Our Employees
William (Bill) Ayers was born and raised in Southern California. Bill graduated from Huntington Beach High School and then attended University of California at Long Beach. Bill graduated from college in 1976 obtaining his BS degree with major in accounting. Bill is a Certified Public Accountant. Bill has worked in many different industries in his 30 years of work experience; construction, ornamental tree nursery, retail and distribution. Bill is married to Debbie (25 years) and they have three children Amy, Nathan and Amanda. In his free time, Bill enjoys fishing, racquetball, golfing and boating.
Jeni Carriere is the youngest daughter of Dick and Nina Carriere. She graduated from Willows High in 1996 and received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from UC Davis in 2001. After college she moved to San Francisco where she worked in a group home for at-risk youth. In 2003, Jeni pursued her interest in culinary arts and received a degree from the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon. She returned to Glenn County in 2006 to join the family business. She is now a supervisor in the walnut shelling facility at Carriere Family Farms and is enjoying learning about the agriculture industry. In her spare time, Jeni enjoys participating in recreation volleyball and softball leagues, gardening, and cooking with her boyfriend, Sean.
Jason was born in Chico, CA and grew up in Willows, CA. At the age of 12, he moved to Glenn to live on the family farm. Jason attended Willows High School where he was a member of the baseball, football and basketball teams. After high school graduation, Jason attended Butte College while playing two years of baseball before transferring to California State University, Chico. Jason majored in Agriculture Business and graduated in 2004. After graduation, Jason moved back to Glenn and began working for Carriere Family Farms. Jason is currently responsible for managing the rice operation. When he's not working, Jason enjoys hunting, fishing, golfing and spending time with his family. Jason is married to Amber and they have one daughter.
Matt is a fifth generation farmer. He was raised in the Artois area on the family farm where he spent many summers and weekends working with his dad and grandpa. He attended Orland schools and graduated from Orland High School in 1997 where he was a member of the football and wrestling teams and FFA. He graduated in 2001 from Cal Poly, SLO, with a major in Agricultural Systems Management and emphasis in Irrigation Science and minor in Agricultural Business. After graduation, he joined Carriere Family Farms working in the walnut processing plant and later progressing to managing the Artois and Willows properties. In his spare time, he loves to fish, hunt, golf, work out and spend time with family and friends
Nick was born in Chico, Ca. and grew up in Willows. He attended Willows High School where he played football, baseball and golf. After high school he went to Cuesta College for two years before transferring to Cal Poly State University. Nick majored in Agricultural Systems management with a mechanical emphasis and a minor in Ag Business. He is currently living in Willows and enjoying managing the Colusa Ranch walnut orchards. In his spare time he enjoys golfing, hunting, fishing and slow pitch soft-ball.
Ron was born and raised in southern California until the age of twelve. His family moved to Chico in 1963 where he attended Bidwell Junior and Chico Senior High School. Ron enjoyed his family hunting and fishing trips and participated in various sports programs. He attended Butte Junior College and graduated from Chico State with a bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in 1974. Ron has worked in the tree nut industry over thirty years and is currently the plant manager at Carriere Family Farms. Ron still enjoys hunting and fishing and resides in Orland with his wife Sandie and their two dogs Mindy and Olive.
Toni has been an Office Manager/Full Charge Bookkeeper on and off for over 30 years. Toni was born and raised in Gallup NM. She was born to an Air Force man from Pennsylvania and her mother who was a native of Gallup. She is the second child of four. Toni moved to Rifle CO in 1979 where she worked operating heavy equipment during the oil shale boom. When the boom went bust she moved to Phoenix AZ for a couple of years before relocating to Georgetown CA in 1986. In March 2007 Toni married Nick Cartwright of Chico. Toni moved to Chico in October of that year. Toni has a son (Leo) and daughter (Frances). She is a NANA to Neil John, Noah, Abbigail, Callista and Cecily. In her spare time Toni likes to spend time with family, hunt, fish, camp, art, theater, sports and as a Scuba Master, dive.
Lisa is the oldest daughter and second child of Dick and Nina Carriere. She grew up on the farm in Glenn and spent many summers trimming suckers off trees and tending the garden for the 4-corners vegetable stand where she and her cousins sold their products to locals and passersby. Lisa graduated from Willows High School and then from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in Science. She taught English as a Second language in Spain, Japan and San Francisco. Recently, she was living in the Lake Tahoe area, running a business and working for the newspaper. Lisa is very glad to be back in the area and working as the Grower Representative. She lives in Chico with her two boys, Jacob and Matthew and enjoys hiking, spending time with family and friends and doing various activities with Cub Scouts and sports with her boys.
Blanca Palomino is our newest employee. Blanca is the oldest of three children and one in a long line of family members who have worked for Carriere Family Farms. Blanca was raised in Willows, CA after moving there with her family from Phoenix, AZ at age 11. In 2004 after graduating from Willows High School, she moved to Chico in pursuit of a degree in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry. In 2009, after deciding to take a break from school she started working for Carriere, and is currently enjoying her new position as the Logistics person, responsible for sales documentation and shipments. When not working, Blanca enjoys spending time with her family, including her new niece, camping, and spending time at home.