Jul 7, 2021

Northwest pear industry elects new officers for 2021-22 season

The Northwest pear industry on June 3 elected new officers during its annual meeting.

The  newly elected officers to Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW) will lead the board, and the elected officers to the Fresh Pear Committee (FPC) will lead the committee in accordance with Marketing Order 927: Pears Grown in Oregon and Washington.

Scott Martinez of the Medford, Oregon, growing region will be the new PBNW chairman, with Jordan Matson from Yakima, Washington, elected as first vice chair. The second vice chair is Don Gibson from the Mid-Columbia district, and third vice chair is Ron Gonsalves for the Wenatchee, Washington, district. Each of these officers are serving their first year and will fulfill a term that began July 1, 2021 and will conclude June 30, 2022.

Officers for the FPC were also elected to serve starting July 1 2021 to June 30, 2022. Andrew Peterson of the Wenatchee growing district will serve as chair for a second and final term; Jorge Arias of Yakima will serve as first vice chair for a first term; Matt Borman of Medford will serve as second vice chair for a second term, and Ed Ing of Mid-Columbia district will serve as secretary/treasur for a second term.

The newly elected officers, as well as the rest of the board members, will continue to work as voices and representatives of the fresh pear industry, as a whole. They are looking forward to helping steer the industry in new directions and to playing a pivotal role in making decisions for the FPC and PBNW.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, we are more dedicated than ever to executing innovative, attention-grabbing promotions. We continue to focus on growing the pear category and generating more consumer demand for fresh pears amid the changing retail environments and consumer shopping patterns. Partnerships and collaborations with our industry are essential to our success. Having strong leadership in place allows us to fulfill our mission to always serve the industry with progressive, forward-looking programs,” PBNW President and CEO Kevin Moffitt said in a news release. “We are poised and ready to work with the new PBNW board and Fresh Pear Committee elected to represent their districts to provide guidance and direction.”

“As I go into my 36th year working with the pear growers in the Northwest, I look forward to serving the industry and working with the professional team at Pear Bureau Northwest,” said Martinez, vice president of sales at Rivermaid Trading Co. “The organization continues to represent and promote the finest pears in the world raised by the growers in Oregon and Washington.”

Pear Bureau Northwest is a non-profit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh pears grown in Washington and Oregon, home to 87% of the US commercial fresh pear crop. The Bureau represents over 800 grower families and partners with outlets throughout the world in an effort to increase overall success with the pear category.

The organization provides marketing and merchandising expertise that is customized specifically for each retail organization, using its pear consumer research findings as well as individual store analysis using an in-house data system that measures pear category performance nationwide and third-party research to show retailers how they perform versus their competition.

Retailers who are interested in partnering with Pear Bureau Northwest should contact them at [email protected] or 1 (800) 547-4610, as well as visit the retail trade site Trade.USAPears.org or consumer site, USAPears.org.