Jan Vala

Jan Vala   Northwest

When I was working as a school psychologist, I never imagined that I would leave my chosen profession to run a pumpkin farm. I now know that anything is possible when you are married to a dreamer. While I was supporting the family with a steady paycheck, my husband, Tim Vala, bought a farm, learned how to plant crops, and we opened a “pick-your-own” business; a pumpkin farm. We were wildly unsuccessful in the beginning, but now we are heading into our 21st year of operation. Somehow, the small farm we started out with turned into a five-week fall festival and entertainment destination. My psychology background comes in handy now as I interview, hire, and schedule over 350 seasonal employees to staff Vala’s Pumpkin Patch & Fall Festival. I am also in charge of marketing, merchandise ordering, entertainment bookings, and bookkeeping. Every year we welcome over 160,000 guests to Vala’s, and I think the key to our success is stated most clearly in our mission statement: “creating memories worth repeating.” We have been NAFDMA members for 18 years, our business growing and changing along with the organization. A highlight for us was winning the NAFDMA Farm Marketers of the Year award at the 2003 convention. The support and knowledge we gleaned from our peers has been invaluable. As a board member, I am proud to be giving back to the organization that has helped to make my family’s dream a reality.

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