WENATCHEE, Wash. Eva Lauve of Stemilt Growers is the recipient of the Washington State Horticultural Associations 2009 Women in Leadership for Service award, part of a series that recognizes women who have contributed to the horticultural industry. Lauve was presented with the award during the 105th annual meeting of the Washington State Horticultural Association (WSHA) on December 8th.
Lauve has worked in various roles throughout Stemilt for the past 31 years. She was the Production Manager when the company implemented its Safe Quality Food (SQF) program in its warehouses back in 1999. Since then, Lauve has continued to work on food safety in her current role as Scheduling/Food Safety Manager.
In addition to her work at Stemilt, Lauve serves on the SQF Technical Subcommittee and the Northwest Hort. Food Safety Committee.
Lauve is the 13th recipient of the Women in Leadership for Service award. The award series was created back in 1996 by Cascade Analytical, a leading agriculture and environmental laboratory based in Wenatchee, in order to recognize women for outstanding leadership. There is no nomination process, rather past award winners meet and select a winner based on set criteria, which includes a minimum of producing three projects that positively impact the industry. According to Laura Mrachek, outgoing WSHA Board President and owner/president of Cascade Analytical, Lauves work in food safety, sustainability and long-time committee involvement made her an ideal candidate for the award.
Eva provides leadership to the industry in the unique area of post-harvest, said Mrachek. She approaches every issue with the grower in mind and is great at creating successes that reinforce our industry as a whole.
Source: Stemilt Growers Inc.