The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas has named Bill Sykes, founder and vice president of The Sykes Company, as the 2022 recipient of the FPAA Pillar of the Industry award.
The award highlights accomplishments for a member who has exhibited a history of volunteering time, effort and impactful contributions to support the association and the fresh produce industry, according to a news release.
He founded The Sykes Company in 1978 and throughout his career has been active in the industry, including chairman and vice chairman at the FPAA and 10 years on the board of directors.
“Bill Sykes was a consequential leader,” said FPAA President Lance Jungmeyer. “Ensuring market access for members’ fresh produce is the most vital function of FPAA. Then, like today, protectionist forces sought to limit Mexican fruits and vegetables, and Bill led the FPAA delegation on numerous trips to keep the market flowing.”
Sykes helped the industry avoid trade sanctions related to the presence of a Medfly in a produce shipment in 2004 by working to establish an agreement that set up inspection sites in Mexico and establish a border-long Medfly trap system, according to the release.
Other issues that Sykes was involved with include country of origin labeling, avocado and grape trade access issues and more.
“Bill is the kind of man people are able to rally around,” Leonardo Tarriba of Farmer’s Best and current FPAA chairman, said in the release. “In a crucial time, he was able to bring together all of our voices. He provided a great example to many of the people who have served on the board or been chairman since.”
Another major accomplishment was the building of the new FPAA offices on East Frontage Road in Nogales, Ariz., still in use today, which was a concerted effort between Sykes, Chuck Ciruli Jr., George Gotsis and many others, the release said. Members pooled funds together to support the down payment on the land and office, which serves as a gathering spot not only for FPAA but also as a place for visiting congressmen and government officials to have discussions with the industry, the release said.
