On our road trip from Southern California to Northern California, I saw a huge section of the state I had only imagined; acres and acres of agriculture. Most people probably don’t think “farms” when California is mentioned (the more common mental picture is sun and sand), but a good portion of the state is dedicated to producing fruits, vegetables, and meat.
Sparsely populated, central California from Interstate 5 is a long road with few interesting pit stops, except maybe one; Harris Ranch. Harris Ranch is just that, a ranch, though large at 100,000 acres. Had it not been for the huge sign off the exit in Coalinga, and the restaurant, bar, and hotel, I wouldn’t have known about this particular family-run ranch or that acres and acres north of that exit belonged to them as well.
Harris Ranch is an oasis of sorts for the travelers’ boredom. Instead of your average truck stop and gas station, Harris Ranch offers a large, and very popular restaurant and bar situated near their hotel. The ranch itself is about 4 generations old, having started in the 1930’s. As each generation added on to the ranch, the current generation added a hotel and restaurant to attract I-5 travelers. Now, I must say that I wasn’t completely impressed by their food – of course this might have been because they were so busy we had to wait 30 minutes for a table in the bar! And after a long drive; that wasn’t really what I wanted to do.
But what is impressive is the business itself. Starting in the 1930’s and having grown to 100,000 acres, the Harris Ranch is still run by the Harris family. The family has added something to the business with each generation, like the aforementioned restaurant/hotel, but also horse breeding and racing. It’s very apparent by the decor of the restaurant (plaques, awards, and the family’s story plastered on the back of the menu) that the family has done quite well for themselves.
With any generational business, handing down a well-run business and then continuing to prosper by adding services or expanding, makes for a great business model.
3 Comments
You really cannot miss Harris Ranch thanks to the smell of manure! There are even larger family businesses such as S.C. Johnson & Son, Mars Corporation and Purdue Chicken to name just a few.
@Krantcents -Good point about the manure smell! Thanks for adding the additional family businesses.
Nice post – thanks for sharing as I am always interested in generational stuff! If you are, I talk about it on FamilyMoneyValues a lot and I have found a magazine which I plan to get a subscription to called Family Business.