 1966 he relocated to the East Coast to develop the House of Bud, a wholesaler of fruits and vegetables. Under his leadership and direction, the House of Bud opened facilities in New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Brussells, Belgium.

In 1972 after Bud Antle unexpectedly passed away at age 58, Bob Antle became chief executive officer of all Antle activities. After six years of further developing and growing these businesses, he merged the Bud Antle companies with Castle & Cooke Inc. (now Dole Food Co. Inc.) and joined their senior management.

Antle served on the Castle & Cooke board of directors until 1982 when he formed Tanimura & Antle by joining the Antles' strong packing and shipping expertise with the Tanimuras' growing expertise. Bob Antle and George Tanimura became the co-chairmen of the board when the partnership formalized and the two families combined more than 50 years of mutual friendship, respect and experience to create Tanimura & Antle Inc.

Antle is credited with implementing several major produce industry initiatives, such as wrapping fresh vegetables in the field (1960), developing distribution centers for the introduction of wrapped lettuce and other source packaged fruits and vegetables (1965), and producing crop transplants (1970). He has always encouraged employees to share their ideas, because he feels that these ideas helped make him the success he is today.

Antle is co-chairman of the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute, president of Southern Arizona Ranch Co. LLC, president of Pinnacalitos Chalone LP, past president of the president’s council at California State University Monterey Bay, and founding president of Central Coast Water Quality Preservation Inc. He also actively supports the University of Arizona. In March 2005, he was appointed to the California State Senate Commission: Agricultural Worker Housing & Health.