– Written by Nan Drake –
It was a proud moment for us at the latest Ventura City Council meeting. The kind words flowed Nov. 14 as the council recognized E.J. Harrison & Sons and our 90th anniversary.
“They’ve been a part of our community now for many generations,” Councilman Doug Halter said, adding later, “The Harrisons are so exemplative of what a good business owner here in the city of Ventura is all about … their ethics, their values are something shared by many of us in Ventura.”
Numerous Harrison family members, along with myself, were on hand to accept a certificate of recognition and have our picture taken with Doug and Mayor Sofia Rubalcava. We played one of our videos about the company, and I later introduced Jim and Ralph Harrison before they spoke.
Jim told the council about how all the Harrison brothers grew up on “the Avenue,” about how the company now has more than 400 employees, and how we’re all excited about the future. “We love the town. We love the people in the town,” he said.
Ralph added, “It’s been a wonderful time, and we really appreciate the city continuing with us.”
I then spoke briefly, urging everyone to recycle their food waste and put their organics cart out at the curb every week, even if they only have food waste.
What a special night for us. “I hope your business is here for at least 90 more years,” Doug said, and I remarked later, “We are ready for tomorrow.”
You can view the presentation at youtube.com/watch?v=FVk-CVyqrV4, about 7 minutes and 40 seconds into the video.