Farmhand To Flower Tycoon
October 2, 2017 at 7:29 AM PDT
Ismael Resendiz started his farming career when he was about 13, cutting sugarcane with his father and brothers in Sinaloa, Mexico. When he came to San Diego illegally in 1977, he made just a few dollars a day. Now Resendiz is one of the largest U.S. suppliers of protea, exotic flowers originally from South Africa. He owns hundreds of acres of land in Rainbow and Baja California. Resendiz got his green card in 1986 under President Ronald Reagan's amnesty program and successfully filed for citizenship in 1992. As part of our First Person series, Resendiz shares his story.
Ismael Resendiz started his farming career when he was about 13, cutting sugarcane with his father and brothers in Sinaloa, Mexico. Now he is one of the largest suppliers of protea, exotic flowers originally from South Africa.