Tom O'Brien

Business: The farm, a wholesale agricultural operation with a family-friendly retail component, covers more than 500 acres in east Manatee County. Produce, sold through the O'Brien family-run C & D Fruit and Vegetable Co., include cucumbers, onions, peppers, strawberries, squash, and zucchini. Clients range from Sysco to independent restaurants up and down the East Coast. The crops side of the business has struggled somewhat in recent years, Tom O'Brien says. But the retail side, with a U-Pick patch and an educational center, is thriving. The family launched the retail side in the fall of 2010, and O'Brien says “business has picked up every year.”