Franklin Gaudi joins Laurel Ag & Water as design VP

Laurel Ag & Water, Bakersfield, California, hired Franklin Gaudi, CID, CIC, CAIS, as its new executive vice president of design. This position was created as a larger initiative to elevate the design function at Laurel and redefine the industry standard for irrigation design.

“As an organization that is deeply committed to bringing the best and most innovative solutions to our customers, bringing Dr. Gaudi into the fold gives us the opportunity to add even more value to growers and transform the status quo,” says Jonathan Thomas, CEO of Laurel Ag & Water.

Gaudi comes to Laurel from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo’s BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Department, where he was an assistant professor and project manager for the Irrigation Training and Research Center.

In addition to his tenure at Cal Poly, Gaudi served as a member of the Irrigation Association Certification Board, where he assisted in maintaining and updating professional certifications.

“I am looking forward to joining Laurel as their executive vice president of design and working alongside a team that understands the value of a well-designed irrigation system,” says Gaudi. “So much of my career has been teaching students these practices. I am excited to bring the same ideas to growers and help add value to their operations.”