Bio: Originally from the Central Valley, Cassie was born and raised in Visalia, California. After falling in love with the region, she relocated to Northern California to further her education. Upon graduating from Sonoma State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art, she secured a position in the wine industry servicing over 40 winery accounts in a sales and operations role. Brands included those under Kendall Jackson, Constellation, Treasury Wine Estates, and The Wine Group, along with other boutique wineries.

Cassie then pursued higher education and graduated with honors from a Master’s program specializing in Business Administration. She joins the HotSpot Ag team with a sound understanding of business practices. Providing exceptional support to new and existing customers is her focus. Transitioning from her role as Customer Service Manager with an irrigation wholesaler, she is eager to learn more about the benefits of irrigation automation and find solutions to meet client needs.

In her downtime, she enjoys preparing new recipes with the fruits and vegetables sourced from her home garden. Cassie and her husband love to travel up and down the state with their three rescue dogs, exploring new hikes, parks, and beaches along the way.

Bio: Elfego Orozco joined the HotSpot Ag team in 2020 and made an immediate impact on the quality and speed of the hardware installations. Elfego, also nicknamed “Fuego,” has a formal education in microelectronics and an AS in Computer & Electronics Engineering Technology from ITT Technical Institute. He also has over 10 years of practical experience in microelectronics. Fuego’s responsibilities include installing and servicing HotSpot Ag hardware and training both English and Spanish users.

Bio: Alex started off his journey into technology 25 years ago by attending ITT Technical Institute and receiving his BS in Electronics Engineering Technology. After graduating, he was hired by Pacific Bell/AT&T to help deploy high-speed internet to residents of California and Nevada. He also worked as a low-voltage electrician, installing fire, security, data, and special sound systems for various school districts in Northern California.

Dating back generations from when his family migrated from Sicily, agriculture has been a way of life for Alex and his family. To this day, Alex and his family still carry out the same traditions by cultivating grapes, tomatoes, and olives at their family ranch.

Since his childhood, he has been working at the family’s machine shop and vineyard in Vacaville, California until being hired by the phone company’s data department. He was reintroduced to the agricultural world by working in the medical and commercial cannabis industry in Yolo County for over a decade, where he installed and maintained greenhouse and commercial indoor grow room automation systems.

Alex is very passionate about working for HotSpot Ag, whose vision and service align with his own. He believes HotSpot Ag will help fight California’s water crisis, as well as similar challenges in other places on the planet. He is proud to be part of a solution to a significant problem that can affect our future.

He is a proud father of two and cares about what the future holds for them. His daughter, Alexandra, is 25, and his son, Emiliano, is 12. He enjoys his free time with them, staying active, and enjoying the great outdoors.

Bio: James has always had a passion for agronomy and technology. He participated in a project at Nichols Farms in 2013 aiming to provide better remote monitoring solutions. The project grew from a pure monitoring project into a full farm irrigation automation trial. After several years of development, James saw the potential of the technology and decided to start Hotspot Ag to expand deployments outside of Nichols Farms. He holds a degree from UC Davis in Crop Science and Management and continues to manage the Nichols’ farming operations.

Bio: Mary Alice was instrumental in developing the name, look and feel of the HotSpot Ag brand. While James and Mary Alice were on their first date, James explained the idea he had of a connected farm, with each deployment having its own connection to the cloud. She exclaimed, “Oh! So it’s like each deployment has its own hotspot!” The name resonated with James, and he decided to name the company after Mary Alice’s comment. Being a talented artist as well, she sketched the first HotSpot Ag logo a few weeks after that first date. She holds a BS in Communications and Education from UC Santa Barbara and is responsible for marketing, customer outreach, events and social media.

Bio: Gracie recently returned to California from North Carolina, where she was the Controller for a Biomedical Products Company. She has extensive experience in manufacturing and production accounting. Gracie holds a B.A. in Accounting from Fresno Pacific University. She has multiple rescued pets and enjoys the country life in the foothills of Exeter, California.

Bio: Adam combines his understanding of agriculture, engineering, and technology to provide unique and scalable solutions for HotSpot Ag customers. Adam’s roots in agriculture began while working on dairy farms in Tulare, CA, and later writing software that is still used today to assist with veterinary herd management. Adam holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UC Davis and has prior work experience as a Quality Control Engineer for a local vertical turbine manufacturer. Adam is a lifelong learner passionate about developing tools to streamline both design and manufacturing processes.

Bio: Steven is a Central Valley native with a passion for agriculture. This passion started at a young age while his family was involved in the dairy and custom farming industry. After college, Steven worked in the landscape and commercial irrigation industry before transitioning to agriculture irrigation. He has spent 15 years working in the remote monitoring industry, specializing in soil moisture data, weather data, and remote automation. During this time, he has traveled across the country, speaking with growers about the benefits of Agtech and data-driven operational decisions. Starting as an installation/service technician, he has also held titles such as Service Manager, Product Manager, Account Manager, and now Customer Success Manager. For the past 3 years, Steven has been using remote data to provide irrigation scheduling consultations for farmers throughout the entire state of California.

Bio: Kevin joined the HotSpot Ag team in 2021, managing field operations. He currently oversees field staff and ensures the technical implementation of systems and tools, serving as a liaison with customers.

Kevin’s background includes working as a master technician. He is experienced in the design, modification, installation, maintenance and repair of CAT Power Generation Systems and industrial engines for agricultural applications. His primary focus is on effective communication with customers and exceeding their expectations.

As an off-road adventure enthusiast, Kevin enjoys exploring sand dunes and trails with his family. You can connect with Kevin at www.linkedin.com/in/kdrew.

Bio: Jon was instrumental in installing the first commercial deployments of the HotSpot Ag hardware and has continued to expand his understanding of technology and agriculture while in his final year at Fresno State University. Jon joined the Nichols Farm team as an Irrigation Technology intern during his final year at the College of the Sequoias. Jon is responsible for providing water budgets, irrigation recommendations and installing and servicing HotSpot Ag hardware and software.

Bio: Tanner was raised in Bakersfield and started working in the renewable energy industry at 20 years old. He traveled across the country to provide service for wind energy companies. After years of traveling, Tanner returned to the Central Valley and pursued a position in the warehouse automation industry, gaining more experience in low voltage communication and system maintenance. In early 2022, Tanner decided to relocate from Bakersfield to Visalia in pursuit of a job opportunity working on dairy farms, providing system maintenance for bio-methane digesters. Eventually, Tanner found his way to HotSpot Ag and hasn’t looked back since. He is thrilled to be part of HotSpot Ag and contribute to the future of automated irrigation.

In his personal life, Tanner enjoys barbecuing, running or weight training, going to the lake, and spending time with family and friends.