2022 Packer 25 — George Harter
The 2022 Packer 25 is our annual tribute to 25 leaders, innovators and agents of change across the fresh produce supply chain. Each year, The Packer invites the produce industry to nominate distinguished veterans, leaders and rising stars of the fresh produce industry. As always, our editorial team was energized and awed by the talented pool of nominees this year. Now in its 18th year, The Packer is once again spotlighting 25 dynamic and inspiring people who are moving the produce industry forward.
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
George Harter, vice president of special projects, CMI Orchards, Wenatchee, Wash.
How did you get your start in the produce industry?
Harter: Probably not the traditional path to produce, like many others, but it did start by working in stores. One day, out of the blue, I was called into the vice president of merchandising’s office and offered the opportunity to leave my grocery category manager role to become the assistant produce merchandiser of a division with significant volume and store count. Although it was an immediate baptism by fire, as most of my grocery career up to that point had been, it was an amazing opportunity that opened up exciting and valuable lifetime learning experiences, which carried me to where I am today.
How would you describe your current role?
My current role is vice president of special projects after five and a half years as the vice president of marketing at CMI Orchards. It has been very rewarding to work with such a talented marketing team here at CMI. Their commitment to excellence for our customers, owners and growers is second to none. In my new role as vice president of special projects, I will carry that commitment into helping develop very meaningful and impactful business opportunities for CMI.
What do you hope to accomplish/contribute through that role?
With the ever-changing business environment, I will be working hard to help identify and develop business opportunities allowing us to serve our customers even better. My hope is to help bring value to projects that will benefit our customers, owners, and growers for years to come. I will be working on several important projects that will be revealed in time.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
What I am most proud of is being able to transition from a long career at retail to working successfully at CMI as the vice president of marketing. Coming up through the traditional retail ranks, the opportunity to work in numerous departments and roles helped me to learn the business from many perspectives and disciplines, giving me an appreciation for the value of each area, as well as the importance of how working together is essential to the overall success of the organization.
Being forced to change, learn and grow throughout my career helped me adapt and thrive in the transition from the buying to the selling side of the business. I am proud of the connections I’ve made throughout my career and take enormous pride in using my network to support CMI’s business and help others in the industry.
The one thing that retailers and grower-shippers have in common is...
Both want to serve their customers with the best quality and value they possibly can. For long-term success, both parties must provide products and services that create satisfaction and loyalty.
What does leadership mean to you?
Whether it is early or late in one’s career, it really comes down to helping others around you be successful. My mantra has always been to coach people up to the next level and mentor their growth, and I’m proud of the accomplishments of those I’ve had the honor of leading.
An industry issue that I think about often is...
A couple of things. First, how much our business can affect the overall health and wellness of our country. With the rise of health concerns in our nation, the produce industry offers solutions to many of the challenges we face. The produce industry has a wide offering of fresh fruits and vegetables that provides an enormous assortment of nutrients necessary for building strong immune systems. We must do a better job of influencing the change of eating habits of our nation.
Second, our ability to work together to drive processes necessary to improve our air, soil and water quality. What is best for our air, soil and water is ultimately best for our business. Working together as an industry to make these improvements common practice is important for the long-term health of the natural resources we manage.
READ ALL THE OTHER 2022 PACKER 25 PROFILES HERE.
