Pat Schirard Becomes Newest Member of FL Citrus Commission
Meet Governor Scott’s appointment to the Florida Citrus Commission, Pat Schirard.
In mid-May, Governor Rick Scott appointed new member, Pat Schirard, to the Florida Citrus Commission, filling a vacant seat previously held by Lee Bouldin. Schirard’s term will span from his appointment date on May 24 to the end of May 2019, and he is ready to step into this role for Florida citrus, pending confirmation by the Florida Senate. Let’s meet Pat Schirard below and find out what he will bring to the Florida Citrus Council.
Schirard has a great deal of experience in the citrus industry. “I’m a small grower with groves scattered around the state, and I’m a founder of the premium niche brand of all Florida juice named, Indian River Select® Brand.” He has decades of experience as a grower, with groves in Polk, Lake, Brevard, and Indian River Counties, and as President of Indian River Select®, he knows how to get things done for the citrus industry. “We launched our premium brand in 1996 at a time when the national juice brands dominated the retail grocery space,” Schirard says. “We were the first juice company to present our juice in clear plastic, recyclable bottles. We wanted to showcase our juice color to promote trial of our juice. Twenty years and lots of hard work later, we grew our Indian River Select® Brand to more than 15 SKU’s in over 4,000 stores.”
Schirard will be taking the commission seat vacated by Lee Bouldin, who was appointed to the commission last May. “I will be representing the Indian River Citrus growing region which is located along Florida’s east coast and historically where most of Florida’s grapefruit is grown,” Schirard explains. His own groves are also located in Florida’s central and eastern counties. “I have significant experience in the growing, fresh fruit packing, and the juice processing aspects of the Florida citrus business. I have been very fortunate to have worked with and for some great mentors and entrepreneurs in the citrus business,” he shares.
Schirard is ready to bring his background in citrus to fight for the entire citrus industry. “I’m honored to be in the company of other citrus state holders with their enormous talents to work together in this difficult time for our industry,” Schirard says. “I bring a direct relationship and interaction with juice buyers and juice category managers to the commission. I assured Governor Scott that I would not be a passive Florida Citrus Commissioner.”