Matoian, Mathias, 2019 Leon S. Peters Distinguished Service Award recipient
Item
Title
Matoian, Mathias, 2019 Leon S. Peters Distinguished Service Award recipient
Description
Mathias "Matty" Matoian talks about growing up in Fresno, his family and his business, OK Produce and the importance of giving back to the community and doing the right thing in business.
Creator
Matoian, Mathias
Relation
Leon S. Peters Legacy Collection
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
2017
Format
Microsoft Word 2013 document, 3 pages
Identifier
SCMS_lspl_00040
extracted text
[ Music ]
>> I grew up on the west side of Fresno on Collins Street, right between Kearny and Fresno
Street, and then at the fourth grade we moved over by the old Saint Agnes Hospital. My parents
are Charles and Anne Matoian. I grew up in a really close family. My older sister Janice who
now lives in Modesto, and my brother John, my brother and I lived in the same room, a closed in
patio, growing up, and to this day we are still as close as we were when we were younger.
>> Matty's connection and I go back 40-plus years. I used to wash trucks for Matty and his dad
at OK Produce. So, I started a connection with them a long time ago as a young man, and I
learned a lot of things from Charlie and Matty, and Matty's just been such an amazing mentor in
my life and role model for me.
>> OK Produce is a wholesale produce company, which means we bring it in in bulk form, like
straight loads of lettuce, and then we redistribute it to the stores.
>> He was helping to build the business with his father, my grandfather, and then when our
grandfather got sick in 1979, I believe, then it was a full commitment for my dad, he's basically
doing it by himself. He went from being a buyer to running the company and being a buyer. And
to say he worked 80-hour weeks is not an exaggeration. People say all the time, "I work 80
hours!" He worked 80-hour weeks. He worked Monday through Sunday, and Sunday was his
easy day where he came home by three o'clock.
>> I think what keeps you going is here's something that your father built up and you didn't want
to see it go down because he was ill, and you wanted to prove because the competitors said when
we moved in the new building in '86 that we wouldn't be able to make it for six months, and
we're still there and they're not in business anymore.
>> He wanted to do it the best he could possibly do it, he wanted to take care of his people so
well, he cared so much, so every day we saw this, every day we would see it, and this is a day
before there were cells phones, and he was on the phone, there's faxes coming to hotel rooms,
but he was always working intensely hard under a really stressful environment.
>> In my friendship with Matty I realized when we first got together as friends, his amount of
effort that he put into work was way more than the average man puts in. He would work long
hours, early mornings, weekends, constantly making his business grow.
>> He is a great friend, he is loyal. I mean, I remember when I was sworn in as county
superintendent, he would cut articles out of the paper and then put them in a card and then mail
them to me.
>> I could probably pick up the phone at any time and tell him I have a need and I could count
on him 100%.
>> He has an innate ability to know how to do the right thing. And I don't mean the right
business decision, you know, he just knows right and wrong very clearly. Do what you say
you're going to do, he was incredibly impeccable about that concept, and he was firm about
being fair and taking care of our customers.
>> He was a really good buyer, very aggressive, always shaking and baking, making moves,
always trying to buy double, triple the volume, always trying to get the price break so he could
sell it cheaper so our customers could go hotter so we could move more volume. He always said
volume takes care of all ails, you need the volume. So, he always taught me to stretch and buy
big. You would think it's five pallets, buy ten, you'll find home for the extra five.
>> My dad is constantly giving things to people. He gives my kids more gifts than I give them,
he gives my wife even better gifts than I give her, he's thinking about people and what he can
give them all the time.
>> It's important for me to give back to the community because what the community has given to
our family. It's rewarding. The reason I gave to the community hospital is my father, when he
was in the hospital, the nurses there were unbelievable. The reason I did Fresno State is Fresno
State was the best four years of my educational life. It gave me confidence that I never had, and
it gave me a boost and friendships that I still cherish today.
>> It takes a lot, I think, to work that hard and to make the sacrifices that he did all those years,
and then to give a lot of it back to the community. And to hear him talk the day that he found out
he won the award, about how my grandfather told him this is where we live, you need to give
back to where you live. And I remember hearing my grandpa say things like that, and I was a kid
so it didn't really register when my grandpa was saying that, but it made a lot of sense to me.
This is our home, Fresno's our home, and Fresno's been very good to us as far as business. I'm
really proud that he's given so much back to the community, in all different areas.
>> It doesn't have to be big checks to big hospitals, because that makes a lot of people smile, it
could be a box of apples, it could be a card, it could be-- you name it, he will find a way, because
he cares about people, he finds out what's important to them and he takes care of them, and I
think it does make him feel good because he's doing something, but I think he truly loves
watching people be happy, in big ways and small.
>> I admire Matty for his giving to everybody in respect that when he gives he expects nothing
in return, it's just something he does for people, and he likes it.
>> He's a great grandpa. He will drive all the way out to our house, which is about 20-minute car
ride, just to see my kids, just to see them for 10-15 minutes.
>> Family’s the most important. My mom's last words to me before she died were "stay close to
your brother and sister," and we are closer today that we have ever been. And for me it's very
important that the boys and I, our families are close together, so that's why we do these vacations
now.
>> Matty has received a lot of awards in the community for his performances in his community
activities, and he really feels that this Leon Peters award is one of the most prestigious awards
that he could possibly receive. And as a friend, I really feel very, very gratifying that he is
receiving this award.
>> Boy, they got this one right, I mean, that's all I can tell you. I've watched him for the last 40
years, and nothing's changed about him. That award is about an exemplary business, but it's also
about giving back. I don't know anyone else that I've met in my lifetime that has that kind of
commitment to this community, and Matty Matoian has it.
>> I think most of the recipients would probably say the same thing is that they've probably been
honored many different ways in the city, but this one's different, and this one's a different level
and a different feeling, and a different group, and he's clearly showing that in how he's acting and
how he's feeling about that, and that's fun for me to see him happy about something that he
deserves so much.
>> I think it's well deserved, I think it's always nice to hear from people that you're appreciated
and that the good work you've done is appreciated. And to be held in high regards as Mr. Peters
and the other recipients, I think it's very special and I'm happy for him and our family.
>> Mr. Peters was unbelievable, my dad revered him, he used to talk about him all the time.
Leon Peters award is truly overwhelming for me, the response, the emails, the text messages, the
phone calls, has really made it very special. And the only wish I have is my father and mother
were here to see it.
[ Music ]
>> I grew up on the west side of Fresno on Collins Street, right between Kearny and Fresno
Street, and then at the fourth grade we moved over by the old Saint Agnes Hospital. My parents
are Charles and Anne Matoian. I grew up in a really close family. My older sister Janice who
now lives in Modesto, and my brother John, my brother and I lived in the same room, a closed in
patio, growing up, and to this day we are still as close as we were when we were younger.
>> Matty's connection and I go back 40-plus years. I used to wash trucks for Matty and his dad
at OK Produce. So, I started a connection with them a long time ago as a young man, and I
learned a lot of things from Charlie and Matty, and Matty's just been such an amazing mentor in
my life and role model for me.
>> OK Produce is a wholesale produce company, which means we bring it in in bulk form, like
straight loads of lettuce, and then we redistribute it to the stores.
>> He was helping to build the business with his father, my grandfather, and then when our
grandfather got sick in 1979, I believe, then it was a full commitment for my dad, he's basically
doing it by himself. He went from being a buyer to running the company and being a buyer. And
to say he worked 80-hour weeks is not an exaggeration. People say all the time, "I work 80
hours!" He worked 80-hour weeks. He worked Monday through Sunday, and Sunday was his
easy day where he came home by three o'clock.
>> I think what keeps you going is here's something that your father built up and you didn't want
to see it go down because he was ill, and you wanted to prove because the competitors said when
we moved in the new building in '86 that we wouldn't be able to make it for six months, and
we're still there and they're not in business anymore.
>> He wanted to do it the best he could possibly do it, he wanted to take care of his people so
well, he cared so much, so every day we saw this, every day we would see it, and this is a day
before there were cells phones, and he was on the phone, there's faxes coming to hotel rooms,
but he was always working intensely hard under a really stressful environment.
>> In my friendship with Matty I realized when we first got together as friends, his amount of
effort that he put into work was way more than the average man puts in. He would work long
hours, early mornings, weekends, constantly making his business grow.
>> He is a great friend, he is loyal. I mean, I remember when I was sworn in as county
superintendent, he would cut articles out of the paper and then put them in a card and then mail
them to me.
>> I could probably pick up the phone at any time and tell him I have a need and I could count
on him 100%.
>> He has an innate ability to know how to do the right thing. And I don't mean the right
business decision, you know, he just knows right and wrong very clearly. Do what you say
you're going to do, he was incredibly impeccable about that concept, and he was firm about
being fair and taking care of our customers.
>> He was a really good buyer, very aggressive, always shaking and baking, making moves,
always trying to buy double, triple the volume, always trying to get the price break so he could
sell it cheaper so our customers could go hotter so we could move more volume. He always said
volume takes care of all ails, you need the volume. So, he always taught me to stretch and buy
big. You would think it's five pallets, buy ten, you'll find home for the extra five.
>> My dad is constantly giving things to people. He gives my kids more gifts than I give them,
he gives my wife even better gifts than I give her, he's thinking about people and what he can
give them all the time.
>> It's important for me to give back to the community because what the community has given to
our family. It's rewarding. The reason I gave to the community hospital is my father, when he
was in the hospital, the nurses there were unbelievable. The reason I did Fresno State is Fresno
State was the best four years of my educational life. It gave me confidence that I never had, and
it gave me a boost and friendships that I still cherish today.
>> It takes a lot, I think, to work that hard and to make the sacrifices that he did all those years,
and then to give a lot of it back to the community. And to hear him talk the day that he found out
he won the award, about how my grandfather told him this is where we live, you need to give
back to where you live. And I remember hearing my grandpa say things like that, and I was a kid
so it didn't really register when my grandpa was saying that, but it made a lot of sense to me.
This is our home, Fresno's our home, and Fresno's been very good to us as far as business. I'm
really proud that he's given so much back to the community, in all different areas.
>> It doesn't have to be big checks to big hospitals, because that makes a lot of people smile, it
could be a box of apples, it could be a card, it could be-- you name it, he will find a way, because
he cares about people, he finds out what's important to them and he takes care of them, and I
think it does make him feel good because he's doing something, but I think he truly loves
watching people be happy, in big ways and small.
>> I admire Matty for his giving to everybody in respect that when he gives he expects nothing
in return, it's just something he does for people, and he likes it.
>> He's a great grandpa. He will drive all the way out to our house, which is about 20-minute car
ride, just to see my kids, just to see them for 10-15 minutes.
>> Family’s the most important. My mom's last words to me before she died were "stay close to
your brother and sister," and we are closer today that we have ever been. And for me it's very
important that the boys and I, our families are close together, so that's why we do these vacations
now.
>> Matty has received a lot of awards in the community for his performances in his community
activities, and he really feels that this Leon Peters award is one of the most prestigious awards
that he could possibly receive. And as a friend, I really feel very, very gratifying that he is
receiving this award.
>> Boy, they got this one right, I mean, that's all I can tell you. I've watched him for the last 40
years, and nothing's changed about him. That award is about an exemplary business, but it's also
about giving back. I don't know anyone else that I've met in my lifetime that has that kind of
commitment to this community, and Matty Matoian has it.
>> I think most of the recipients would probably say the same thing is that they've probably been
honored many different ways in the city, but this one's different, and this one's a different level
and a different feeling, and a different group, and he's clearly showing that in how he's acting and
how he's feeling about that, and that's fun for me to see him happy about something that he
deserves so much.
>> I think it's well deserved, I think it's always nice to hear from people that you're appreciated
and that the good work you've done is appreciated. And to be held in high regards as Mr. Peters
and the other recipients, I think it's very special and I'm happy for him and our family.
>> Mr. Peters was unbelievable, my dad revered him, he used to talk about him all the time.
Leon Peters award is truly overwhelming for me, the response, the emails, the text messages, the
phone calls, has really made it very special. And the only wish I have is my father and mother
were here to see it.
[ Music ]
[ Music ]
>> I grew up on the west side of Fresno on Collins Street, right between Kearny and Fresno
Street, and then at the fourth grade we moved over by the old Saint Agnes Hospital. My parents
are Charles and Anne Matoian. I grew up in a really close family. My older sister Janice who
now lives in Modesto, and my brother John, my brother and I lived in the same room, a closed in
patio, growing up, and to this day we are still as close as we were when we were younger.
>> Matty's connection and I go back 40-plus years. I used to wash trucks for Matty and his dad
at OK Produce. So, I started a connection with them a long time ago as a young man, and I
learned a lot of things from Charlie and Matty, and Matty's just been such an amazing mentor in
my life and role model for me.
>> OK Produce is a wholesale produce company, which means we bring it in in bulk form, like
straight loads of lettuce, and then we redistribute it to the stores.
>> He was helping to build the business with his father, my grandfather, and then when our
grandfather got sick in 1979, I believe, then it was a full commitment for my dad, he's basically
doing it by himself. He went from being a buyer to running the company and being a buyer. And
to say he worked 80-hour weeks is not an exaggeration. People say all the time, "I work 80
hours!" He worked 80-hour weeks. He worked Monday through Sunday, and Sunday was his
easy day where he came home by three o'clock.
>> I think what keeps you going is here's something that your father built up and you didn't want
to see it go down because he was ill, and you wanted to prove because the competitors said when
we moved in the new building in '86 that we wouldn't be able to make it for six months, and
we're still there and they're not in business anymore.
>> He wanted to do it the best he could possibly do it, he wanted to take care of his people so
well, he cared so much, so every day we saw this, every day we would see it, and this is a day
before there were cells phones, and he was on the phone, there's faxes coming to hotel rooms,
but he was always working intensely hard under a really stressful environment.
>> In my friendship with Matty I realized when we first got together as friends, his amount of
effort that he put into work was way more than the average man puts in. He would work long
hours, early mornings, weekends, constantly making his business grow.
>> He is a great friend, he is loyal. I mean, I remember when I was sworn in as county
superintendent, he would cut articles out of the paper and then put them in a card and then mail
them to me.
>> I could probably pick up the phone at any time and tell him I have a need and I could count
on him 100%.
>> He has an innate ability to know how to do the right thing. And I don't mean the right
business decision, you know, he just knows right and wrong very clearly. Do what you say
you're going to do, he was incredibly impeccable about that concept, and he was firm about
being fair and taking care of our customers.
>> He was a really good buyer, very aggressive, always shaking and baking, making moves,
always trying to buy double, triple the volume, always trying to get the price break so he could
sell it cheaper so our customers could go hotter so we could move more volume. He always said
volume takes care of all ails, you need the volume. So, he always taught me to stretch and buy
big. You would think it's five pallets, buy ten, you'll find home for the extra five.
>> My dad is constantly giving things to people. He gives my kids more gifts than I give them,
he gives my wife even better gifts than I give her, he's thinking about people and what he can
give them all the time.
>> It's important for me to give back to the community because what the community has given to
our family. It's rewarding. The reason I gave to the community hospital is my father, when he
was in the hospital, the nurses there were unbelievable. The reason I did Fresno State is Fresno
State was the best four years of my educational life. It gave me confidence that I never had, and
it gave me a boost and friendships that I still cherish today.
>> It takes a lot, I think, to work that hard and to make the sacrifices that he did all those years,
and then to give a lot of it back to the community. And to hear him talk the day that he found out
he won the award, about how my grandfather told him this is where we live, you need to give
back to where you live. And I remember hearing my grandpa say things like that, and I was a kid
so it didn't really register when my grandpa was saying that, but it made a lot of sense to me.
This is our home, Fresno's our home, and Fresno's been very good to us as far as business. I'm
really proud that he's given so much back to the community, in all different areas.
>> It doesn't have to be big checks to big hospitals, because that makes a lot of people smile, it
could be a box of apples, it could be a card, it could be-- you name it, he will find a way, because
he cares about people, he finds out what's important to them and he takes care of them, and I
think it does make him feel good because he's doing something, but I think he truly loves
watching people be happy, in big ways and small.
>> I admire Matty for his giving to everybody in respect that when he gives he expects nothing
in return, it's just something he does for people, and he likes it.
>> He's a great grandpa. He will drive all the way out to our house, which is about 20-minute car
ride, just to see my kids, just to see them for 10-15 minutes.
>> Family’s the most important. My mom's last words to me before she died were "stay close to
your brother and sister," and we are closer today that we have ever been. And for me it's very
important that the boys and I, our families are close together, so that's why we do these vacations
now.
>> Matty has received a lot of awards in the community for his performances in his community
activities, and he really feels that this Leon Peters award is one of the most prestigious awards
that he could possibly receive. And as a friend, I really feel very, very gratifying that he is
receiving this award.
>> Boy, they got this one right, I mean, that's all I can tell you. I've watched him for the last 40
years, and nothing's changed about him. That award is about an exemplary business, but it's also
about giving back. I don't know anyone else that I've met in my lifetime that has that kind of
commitment to this community, and Matty Matoian has it.
>> I think most of the recipients would probably say the same thing is that they've probably been
honored many different ways in the city, but this one's different, and this one's a different level
and a different feeling, and a different group, and he's clearly showing that in how he's acting and
how he's feeling about that, and that's fun for me to see him happy about something that he
deserves so much.
>> I think it's well deserved, I think it's always nice to hear from people that you're appreciated
and that the good work you've done is appreciated. And to be held in high regards as Mr. Peters
and the other recipients, I think it's very special and I'm happy for him and our family.
>> Mr. Peters was unbelievable, my dad revered him, he used to talk about him all the time.
Leon Peters award is truly overwhelming for me, the response, the emails, the text messages, the
phone calls, has really made it very special. And the only wish I have is my father and mother
were here to see it.
[ Music ]
>> I grew up on the west side of Fresno on Collins Street, right between Kearny and Fresno
Street, and then at the fourth grade we moved over by the old Saint Agnes Hospital. My parents
are Charles and Anne Matoian. I grew up in a really close family. My older sister Janice who
now lives in Modesto, and my brother John, my brother and I lived in the same room, a closed in
patio, growing up, and to this day we are still as close as we were when we were younger.
>> Matty's connection and I go back 40-plus years. I used to wash trucks for Matty and his dad
at OK Produce. So, I started a connection with them a long time ago as a young man, and I
learned a lot of things from Charlie and Matty, and Matty's just been such an amazing mentor in
my life and role model for me.
>> OK Produce is a wholesale produce company, which means we bring it in in bulk form, like
straight loads of lettuce, and then we redistribute it to the stores.
>> He was helping to build the business with his father, my grandfather, and then when our
grandfather got sick in 1979, I believe, then it was a full commitment for my dad, he's basically
doing it by himself. He went from being a buyer to running the company and being a buyer. And
to say he worked 80-hour weeks is not an exaggeration. People say all the time, "I work 80
hours!" He worked 80-hour weeks. He worked Monday through Sunday, and Sunday was his
easy day where he came home by three o'clock.
>> I think what keeps you going is here's something that your father built up and you didn't want
to see it go down because he was ill, and you wanted to prove because the competitors said when
we moved in the new building in '86 that we wouldn't be able to make it for six months, and
we're still there and they're not in business anymore.
>> He wanted to do it the best he could possibly do it, he wanted to take care of his people so
well, he cared so much, so every day we saw this, every day we would see it, and this is a day
before there were cells phones, and he was on the phone, there's faxes coming to hotel rooms,
but he was always working intensely hard under a really stressful environment.
>> In my friendship with Matty I realized when we first got together as friends, his amount of
effort that he put into work was way more than the average man puts in. He would work long
hours, early mornings, weekends, constantly making his business grow.
>> He is a great friend, he is loyal. I mean, I remember when I was sworn in as county
superintendent, he would cut articles out of the paper and then put them in a card and then mail
them to me.
>> I could probably pick up the phone at any time and tell him I have a need and I could count
on him 100%.
>> He has an innate ability to know how to do the right thing. And I don't mean the right
business decision, you know, he just knows right and wrong very clearly. Do what you say
you're going to do, he was incredibly impeccable about that concept, and he was firm about
being fair and taking care of our customers.
>> He was a really good buyer, very aggressive, always shaking and baking, making moves,
always trying to buy double, triple the volume, always trying to get the price break so he could
sell it cheaper so our customers could go hotter so we could move more volume. He always said
volume takes care of all ails, you need the volume. So, he always taught me to stretch and buy
big. You would think it's five pallets, buy ten, you'll find home for the extra five.
>> My dad is constantly giving things to people. He gives my kids more gifts than I give them,
he gives my wife even better gifts than I give her, he's thinking about people and what he can
give them all the time.
>> It's important for me to give back to the community because what the community has given to
our family. It's rewarding. The reason I gave to the community hospital is my father, when he
was in the hospital, the nurses there were unbelievable. The reason I did Fresno State is Fresno
State was the best four years of my educational life. It gave me confidence that I never had, and
it gave me a boost and friendships that I still cherish today.
>> It takes a lot, I think, to work that hard and to make the sacrifices that he did all those years,
and then to give a lot of it back to the community. And to hear him talk the day that he found out
he won the award, about how my grandfather told him this is where we live, you need to give
back to where you live. And I remember hearing my grandpa say things like that, and I was a kid
so it didn't really register when my grandpa was saying that, but it made a lot of sense to me.
This is our home, Fresno's our home, and Fresno's been very good to us as far as business. I'm
really proud that he's given so much back to the community, in all different areas.
>> It doesn't have to be big checks to big hospitals, because that makes a lot of people smile, it
could be a box of apples, it could be a card, it could be-- you name it, he will find a way, because
he cares about people, he finds out what's important to them and he takes care of them, and I
think it does make him feel good because he's doing something, but I think he truly loves
watching people be happy, in big ways and small.
>> I admire Matty for his giving to everybody in respect that when he gives he expects nothing
in return, it's just something he does for people, and he likes it.
>> He's a great grandpa. He will drive all the way out to our house, which is about 20-minute car
ride, just to see my kids, just to see them for 10-15 minutes.
>> Family’s the most important. My mom's last words to me before she died were "stay close to
your brother and sister," and we are closer today that we have ever been. And for me it's very
important that the boys and I, our families are close together, so that's why we do these vacations
now.
>> Matty has received a lot of awards in the community for his performances in his community
activities, and he really feels that this Leon Peters award is one of the most prestigious awards
that he could possibly receive. And as a friend, I really feel very, very gratifying that he is
receiving this award.
>> Boy, they got this one right, I mean, that's all I can tell you. I've watched him for the last 40
years, and nothing's changed about him. That award is about an exemplary business, but it's also
about giving back. I don't know anyone else that I've met in my lifetime that has that kind of
commitment to this community, and Matty Matoian has it.
>> I think most of the recipients would probably say the same thing is that they've probably been
honored many different ways in the city, but this one's different, and this one's a different level
and a different feeling, and a different group, and he's clearly showing that in how he's acting and
how he's feeling about that, and that's fun for me to see him happy about something that he
deserves so much.
>> I think it's well deserved, I think it's always nice to hear from people that you're appreciated
and that the good work you've done is appreciated. And to be held in high regards as Mr. Peters
and the other recipients, I think it's very special and I'm happy for him and our family.
>> Mr. Peters was unbelievable, my dad revered him, he used to talk about him all the time.
Leon Peters award is truly overwhelming for me, the response, the emails, the text messages, the
phone calls, has really made it very special. And the only wish I have is my father and mother
were here to see it.
[ Music ]