LIEN & TOSO - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Personal Property Appraiser / Research Specialist
Job Titles:
- CFO
- Real Estate Agent
- Vice President
Jeff Lien is a 1990 graduate of California State University San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Business Management, concentration in Finance and Appraisal.
Kay Austin has been an independent fee appraiser since 1996, appraising residential, commercial and subdivision properties. Prior to becoming a licensed appraiser in 1999, Kay was a licensed Real Estate Agent, working in property management and sales of foothill properties. Kay began appraising agricultural properties in 2010, joining Edwards Lien and Toso in 2012. She is certified by the State of California as a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser and is an Associate Member of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA). She is specifically educated in the appraisal of agricultural properties.
Kay was born and raised in the foothill community of Tollhouse, in eastern Fresno County. Throughout her high school years at Sierra High, she was very active in the local FFA Chapter, serving as Chapter Officer for three years, including Chapter President her senior year. Kay and her husband Rick have 4 boys: Jacob, Morgan, Michael and Brian, who have enjoyed the benefits of growing up on the family cattle ranch in Tollhouse and of being 4th generation Sierra High students/graduates.
In her spare time, Kay volunteers for various community organizations, including her local Church, Salvation Army, Sierra Ag Boosters, Band Boosters, Fresno County 4H and Sierra 4H parent volunteer/ Shooting Sports Leader. Her favorite hobbies are feeding hungry kids, working cattle and spending time in the mountains.
Job Titles:
- Senior Appraiser / Associate Broker
Kyle Dalrymple, ARA is a 2008 graduate of California State University, Chico where he earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate. Kyle grew up just down the road from Chico in the small farming community of Gridley, located in southern Butte County where he was an active member of 4-H and FFA. During his high school and college years, Kyle worked for several local farm operators gaining exposure to various commodities ranging from rice to walnuts. In addition to receiving hands-on experience with the production side of agriculture, Kyle spent two high school summers working at a commercial prune dehydration facility. During his college years, Kyle was employed as the operations manager for a local walnut grower and oversaw the hulling/drying facility.
After graduating from college and spending a year in production agriculture, Kyle was chosen to participate in a summer internship with Yosemite Farm Credit. He spent time at each branch location gaining valuable exposure to both the credit and appraisal aspects of agricultural lending. At the end of his internship in 2009, Kyle joined Edwards, Lien & Toso, Inc. as a trainee appraiser where he has gained invaluable appraisal experience, earning his Certified General Real Estate Appraisal License from the State of California in 2012. He is currently an independent contract appraiser with ELT, Inc. and is an Accredited member of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, which is the highest rank, and the only title conferred on rural appraisers by the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers.
Kyle has been involved in a wide variety of rural/agricultural appraisal assignments including urban transition properties, complex orchard developments (as-is, as-proposed and prospective valuation scenarios), vineyards, conservation easements, dairy and feedlot facilities, rice dryers/mills, prune dehydrators and nut handling/processing facilities. Additional assignments have included field/row crop properties, irrigated pasture, large rangeland ranches and rural homesite/part-time farm properties. After receiving his Certified General Appraisal License, Kyle left Turlock and returned home to Butte County where he now handles the company's Northern California operations, in addition to personal farming concerns.
To complement his appraisal services, Kyle obtained his Real Estate Broker's License in April of 2012. His real estate career involves active buyer/seller representation for farm/ranch sales, agricultural real estate consulting services as well as acquisition and management of numerous investment properties for family and personal concerns.
Martin Seanez, ARA is a 1984 graduate of California State University Fresno with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Business. Upon graduation he was hired by the Western Farm Credit System as a loan officer/appraiser trainee. After the training program he was hired by the Livermore Production Credit Association in 1985 where he spent two years. In 1987 he was again hired by the Western Farm Credit System as a full time staff appraiser, serving the Federal Land Bank of Fresno. In 1991 he was hired directly by the Federal Land Bank (now Fresno Madera Farm Credit Association (FMFC)) and except for a two year term in Visalia with Valley Farm Credit Services he spent the remaining time of his 29 year Farm Credit career, as the Assistant Appraisal Program Manager in Fresno. Martin was instrumental in the development of Premier Ag Appraisal, a subsidiary of FMFC, to provide fee appraisals to non-member clients. In March of 2014 he left FMFC to be affiliated with Edwards, Lien & Toso, Inc.
Throughout his career he has been specifically educated in the appraisal of agricultural properties, covering a wide diversity of agricultural land uses found throughout the Central Valley, with a focus on dairy properties. He was awarded the professional designation of Accredited Rural Appraiser (ARA) in 2007, the highest rank, and the only title conferred on rural appraisers by the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA). He is certified by the State of California as a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser.
Martin is a resident of Easton, a rural community south of Fresno and is the father of Leann and Jeffrey. He maintains involvement with the California Chapter ASFMRA, serving as the awards chairman since 2007 and contributing to the annual "Trends in Agricultural Land and Lease Values" for Region 4 (Fresno/Madera). He also volunteers his time to the livestock sale at the Big Fresno Fair.
Mary Anne Dores received her B.S. summa cum laude in Agricultural Business from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2002, with a concentration in Finance and Appraisal. While attending Cal Poly, SLO, Ms. Dores had the opportunity to intern for Edwards & Lien, Inc. throughout the summers.
Prior to attending Cal Poly, SLO, Ms. Dores received her A.S. at Columbia College in Sonora, where she was named to the Dean's Honor List.
Mary Anne has been with Edwards & Lien, Inc. as an independent contract appraiser since graduating Cal Poly in 2002 and is currently an Associate member of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. She is actively working towards completion of required testing and education for accreditation as an Agricultural Rural Appraiser (ARA), having already completed most of the education requirements.
Ms. Dores grew up on her family's dairy farm in Stevinson, California, and throughout high school was active in FFA serving as a chapter officer and participating in local fairs with her dairy project. Ms. Dores is fluent in the Portuguese language.
Mary Anne enjoys traveling and the simplicity of spending her leisure time outdoors with family and friends.
Randy Edwards, ARA is a 1988 graduate of California State University Fresno with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Business. Real Estate and Viticulture were his collegiate study concentrations. He spent two years with the USDA, Farmers Home Administration (now FSA) in Bakersfield, CA as an Assistant County Supervisor. The next seven years of employment was with Central Valley Production Credit Association (now American AgCredit) in Turlock, CA as a staff appraiser. He started Edwards Appraisal Service, on a part time basis, in 1996 that became a fully operational firm in 1997 in Hilmar, California. Randy and his wife Marie have been residents of Hilmar since 1992 and they have three sons, Randy J., Jason and David. Randy and Jeff Lien, a longtime associate, formed the General Partnership of Edwards & Lien, Agricultural Appraisers and Consultants in 2001. The business flourished and was incorporated in 2003 as Edwards & Lien, Inc. with base operations remaining in Hilmar. Randy and Jeff took a third partner, Tony Toso, in 2009 and formed Edwards, Lien & Toso, Inc. Their business territories span the entire San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys of California and into portions of Northern California, Northern Nevada and Southern Oregon primarily for specialized dairy assignments.
Throughout his career he has been specifically educated in the appraisal of agricultural properties and has maintained his appraisal practice since 1988. He was awarded the professional designation of Accredited Rural Appraiser (ARA) in 1995, the highest rank, and the only title conferred on rural appraisers by the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. In 1993 he was certified by the State of California as a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser.
Randy obtained his Real Estate Brokers License in 2004 and concurrently joined The Ranch Company, Inc. (TRC) based in Visalia, CA where he practiced until the end of 2014. In 2015, Edwards, Lien & Toso, Inc. became licensed as a corporation through the California Bureau of Real Estate with Randy Edwards and Tony Toso assuming roles as co-brokers for the firm. Randy's real estate career also extends to the professional management of three multi-tenant commercial properties and two agricultural properties for family and personal concerns.
He is a past President of the California Chapter ASFMRA (2006-2007). To name a few, he has served as the Chairman for the 2004 Spring Outlook Forum and on the Review, Membership and Education (past chairman) committees. He was the Region 3 (San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced Counties) Committee Chairman for the Trends in Agricultural Land and Lease Values from 1993 to 2015 with various statewide oral presentations and annual local-speaking engagements on the topic. He has coauthored and instructed several appraisal education courses through his close ties to the California Chapter ASFMRA relating to dairy, permanent plantings, special use agricultural facilities and regularly participates on various professional panels for business, governmental and trade organizations.
He currently serves on the Merced GSA Technical Advisory Committee. Past board member of the Agricultural Business Advisory Board and maintains membership with AG ONE and the Viticulture & Enology Research Center, all of which relate to California State University of Fresno. He is the past President of the Executive Finance Council for Holy Rosary/St. Mary's Parrish and past Vice President of the Hilmar Chamber of Commerce. Other memberships include the Merced County Sheriff's Posse, San Joaquin Valley Ag Lenders Society (former chair) and several county Farm Bureau organizations.
Richard L. Kilgore, III, ARA is a 1991 graduate of California State University Fresno with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Business. Finance and Real Estate and were his collegiate study concentrations. It was during his time at Fresno State that he met his wife Sara. Now married for 22 years, they have four children, Ryan, Eric, Jacob and Alina. Richard and his family reside in Fresno.
After graduation, Richard spent 14 years within the Farm Credit system in Fresno and Merced, performing agricultural appraisals throughout the San Joaquin Valley. In 2005 Richard joined Bank of the West as an appraisal manager and reviewer. During that time, he ordered and reviewed appraisal reports originating from 23 different states. In June of 2010, Richard returned to the production side of appraisals as he joined Edwards, Lien and Toso as a senior appraiser. Throughout his career, Richard has performed many complex appraisal assignments including appraisals of orchard and vineyard developments, nut hulling and/or processing facilities, food processing facilities, meat processing facilities, greenhouses and other specialized facilities.
Throughout his career he has been specifically educated in the appraisal of agricultural properties and has maintained his appraisal license since 1995. He was awarded the professional designation of Accredited Rural Appraiser (ARA) in 1997, the highest rank, and the only title conferred on rural appraisers by the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA). Richard remains active within the ASFMRA. He is a former chairman for the Education Committee of the California Chapter of the ASFMRA and coauthored the Best Appraisal Practices course.
Richard obtained his Real Estate Sales License in 2014 to provide further services to his clients. He also provides consulting services related to market rents, as well as highest and best use analysis.
Stephanie Bengard grew up on a dairy in the Tulare County area of the San Joaquin Valley. With hard working parents who were adamant on creating hard working children Stephanie learned at a young age hard work receives great reward. Working on the dairy as a child before school helped her gain agriculture knowledge at a young age. All through school at Central Valley Christian she received high marks and a good education which induced admission into Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She received a Bachelors degree in Agriculture Business with a minor in Dairy Science. Post college Stephanie implemented a 1,500 head calf raising operation on her parents dairy farm before working toward a license in Appraisal.
In March of 2013 Stephanie came to work for Edwards, Lien and Toso Inc. as an Appraiser Trainee. Since, she has received her General Certified Appraiser License and has been working in a wide range of agriculture appraisals. Working with Edwards, Lien and Toso Inc. has taught her about land values, production and market fluctuations up and down the state of California.
Stephanie is married with two kids, and enjoys time with family, outdoors, food and traveling.
Tiffany holds the Certified General Real Estate License in the State of California and the Accredited Rural Appraiser (ARA) designation from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. She appraises a wide variety of farm and rural properties primarily located throughout the central and northern San Joaquin Valley and southern Sacramento Valley including almond, walnut, vineyards and various tree fruit orchards, dairy facilities, feedlot facilities other packing/cold storage facilities, almond and walnut huller facilities, feed mills, irrigated cropland, rural residential properties, native pasture and conservation easement encumbered properties.
Tiffany is active in the California Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, currently serving as the co-chair of the Trends Publication Committee. She grew up on her family's registered jersey dairy in Eureka, CA and enjoyed working on the dairy while growing up. She was active in 4-H and FFA showing her registered jerseys at local fairs and up and down the west coast. She was also active in High School and College Rodeo. Tiffany graduated with a B.S. Degree in Agricultural Business from Cal Poly, SLO. She and her husband, Dennis, live in Escalon with their daughters, Kodi and Dusti.