Brigantino Irrigation has experienced stability and growth in the past two years, during which many companies have slowed down or faced bankruptcy. The company not only expanded its Prospect Avenue retail business in Hollister, but also added a location north of the King City and took over large-scale projects throughout the region.

Owner Ralph Brigantino said that he attributes the company's success to loyal employees and the diversity of services. Brigantino said that as irrigation products and parts become more difficult to find, employees have taken additional steps to find the supplies they need. Its series of services, including providing regional agriculture and family landscapes, help maintain business stability, while other economic sectors are slowing down.

"It was a little scary at first, because there are so many unknowns," Brigantine said. "Within a day, something worth millions of dollars was cancelled."

Brigantino said his team entered the pandemic with some projects to keep his field staff working. Although their main agricultural customers had to cancel large-scale projects, the company's retail stores saw a surge in business from gardeners and homeowners.

"We are very diverse," Brigantino said. The company stocks a range of supplies, from electrical wires to water systems for cattle, orchards and field crops. In addition to meeting plant water needs, it can also be used for pipes in fire hydrants, restaurants and gas stations.

"Suddenly, our store was busier than ever before," Brigantino said. "Homeowners are working on projects at home. By the end of the year, the number is huge. It's different, but great."

Brigantino was founded in 1983 by Ralph's father. Ralph himself assumed a more important role in the company in 2011 and became the owner in 2017. The company has 24 employees, divided into shops and on-site operations.

The store’s inventory not only helped the staff with the project, but also allowed Brigantino to have the inventory to meet sudden demand.

"When a farmer wants something, you have to do it now, the crops can't wait to drink water," Brigantine said. "This is not what we can say,'give me four days to order the parts.' We have to fix it the same day or the next day. We have it here."

The same is true for homeowners.

"If the homeowner comes here on Saturday, that's the only day he fixes things, and you don't, he might go to Gilroy to get it, because he wants to fix it that day," Brigantine said. "It's really important to have this inventory."

One of the great advantages of agriculture is that not all supplies come from overseas.

"Many agricultural materials, such as PVC pipes, drip tapes, aluminum pipes, are manufactured in California," Brigantino said. "It's all domestic. The resin comes from Louisiana and Texas."

Brigantino said the troubles in agriculture come from other parts of the supply chain, such as shortages of workers at manufacturers and distributors, and shortages of truck drivers. 

This is where Brigantino says his employees come forward. If the customer has a demand, competitors may say that they cannot get the product, but Brigantino said his team will be busy looking for the product and contact six different manufacturers to complete the order.

Going further in this way made him consider expanding the 5,000 square foot area to the main location of Hollister last winter and opening a store near King City last summer. 

This will help Brigantino serve Hollister's growing population and launch large-scale vineyard projects in the Salinas Valley. 

In October, Brigantino's staff embarked on a $9 million, three-year project to install pipelines to replace an 80,000-foot vineyard canal near King City, the largest project the company has participated in. Brigantino hired a project manager and a new staff member to work in King City, and two other staff members from Hollister will join them.

Although this work was carried out on an existing vineyard, Brigantino also secured a project in a new 400 acre vineyard in Paso Robles. As the lettuce farmer restarted the project, he also asked the staff to work on field crops again.

In the ups and downs of the past few years, Brigantine said that he noticed a pattern in the economy that allowed the company to continue operating.

"When the economy is performing well, agriculture will not do too well, and then for some reason, when the economy slows down, agriculture will flourish," Brigantine said. "We are safe because we are always busy. During the lockdown, we were considered essential, so we were able to stay open."

Brigantine said that the pandemic comes with a list of standard safety procedures, such as masks and social distancing, but he also wants to tell his team.

"I told my employees at the beginning,'Look, we will all get through it. If you get sick, or someone in your family is sick, go home and take care of yourself, your salary will not change,'" Brigham Tino said. "I think everyone here is proud to work here and feels invested in the company."

One concern about an unstable economy is supply prices, which Brigantino said has already begun to affect agriculture. Some prices have risen by 45%, while other materials have risen by more than 100%.

"People are still buying it, but at some point they will say,'You know what, I will postpone this project because it is too expensive,'" he said. 

Brigantino said that, for example, arable crop farmers work on contract, which means that if the supply chain causes supermarket prices to rise, farmers will not see a salary increase. If farmers' production costs surge due to a 55% increase in the price of drip irrigation belts, their contract income will be cut. Coupled with the increase in fertilizer and fuel costs, this may mean that they have no budget to consider projects such as pipeline upgrades.

Brigantino says his team can help anyone, from homeowners looking to install sprinklers or septic tank systems to owners of hundreds of acres looking for sinks and irrigation systems.

The company's service range is also expanding. They currently operate from Watsonville to Paso Robles, but sometimes also operate in Napa, Chico, or Grass Valley. The latter area has been used to transport storage tanks, and Brigantino said this has become a popular item recently.

Brigantino stated that it is now possible to achieve growth, but wants to ensure that the company does not over-expand in an unpredictable economic environment.

Brigantino said: "I will not go out to buy tractors, recruit new workers, and then go out to find work. The work must be there before we can invest." "The forecast looks very good, especially for vineyards. The vineyard market is rising. ."

Brigantino said that one of the expanded product areas he is working on is fertilizers and pesticides. In a further plan, he said he hopes to expand the location of King City to include a retail store similar to Hollister.

We need your help. Support local and independent news. BenitoLink is a non-profit news website covering San Benito County. Our team is committed to providing this community with necessary and accurate information to our residents. The cost of producing local news is high, and community support is what keeps news flowing. Please consider supporting the news BenitoLink of San Benito County.

Writer and photographer from California.

Fresh ingredients are used in the smoothies, coffee and salad menus.

Graniterock gifts will be used for sports.

The sushi restaurant in the city center only offers takeaway service.