Alexandria, Virginia – Brian Bocock, vice president of product management for Naturipe Farms, has been named the 2020 Alex Wetherbee Award winner by the North American Blueberry Council (NABC).
Brian Bocock (left) was presented the Alex Wetherbee Award by Art Galletta (right), chair of the NABC Nominations and Awards Committee. Photo by Nony Park of Ken Pak Photography.
This honor recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the industry in the areas of marketing and promotion. The award is named after the late Alex Wetherbee, one of the founders of NABC and a blueberry marketer in New Jersey who was respected industrywide.
“There’s no one in the blueberry industry who deserves this award more than Brian,” said Art Galletta, president of Atlantic Blueberry Co. and chair of the NABC Nominations and Awards Committee. “He’s known throughout the blueberry industry as a friend to both growers and buyers, and his contributions have had a profound effect on moving our product forward.”
Bocock, also a blueberry farmer, has been innovative in his approach to blueberry sales and has significantly increased sales in the blueberry category for Naturipe Farms, Galletta added. “He’s kept the grower at the forefront in his approach to generating fresh sales of our product,” Galletta said.
Brian Bocock accepted the award recognizing excellence in marketing and promotion.
Photo by Nony Park of Ken Pak Photography.
“I can’t think of another award I could receive that means as much to me as the Alex Wetherbee Award. So many blueberry industry members are family farms and families, and to have that group think of me like this is truly humbling,” said Bocock, who is also a member of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) Promotion Committee. “To receive the award from an industry sales icon like Art Galletta meant almost as much as the award itself. Art is a true gentleman and leader,” he added.
Wetherbee was a mentor to Bocock and one of the most passionate people he’s ever met. “His passion was inspiring and pushed me to be better than I thought I could be,” Bocock explained. “He also had a funny comment about almost everything. It was a true honor to know Alex.”
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About the North American Blueberry Council
Since 1965, the North American Blueberry Council (NABC) has been the voice of the blueberry industry in the U.S. and Canada. NABC’s members represent approximately 70% of the North American highbush blueberry crop. NABC was instrumental in the establishment of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHABC), a federal agriculture research and promotion program with independent oversight from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Learn more at nabcblues.org.
