“Relationships are what makes this business go around. We’re all in it together,” said Mills, who worked in produce management positions at Bashas’ and Sal Amato Produce before joining IPC. “My past connections in the industry have really helped pave the way for working with all of the great people in retail in my region. I get to visit with a diverse group of people daily, and I love it.”
Mills said he has also found a second family at IPC, known for its tight bonds among the retail promotion team. “It’s an incredible group on the retail side of IPC, and it has been really fun to work with everyone,” he said. “We gel together very well and help each other because we’re all out to do one thing — deliver the great quality that the Idaho brand is known for.”
Mills took over the position after the retirement of longtime IPC promotion director Kent Beesley, who left him some big shoes to fill, he said.
“I was always a customer of his when I was managing Idaho potato merchandising and promotion when I directed produce operations,” said Mills. “He showed me how a retailer could successfully leverage the Idaho potato brand to build great relationships with our customers. It’s knowledge that I still use every day, from helping retailers with promotions to walking them through the extensive, up-to-date market data that IPC can provide them.”
Mills said his No. 1 mission is safeguarding the Idaho potato brand’s sterling reputation for quality and consistency. “That’s crucial, and I want to make sure I do that job every day by being honest with retailers and helping them find opportunities they might have missed,” he said.
It’s usually easy to do, he says, because Idaho potatoes have always stood out to spud shoppers as the No. 1 quality item on display, thanks to the high standards set by the Idaho potato industry for growing, packing and shipping. That consistency is backed up by IPC’s well-deserved reputation for engaging consumers with creative new ad and social media campaigns every year.
“Customers will keep coming back to the store for Idaho potatoes because they hear about them and they value them. This is a product that consumers really want,” said Mills. “With all of these great consumer ad campaigns and social media posts — including, of course, the Big Idaho Potato Truck — IPC makes sure that when people hear ‘Idaho,’ they think about one thing: potatoes.”
