Wayne and Rose Sagrera were married for 58 years. They had four sons, Stephen, Kevin, Craig and Rapheal.
‘The Way I Saw It’
This is a story written by Stephen Sagrera, who is the son of Wayne Sagrera. Wayne passed away last week.
His name was Wayne Sagrera, and it was 1983. He was a newly recovering alcoholic, dealing with unimaginable personal and family issues. He was a struggling cattle rancher and rice farmer, and he was six figures in debt. He had a wife and four sons to provide for. They were his world, and I believe he wanted more, much more for his family.
At this same time, he was approached by the folks over at Rockefeller Refuge to give alligator farming a try. The concept was not very appealing to him, as it seemed to be a very risky proposition. You see, at the time, the American Alligator was a protected species. Mr. Ted Joanen, Mr. Larry McNease, Mr. David Richard and their team at Rockefeller had the idea to team up with the private sector and create an industry that could utilize a natural resource otherwise perish if left in the wild. To my knowledge, this approach had never been tried before. It was a novel idea and, if successful, it could bring the alligator population back to previous levels and provide jobs for local communities.
I feel confident that no one, including Mr. Sagrera, thought that this was a slam dunk proposition. I really can’t say the main factor in his decision, but he took the gamble. He had no money for this project, and he went considerably further in debt. He started with one barn, and as I recall, it was 230 alligators. He borrowed more money and built another barn in 1985 and two more in 1986.
At that time, profits were enough to pay the banknotes and family living expenses, but nothing more. It was at that time that he started to believe in the potential of this endeavor. He hired his first employee to feed and wash the alligators, which would allow him time to travel overseas and introduce himself directly to the tanneries that were purchasing his alligator skins. I can remember that he did not like to fly at all at that time, but he knew it was the only way to take his business to the next level truly.
He would travel to France, Italy, Japan, Hong Kong and Mexico and quickly got his name established worldwide.
In early 1987, I was a recent graduate of USL, and I approached him to join him in the business. He was a bit reluctant to have me take this gamble at that time. I told him that I am young and if this doesn’t work out that I had plenty of time to find another career. He finally agreed, and the first of his sons had officially joined the business.
The business grew quite slowly over the next few years, and in 1990 little did we know that things were about to change. A gentleman from Heng Long tannery in Singapore, Mr. C.H.Koh, was visiting at Rockefeller Refuge and was looking for recommendations to find a reliable source of alligator skins. By chance, Sagrera happened to be visiting Rockefeller the same day. If I recall correctly, Mr. Joanen introduced them to each other that day, and thus was the beginning of a 30-year business/personal relationship that continues to this day. This chance encounter would change everything for Heng Long and my Dad.
In 1991 my father would incorporate the business, thus creating Vermilion Gator Farm Inc. Over the next several years, he would see the business grow. In 1992 his second son Kevin would join the company. In 1994 his third son Craig would join, and by 1998 Vermilion Gator Farm would be the largest exporter of American Alligator skins in the world. In 2000, his youngest son Raphael would join the business, and in recent years he would be joined by his two grandsons, Matthew and Jacob.
For the next few years, business was okay, but not great. Things changed in 2007.
Demand and prices skyrocketed, only to come to a crashing halt with the financial crisis of late 2008. At that time, we had record numbers of animals on the farm.
We were brokering approximately 60,000 skins for other farmers and there was no place to sell skins. I believe early 2009 that a meeting was held at Vermilion with Mr. Koh, Mr. Sagrera, several farmers that we brokered skins for, and myself and my brothers. We had tens of thousands of perishable skins that we could not sell, and Heng Long could not sell the finished leather. The decision was made to send all of these skins to Heng Long Tannery in Singapore, where they would be processed and not be allowed to perish. Heng Long would pay for them as they could. It would take three years at a reduced price for VGF and the other farmers to receive payment.
I tell this story because it is a prime example of Mr. Sagrera’s character and his ability to judge the character of others. He always said that a man is only as good as his word. That day we witnessed Mr. Sagrera shake Mr. Koh’s hand and agree to send over 10 million dollars of skins to Singapore, with the promise that Heng Long would pay when they could. NO CONTRACT. NO LAWYERS. ONLY A HANDSHAKE!
Over the last 36 years, Sagrera has always had an open door. He helped many people get their farms started, and he never kept any secrets. He helped some enter into the alligator meat business and never thought of anyone as a competitor. In his opinion, there was room in this industry for anyone interested.
Yes, he had built a very successful business, but there is more to this story.
He was very passionate about the sustainable use of this precious natural resource. He worked hand-in-hand with LDWF biologists, industry leaders, local landowners, and government officials to ensure that the alligator farming industry would provide the finances necessary to support the American Alligator’s full recovery. My father was instrumental in creating the Louisiana Alligator Farmers and Ranchers Association, served on the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, the Alligator Advisory Council and has done so much more.
VGF has approximately 40 employees. That is 40 families that support VGF and are supported by VGF.
Well over 100 different people have worked at the farm over the years. Many high school and college kids have had summer jobs here. Several military veterans joined us after finishing their service.
This was very important to my father. Remember, this is Mouton Cove, Louisiana, rural Vermilion Parish.
He felt a sense of obligation to employ as many people as possible and provide an opportunity for as many as possible.
I received a call this week from a gentleman in Italy, Mr. Zvi Friedman. Mr. Friedman and Mr. Sagrera had worked together for the past 30 years and had become very good friends. Friedman told me that he had several conversations with several industry people in Europe, some of them had met Sagrera, many had not, and every conversation would arrive at the same sentiment. Three things: Honesty, Quality and Transparency. These three words summarized the reputation of Mr. Wayne Sagrera. I only wish he could have been on that call with Friedman to hear this.
I will close with these few thoughts,
I know for a fact that he felt incredibly blessed to be able to have all of his sons and grandsons by his side. He would be the first to say he could not have been successful without our help, perhaps, but I know for a fact that we would not have been successful without his leadership. He worked tirelessly for over 30 years to provide for his family and community. He was an imperfect man, but the perfect husband, father and grandfather. A dedicated husband and family man. Mr. Wayne James Sagrera, my father, our father, our Dad!
Eternal love for You Dad.
Stephen Wayne Sagrera
