FEATURE STORY Western Growers Touts Board Elections Amid Changes
By Tim Linden A s it does every two years, the its Board of Directors. Western Growers is one of the very few produce industry associations that elects the lion’s share of its Board in competitive races with a plurality vote picking the winner. In practice, each Western Growers Regular Member dedicates a member of its ownership and/or senior management team to be its official voting representative. Every other year, there is an election for the members to choose their representative or the multiple representatives from each of the 13 districts as defined by the map accompanying this story. (At one point there were 14 districts but two were combined many years ago, eliminating District #3.) WG Assistant Vice President of Western Growers membership is approaching election season for Membership Kim Sherman said each of those company representatives are eligible to be nominated for the Board, and in fact each will appear on the ballot unless they specifically ask to be left off. “We have 36 Members from the roles of Regular Members elected to the Board by the membership and another six At-Large Members elected by the Executive Committee and the Board itself,” she said. “In addition, two members from the Affiliate Member category are elected to represent that class of membership.” Sherman said that the “At-Large Board Member” slots have been historically used to bring added diversity to the Board with regard to geographic and commodity balance. “Over the years, our Board roster has read like a who’s who in the western produce industry,” Sherman said. “The most prominent members of the industry have served on our Board.” The Board also is well known for its multi-generational continuity. No member can literally pass on their seat to the next
the ballot without their approval,” said Sherman, “but we always strive to have multiple choices for each position, and we encourage members to run as their district representative.” There is also always an option for a Write-In candidate, making the Western Growers Board of Directors election as fair as it gets in running a democratic election. John Manfre, Partner/Manager of Frank Capurro & Son LLC, Moss Landing, CA, is stepping down from the Board and is choosing not to run for re-election after 16 years of service. His perspective as a retiring long-serving Board member is an interesting one. “I made the decision to step down as I have had my turn,” he said. “There are a lot of well-qualified people in my district, and I have told Western Growers [staff] that I do not want to be on the ballot this year.”
generation in the family, but over the decades there are many examples of two and three generations of the same family serving on the Western Growers Board. As mentioned above a unique aspect of the WG Board, compared to other industry associations is that members are elected by their peers. While the election does not rival the sparring that takes place in a political race, many potential Board members do solicit votes from their fellow district members and “run” for the position. In fact, Sherman said the Western Growers Board encourages members to actively get involved in the association, including potentially serving on the Board. Of course, it requires a time commitment and the ability to leave your company hat at home and put the needs of the industry as a whole front and center. “No member remains on
District 1 Arizona except Yuma County District 2 Yuma County Arizona District 4 Imperial County and Blythe District 5 Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties District 6 Santa Maria, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties District 7 North San Joaquin and Northern California areas District 8 Ventura County District 9 Kern County District 10 Watsonville, Gilroy, Hollister and Santa Cruz Areas District 11 Monterey County District 12 East San Joaquin Valley
District 12 east of Highway 99 and bordered by the Inyo-Mono county and Madera-Mariposa county lines to the north, and the Inyo- San Bernardino county and Tulare-Kern county lines to the south.
District 13 Riverside and San Bernardino Counties District 14 West San Joaquin Valley
District 14 west of Highway 99 with the Madera/Merced county line and Highway 152 as the northern boundary, the Fresno/San Benito/Monterey county lines as the western boundary and the Kings/Tulare/Kern county lines as the southern boundary.
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MAY | JUNE 2022
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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