Feb 27, 2023

Brett Reasor joins Columbia Fruit as CEO

Brett Reasor will be joining New Columbia Fruit Packers LLC (Columbia Fruit) as its CEO on March 1.

Current CEO Mike Wade will transition to the role of chairman.

“The tree fruit industry is complex and unique, and requires extremely capable leadership,” Wade said in a news release. “Brett’s drive for innovation and standard for excellence, plus his broad wealth of experience and the respect he holds within the industry, will take Columbia Fruit’s business into this next exciting era.”

Wade said the leadership Reasor will bring to Wenatchee, Wash.-based Columbia Fruit imparts significant opportunities for the advancement of key initiatives slated for future development, expansion of regenerative farming efforts, sustainability initiatives and overall business growth.

“Brett brings invaluable experience from his time at Oneonta Trading Corporation as CEO, giving him a solid platform to transition into and add value to CMI’s business,” Bob Mast, president of CMI Orchards, said in the release. “CMI strives to be visionaries when it comes to the tree fruit industry and adding Brett’s knowledge and expertise to our owners’ business improves our ability to be the best we can be.”

Columbia Fruit is a partner in CMI Orchards.

Reasor, a Wenatchee native, graduated from Washington State University. In the last decade, he has been an industrial engineer for ConAgra Foods, a general manager for Custom Apple Packers, and most recently, CEO for Oneonta Trading Corp.

“This is a great opportunity to continue to gain knowledge in the industry, work with a great marketing base in CMI and dive more into the long-term sustainable strategy that Columbia Fruit is developing,” Reason said in the release. “That’s something that I think we, as an industry, need to continue to push forward and support.”