WENATCHEE, WA – West Mathison, president of Stemilt Growers, will extend his leadership duties in 2011 to serve as board president for the Washington State Horticultural Association (WSHA). The presidency responsibilities were passed onto Mathison during WSHA’s 106th Annual Meeting held in Yakima, WA last week. John Verbrugge of Valley Fruit, Wapato, WA, is the outgoing president.
According to their website, WSHA was organized in 1904 to represent shippers and growers, and advance the tree fruit industry through education. WSHA is also the industry’s advocate on legislation and regulation issues.
Mathison, 34, has been involved in WSHA leadership since 2002, most recently serving as 1st Vice President. In his new role, West Mathison will follow in the footsteps of his uncle, Bob Mathison, who was WSHA president in 2001.
In the coming year, Mathison will look to unify the tree fruit industry’s voice in order to gain the attention of legislators at the state capital.
“Agriculture – and especially tree fruit – is a huge economic driver for Washington state. We must work together as an industry to form strong positions on issues that could impact our ability to remain competitive in the marketplace,” said West Mathison.
The Mathison family has owned and operated Stemilt since it was founded in 1964. West Mathison succeeded his grandfather (and Stemilt founder), Tom Mathison, as Stemilt’s president in 2005. Since then, has focused on sustainable growth while simultaneously keeping to Stemilt’s mission of maximizing long-term return to the land. Stemilt has evolved into the nation’s leading shipper of sweet cherries and its largest supplier of organic tree fruits.
From the very beginning, Mathison has taken a strong interest in the agriculture side of the business. He has focused on new variety development, increased organic supplies to keep up with rising consumer demand, and modernized orchards through high-density plantings that yield more bins per acre. Stemilt has successfully brought two new apple varieties to market, Piñata and SweeTango. The company has also evolved into the nation’s leading supplier of sweet cherries and organic tree fruits.
In addition to his new role as WSHA president, Mathison will continue serving as a member of the Eastern Washington Governor’s Advisory Council, which advises the Washington state governor on a number of issues impacting the eastern regions of the state.
Source: Stemilt Growers, LLC
