Everyday Champion -- Ricky Ortiz
June 14, 2016 | Football
By Brooks Hatch, OSUBeavers.com
A dream that first took root in a Southern California middle school is blossoming on the Oregon State campus and in the bountiful soil in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
OSU senior football student-athlete Ricky Ortiz and lifelong friend Adrian Contreras had more on their minds than video games and sports as classmates at El Cerrito Middle School, a stone's throw from I-15 in the Inland Empire community of Corona, Calif.
They had a dream about buying some land and forming a partnership to sell avocados. Ortiz loved how they tasted, and both envisioned a day when avocados would be recognized as a high-demand "super fruit" as more consumers developed healthier eating habits.
"Adrian and I had business mindsets, ideas that not very many kids in middle school have," Ortiz, a 22-year-old agricultural sciences major, recalled in a recent interview at Strand Hall. "And we loved avocados."
Their brainstorming ultimately led to them forming a business partnership. They now own about 200,000 trees on 150 acres in Jalisco, adjacent to land already owned by Adrian's father. Adrian is running the farm; Ortiz will play one final season of college football and complete his schoolwork before going to work.
"Adrian and his dad will do the farming," Ortiz said. "I will be marketing the product, promoting our business internationally," to existing markets in the Western Hemisphere and to emerging ones in China, India, New Zealand and Europe.
Avocados have become increasingly popular as consumers recognize their many benefits. Sales in the United States increased by more than 20 percent in 2015, according to the Hass Avocado Board, a trade group located in Irvine, Calif.
In Great Britain, the café chain Pret a Manger's announced it had sliced up more than five million avocados in 2015. Global consumption has doubled over the past decade and annual sales have passed the $3 billion mark.
Why the dramatic increase in popularity?
"Avocados are a very versatile fruit," Ortiz said. "You can put them on your eggs, you can put them on a hamburger, you can put them in pasta, and in a variety of other things," such as smoothies and salads.
"They are incredibly nutritious. An avocado has high vitamin content. It is high in potassium, it lowers your cholesterol, it is loaded with fiber, and loaded with heart-healthy fatty acids."
Ortiz is as versatile as the fruit he champions.
He's a three-time Pacific-12 Conference all-academic honoree who has played offense and defense since joining the team as a walk-on in 2012. He is active in the Student-Athlete Sustainability Club and in SportUp, a student-athlete entrepreneurship club, and helps represent football on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He is also is among the team leaders for community service with 30 hours performed during the 2015-16 academic year.
Ortiz's athletic, academic, service and leadership accomplishments make him an Everyday Champion.
The mission of the Everyday Champions Program is to develop student-athletes into individuals ready to excel in today's competitive environment so they leave Corvallis educated, confident, connected and well-prepared for the personal and professional challenges they'll face throughout their lives.
OSU has designed the Everyday Champions Program to facilitate the growth in the five areas designated by the former NCAA CHAMPS Life Skills Program: Athletic Excellence, Academic Excellence, Character & Leadership Development, Career Development and Community Service.
Ortiz will graduate in June, 2017, with a degree in agricultural science. Jonathan Velez, an associate professor of general agriculture in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Ortiz's academic advisor, said Ortiz made a lasting impression when they first met in 2012.
"He displayed a work ethic and a desire to serve others," Velez said. "He had a plan for the future that was unique for an incoming freshman.
"One of the things that impressed me was his dedication to his academic future. He had a plan for his academic success. He was committed to working hard for four years, to graduate" and begin his career in the business world.
"I've been privileged to work with Ricky the last four years and it's been very exciting to see his passion to change the lives of others. That's something about Ricky that really stands out, he really wants to make a difference."
Ortiz's goals with the business are three-fold.
· He wants to succeed financially.
· He sees it as a vehicle to employ local workers in a country with a developing economy.
· He can promote sustainable farming practices in the region through composting and efficient irrigation, and by using environmentally-friendly practices for pest control.
"Going to Mexico and seeing our land was incredible," he said, and he plans to be a steward of the land, not an exploiter.
Oh, and he also hopes to make a difference on the 2016 football team. Now back at tight end after playing linebacker in 2015, he's confident the Beavers can improve on a 2-10 record in coach Gary Andersen's second season.
"This season will be better if we do the hard things, the things you don't always want to do, but have to do because they make you better.
"Our team is not based on words, we are based on actions. Dig your heels in the ground and work. Our goal is to put our heads down and work; not say anything, but to prove ourselves with what we do."
That sounds like an approach someone who has been dedicated, organized and focused on the bigger picture since middle school can embrace.
"Ricky really exemplifies what it means to be a Beaver," Velez said. "When I first met him I was proud of his desire to work hard. He really cares about other people.
"He is driven to make a difference in the lives of others. That is really what it means to be a Beaver."
OREGON STATE ATHLETICS' EVERYDAY CHAMPIONS CULTURE
Through the power of sport, we help people discover and pursue their passions, talents and purpose in order to live a life of balance and positive contribution.
