Memories of Steve Miller

The agricultural fumigants market plays a vital role in global food production by helping farmers protect crops from pests, weeds, and soil-borne diseases. Fumigants are chemical compounds used to disinfect soil, grains, and storage facilities, ensuring healthy harvests and minimizing post-harvest losses. As the global population grows and the demand for high-quality food increases, the adoption of agricultural fumigants is becoming more widespread, especially in regions where agricultural productivity is crucial for economic growth.

Importance of Agricultural Fumigants

Agricultural fumigants are applied to the soil or storage units to eliminate harmful organisms such as nematodes, fungi, insects, and weeds before planting or during storage. This process significantly improves seed germination rates, crop quality, and overall yield. Fumigation also plays a key role in maintaining food safety standards by preventing infestations during storage and transportation, reducing spoilage, and extending the shelf life of grains and other produce.

Market Drivers

The growth…

I loved Steve - deeply - and feel so blessed to have had him as a mentor, friend, and advocate. We first met over Zoom during the chaos of 2020, and I was immediately in awe of not only his intellect but his warmth, charisma, and authentic connection to the true spirit of sport-based youth development. From there, we spoke frequently, and he provided incredible advice as I was launching my consulting business and non-profit. In a world where it can be tough to trust people, he was someone who made it easy to believe in inherent goodness.

When we met for the first time a few months later, we spent an hour talking in his office, sharing life stories. Surrounded by photos from events, awards, and mementos, I got the feeling that he was singularly unimpressed by the accolades and more keen on sharing stories of his family -…

Photo: Dr. Vic Buccola, Steve Miller and Peter K. Godinez

Coach Miller had more than one beginning in his fascinating journey—and I was lucky enough to be there for one of the most important. We both arrived at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1976 and, fittingly, left in 1981. It felt like destiny. I was a second-generation Mustang, following the trail blazed by my father, Pete Anthony Godinez, a Hall of Fame boxer from the Class of '55.

My dad had the honor of training alongside one of his closest friends, Dr. Vic Buccola—who just so happened to be the Athletic Director at Cal Poly during that pivotal moment. When the legendary Coach Steve Simmons announced his departure, Dr. Buccola headed the search committee to find a worthy successor to lead the Track & Field program.

It was Coach Simmons himself who whispered, “You might want to take a…

I said something feminist in a Nike sports marketing meeting. Steve accosted me during a break and gave me a hard time. I gave him a hard time back, and then we were friends.

One day he called me up and said, "you seem like the kind of person who could give a good book recommendation." He had a long flight to Japan coming up and was looking for something to read. I lent him a copy of A Confederacy of Dunces, and a few days later he told me that he had laughed so hard on the plane that the flight attendants had shushed him several times for disturbing nearby passengers. He thanked me with great enthusiasm.

It felt like a win.