This week in Santa Cruz County business: Leadership shakeup at Driscoll’s; Watsonville’s new distillery takes inspiration from the sea

Each week, we’re taking a closer look at the movers and shakers, the growth of industries and what’s really driving the Santa Cruz County economy. I’ll be spotlighting some of the biggest areas for opportunity, updates on local development and all things underpinning the regional business scene each Wednesday.

Got ideas? Send them my way to news@lookoutlocal.com with “Business News” in the subject line.

Leadership shakeup at Driscoll’s comes amid growing backlash over pesticide use and environmental concerns

Two top executives are leaving Watsonville-based berry giant Driscoll’s as the company faces growing criticism over pesticides and its environmental impact, including recently filed lawsuits.

Last week, the company announced that Soren Bjorn was stepping down as CEO after less than three years in the role. His successor is Brie Reiter Smith, vice chair of the company’s board of directors and great-granddaughter of Driscoll’s co-founder Joe Reiter. Her father, Miles Reiter, served as CEO from 2018 until he retired in January 2024 and was succeeded by Bjorn. Reiter Smith has held multiple roles within the company over the past 14 years, including managing director of the company’s operations in Chile. She began serving as vice chair of the board of directors in January.

The company has also parted ways with its first chief communications officer. In a LinkedIn post last month, Frances Dillard said she had left Driscoll’s after almost 16 years, including the past year in the top communications role. Prior to that, she served as vice president of marketing for almost 14 years and is credited with playing a major role in turning Driscoll’s into a major global brand. A spokesperson for the company told Lookout that Dillard’s replacement has not yet been announced.

The leadership changes come as the company is experiencing backlash around pesticide safety, driven in part by recent lawsuits.

Late last month, three nonprofit organizations filed a consumer-protection lawsuit against Driscoll’s in a Washington, D.C., court, accusing the company of deceptive marketing practices. In the suit filed by Toxin Free USA, Organic Consumers Association and Beyond Pesticides, lawyers for the organizations claim that “Driscoll’s berries are grown using environmentally harmful methods involving unsustainable water use and enormous amounts of plastic, little of which is recycled.” That stands in contrast to the company’s claims that it’s committed to sustainable water management and packaging, the suit alleges. The suit claims Driscoll’s marketing violates D.C.’s consumer protection procedures act.

That suit comes on the heels of two suits filed earlier this year in California. In one, a class-action suit filed in federal court in San Jose in June, consumers from multiple states target the company’s use of the synthetic compounds more commonly known as “forever chemicals.” The suit accuses the company of inaccuracy in marketing and labeling, and of failing to disclose the presence of certain types of chemicals in its conventional berries. A hearing in front of a federal judge to determine next steps in the case is currently set for October, according to court records.

The company is also the target of a whistleblower lawsuit filed in Ventura County by a now-former employee who alleges he was forced to resign after he refused to cover up evidence of pesticide use. David Harada, who previously served as Driscoll’s food and safety regulatory compliance manager for the U.S. and Canada, states in legal filings that he disclosed to his superiors “knowledge that it was selling and exporting produce in violation of federal and state laws and regulations regarding pesticides,” including Canadian food safety laws. He resigned last October, following what he claims was a campaign of retaliation. A hearing in that case is scheduled for January 2027.

ICYMI: Science, the sea and gin: Meet Fathom Spirits, Watsonville’s newest distillery

Two scientists are turning a pandemic hobby – gin distilling – into a professional venture with the launch of Fathom Spirits. 

Founders Chad Kecy and Elisha Wood-Charlson are preparing to open Fathom Spirits on Hangar Way in Watsonville this month with four gins, including one infused with Meyer lemon and bay leaf. Kecy, a senior electrical engineer for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and Wood-Charlson, a biologist for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, became friends in 2019 and began infusing spirits together when their favorite bars were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Check out Lily Belli’s full story here.

Ch-ch-changes

• Museum brings on new trustees: The Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History has appointed four new trustees to its board. Taylor Reinhold, Sabina Vitale, Jeremy Stone and Isai Pazos bring experience spanning public art, philanthropy, cultural organizing and Indigenous community leadership, according to the museum’s executive director, Ginger Shulick Porcella.
• Santa Cruz med tech company appoints new executive: Bill Shields, a longtime medical device executive, is the new CEO of Versa Vascular. The Santa Cruz-based company, founded in 2020, grew out of Santa Cruz medical tech incubator Occam Labs. The company is focused on developing innovative treatments for certain types of heart valve diseases. Shields replaces CEO David Hovda, who is retiring but will remain an advisor to the company. Shields previously spent 15 years in various leadership roles at Medtronic, a medical device manufacturing company headquartered in Minnesota.
• Visit Santa Cruz County earns state award: The California Travel Association has recognized Visit Santa Cruz County with the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility Champion Award. The tourism organization was among the award recipients recognized this week at the CalTravel Summit in Napa.
• Bay Federal Credit Union brings on new vice president: Capitola-headquartered Bay Federal Credit Union recently appointed Chris Heck to be vice president of business services, a role in which he will lead development and growth of the organization’s business services department. Heck joins Bay Federal from Peak Credit Union, where he also held the role of vice president of business services. His more than three decades of experience with banks and credit unions began with working as a teller, later moving up to senior leadership positions at banks including First Citizens Bank and Venture Bank. 
• Managers make moves in the local hospitality scene: Erin Beadle recently became the general manager of the Seacliff Inn in Aptos, having previously served as general manager of the Hayes Mansion San Jose. Siyuan Tang is the new general manager of Hyatt Place Santa Cruz. Hector Escobedo, the former general manager of Hyatt Place, is now the vice president of operations at Bayside Hotel Management, which operates several hotels in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, including Hyatt Place Santa Cruz, Hampton Inn Santa Cruz and the Comfort Inn Santa Cruz.
• Four Santa Cruz-based companies named to national list of fastest-growing private companies: Local clean energy company MYNT Systems, cybersecurity company Bastille Networks, cardiac device management software company Murj and cannabis tech company Jane Technologies are all ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies for 2026. For MYNT and Murj, coming in at No. 2,317 and No. 1,663 respectively, this marks the fourth year in a row on the list; it’s Bastille Networks’ (No. 1,442) sixth consecutive year. It’s Jane Technologies’ first time in the annual ranking since 2023. Companies are ranked according to their percentage revenue growth over three years, and must be privately held, for-profit, independent and based in the U.S. to be applicable. 
• Climatize hits funding milestone: Santa Cruz-based Climatize, which helps crowdsource funding for renewable energy projects, recently hit the milestone of $20 million invested through its platform. The company, launched in 2023 and co-founded by a Santa Cruz High School graduate, provides an app-based platform that allows anyone who signs up to invest increments of money in solar and other renewable energy projects around the country. 

• French-inspired fast casual cafe in Aptos closes: A little over a year after opening in an Aptos shopping center, Emilie and the Frenchies has shuttered its doors. The French-inspired cafe, founded by two long-term friends, opened in May 2025 with an array of coffee drinks, sandwiches and salads. A post on the business’ Instagram account previously announced its last weekend in operation would be Aug. 22-23.
• Longtime Pleasure Point bar to close this month: Over the Hill Gang Saloon, a local mainstay for 35 years, will close as of Sept. 20. As Lily Belli reported previously, owner Pete Hill said he was unable to agree to a 12.5% rent increase and the property owner terminated his lease.

Got hires, promotions or departures to report? Send them to news@lookoutlocal.com with the subject line “Career changes.”

What’s new on the Lookout Job Board

• Recording Services Supervisor at The County of Santa Cruz
• Early Education Teacher (Preschool) at UC Santa Cruz
• Utility Service Technician / Utility Service Specialist at Scotts Valley Water District
• Behavioral Support Specialist at BalanceSCC
• Operations Coordinator at UC Santa Cruz

Want more? Browse all openings on our job board. | Hiring? Post your job today!

Save the date

• Saturday, Sept. 5: The Small Business Development Center of Santa Cruz will host a new workshop titled “Startup Essentials: Create a Business Plan for Starting or Expanding Your Business” from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The workshop takes place at Cabrillo College Aptos Lower Campus, Room 2100B. Register here.
• Wednesday, Sept. 9: Santa Cruz Works will hold its next New Tech event at RiverRow apartments, 444 Front St., Santa Cruz, from 6 to 8 p.m. Speakers include David Conway, founder of Purcell, a company working to transform food packaging, and Visual Endeavors founder Aron Altmark, among others. Tickets and additional speaking information is available here.
• Thursday, Sept. 10: The Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a new workshop with Sam Kabert, a workforce emotional fitness and organizational resilience expert who helps leaders manage stress and anxiety to lead under pressure. The workshop, titled “Reprogram for Success,” will be held at the Santa Cruz Veterans Memorial Building, 846 Front St., Santa Cruz, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. More details are here.
• Monday, Sept. 14: The Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting for the new Coastal Community Justice Center at the Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center, 5300 Soquel Ave., Suite 105, in Santa Cruz. The event takes place from noon to 1:30 p.m. Register here.
• Thursday, Sept. 17: The Aptos Chamber of Commerce’s September members luncheon will feature California Assemblymember Dawn Addis. The event, held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Seascape Golf Club, 610 Clubhouse Dr., Aptos, is $35 for chamber members and $40 for non-members. Tickets can be purchased here.
• Wednesday, Sept. 23: The Aptos Chamber will hold its annual community showcase and artisan market at Seascape Golf Club in Aptos from 4 to 7 p.m. The event will also feature booths providing storm preparedness tips for businesses. Business owners interested in participating can sign up here.
• Wednesday, Sept. 30: The next Women in Business mixer is slated for 5 to 7 p.m. at Grey Bears’ facility at 2710 Chanticleer Ave. in Live Oak. Anyone who brings a can of food to donate will be entered in a raffle. Register here.

Add your business or networking events to Lookout’s free public calendar, BOLO. Click here to add your event.

Business news worth reading

• The data center backlash is here — and Big Tech is spending big to combat it (CalMatters)
• With shoppers wary of illness, farmers destroy millions of heads of lettuce (The New York Times)
• How Tim Cook made Apple one of the world’s most valuable companies

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