Blueberry breeder Fall Creek Farm makes leadership changes

Fall Creek Farm & Nursery Inc., Eugene, Ore., has made some leadership changes, appointing Oscar Verges to a co-CEO position, sharing duties with Cort Brazelton.

Amelie Brazelton Aust has been named executive vice chairwoman of the family-owned company’s board of directors, according to a news release.

Verges joined the blueberry breeding and nursery company in 2016, and was named president and chief operating officer in 2018.

Aust, Brazelton and Verges suggested the changes to the board of directors to streamline the leadership structure and provide development opportunities for Fall Creek’s management teams, according to the release.

“This is a natural evolution,” Dave Brazelton, who stepped down as CEO in 2018 and is executive chairman of the board. “I see our leadership team continuously improving how we do things, and this is a shift for highest impact. In their years working together, I’ve seen Cort and Oscar have an extremely varied and complementary skill set.”   

Aust formerly was co-CEO with Cort Brazelton. She joined the company in 2008 to manage the company’s intellectual property and licensing, according to the release. Her role has expanded to include product development, including home gardener BrazelBerries program. Her most recent position was interim director of product development and communication.

Before he became co-CEO in 2018, Cort Brazelton was director of business development. Before joining Fall Creek in 2008, he was a blueberry business manager for Driscoll’s, and principal of Brazelton Ag Consulting, according to the release.

Oscar Verges founded and was managing director of two cell phone service providers in Spain before joining Fall Creek. Before that, he was with Chiquita Brands International for 12 years in several countries. 

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