NEWS IN A NUTSHELL
This work may also lead to inventing new things too. We spent two days in meeting rooms where nine PhDs and various R&D experts produced 100 almond ideas. We’re now vetting those to see what has the most value for the industry. AF: Wonderful! Now, could you talk about who you are as a leader, some of your background and your leadership style ? And, more specifically, how you collaborate with farmers, researchers and other stakeholders in the almond industry ? CT: My overall leadership style is collaborative. I’m a very curious person. In fact, my mom used to limit the number of questions I was allowed to ask. I did the same thing with my daughter. I decided that after five questions on the same topic, we were done. I genuinely enjoy people and try to get the best out of them. In the last year and a half, I did 13 listening sessions up and down the Valley, where I discussed the state of the industry and opened it up for dialogue and questions. There is such an incredible level of knowledge and experience coming from the generations that have been engaged in almonds. I learned so much by visiting growers in their orchards to hear what’s on their minds, what they are struggling with, and what they’re excited about. In the first year, that gave me so much perspective. I try to learn as much as I can and listen to what’s going on. My gift is vision and strategy. I create an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and then look for the opportunities and the emerging threats and risks that we need to work to leverage and mitigate. Establishing relationships is very important to me and I’ve done that my entire career. I’m always connecting the dots on how ABC can add value. And then working closely with our team, the board and our committees. The answers are out there, we just need to ask the right questions and listen. AF: Now let’s hear about your leadership background in the food industry. You have so much experience in leadership positions with Boudin, Starbuck’s, Papa Murphy’s, Yum! Brands, and PepsiCo. You’ve done excellent work for those companies and your experience makes you a uniquely valuable leader for almonds. Can
you tell us how your depth of experience is aiding you in your new leadership position with the almond industry ? CT: When I started my career in franchising, I had to learn how to lead without having power. Franchisees would only do what the company wanted if it made sense to them. My job was to communicate between the franchisees and the company, telling the company what would and wouldn’t work for the franchisees and how to improve their initiatives. It was important to find a good middle ground. Many organizations don’t understand that it’s about creating value (pull) instead of forcing people (push). Building good relationships and credibility with franchisees helped establish trust. When I asked them to open more restaurants or remodel them, I came prepared with data showing how it would improve their profits over time. Importantly, I learned effective collaboration early on. I also serve on the board of the Culinary Institute of America and the National Restaurant Association, which gives me unique and valuable insight into the food industry. I understand how food goes mainstream in America and around the world. With my background, I know for a fact that chefs have limited exposure to the various forms of almonds, using just three or four of the 14 forms. Getting them excited and challenged is crucial. We are working to improve culinary training from kindergarten to high school, to colleges and universities, and for military, professional and pastry chefs. We want to teach students about nutrition, flexibility in cooking and environmental impact. We aim to reach all age groups to expand their knowledge and awareness of almonds. Thanks to my connections, we are actively developing these programs with the Culinary Institute and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, and we are expanding this work around the world. AF: How does your collaborative mindset and leadership experience in the food industry transfer over into the almond industry ? CT: My family has a small farm, so I’ve come to know it’s important to be curious and understand what matters to the growers, the supply chain, and to buyers. This means
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ALMOND FACTS
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