USApple honors Steve Clement with industry’s highest honor

By Doug Ohlemeier, Assistant Editor

The apple industry honored one of its longtime leaders with a notable award during the recent USApple Outlook conference. 

Steve Clement, former USApple chair and CEO of Washington’s Legendary Fruit Co., received the Apple Champion Award during the Aug. 14 session in Chicago.

Clement, who also served as CEO of Washington’s PNW Tree Fruit and Sage Fruit companies during his USApple tenure, chaired the board of directors from 2023-24. He joined USApple’s board in 2014 and previously  served as the organization’s secretary and vice chair.

“We wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks to Steve for being such an eloquent and energetic leader and spokesman for the organization,” said Jim Bair, USApple’s president and CEO. 

Bair pointed to photos of Clement’s visits to Washington, D.C., where he helped lobby two presidential administrations and spoke at the White House on behalf of the apple industry under Presidents Trump and Biden. 

Clement’s advocacy work resulted in successfully removing tariffs on India Before the U.S. imposed steel and aluminum tariffs in 2018, India was the second-largest market for U.S. apples until a 70% retaliatory tariff cost U.S. growers $500 million in sales, Bair said.

“Thanks to the work that began at that [White House] meeting, we’re back in that market again,” Bair said. “I can’t express it enough. He talks, people listen, and he’s done such a good job.”

Legendary Fruit is the new company following the merging of Chelan, Washington’s Chelan Fruit and Wapato, Washington’s Legacy Fruit. Legendary Fruit grows conventional and organic apples and pears and conventional cherries.

— Doug Ohlemeier, Assistant Editor