Idaho Potato Commission welcomes two new commissioners
Idaho Potato Commission welcomes two new commissioners
Two new individuals were named to the Idaho Potato Commission this past August. They are Ray (R.J.) Andrus and Shawn Walters, who replaced departing commissioners Bob Wilkins and Wayne Allen. The commission is a state agency and is directed by a total of nine commissioners, five of whom are potato growers, two are packer-shippers and two represent processors.
Mr. Andrus has worked in the potato industry his entire life. As a child, he was heavily involved in his parents' farm, where he learned every aspect of their three-crop operation. Potatoes were the focus of the business, and his family grew grain and hay in rotation years.
After attending Ricks College in Rexburg, ID, and Idaho State University in Pocatello, Mr. Andrus accepted a position with Idaho Supreme Potatoes, a large processing facility located in Firth, ID. He has worked for Idaho Supreme since 1990, and he is currently director of raw product procurement. His responsibilities have also expanded to include national sales of finished, dehydrated potato products.
As one of two commissioners on the IPC representing the processing side of the Idaho potato industry, Mr. Andrus is uniquely qualified to serve the commission thanks to his farming background and his experience at Idaho Supreme. Owned by a local family with deep Idaho roots, Mr. Andrus is proud of the fact that the company has retained its Idaho heritage -- all its shareholders, officers and employees are residents of Idaho. Idaho Supreme has been an industry leader in the dehydrated potato market since 1966. About 70 percent of its finished product is sold to the snack-food industry for use as an ingredient, and the other 30 percent is sold into the retail market.
Mr. Andrus believes that one of the strong opportunities for market growth for the Idaho potato is in the production of dehydrated products for distribution to the poor and underprivileged of the world. He is also committed to other opportunities for market growth, including increasing the fresh-market share. Idaho's stature in the worldwide potato market, he said, is the ideal platform to sell the finest world-class food products (grown in Idaho) to the international marketplace.
He attended the National Potato Council's Potato Industry Leadership Institute earlier this year as one of five participants from Idaho. He said that he enjoyed the opportunity and feels that the experience augments the knowledge and experience he has gained throughout his career.
"It is human nature to talk about things that may not work as well as they could or to complain about the way things are," Mr. Andrus said. However, he takes this to the next step, and he has committed himself to being a part of the solution. His mantra is: "If you don't do anything else, get involved." Getting involved runs in the Andrus family, too. His uncle Dale Mickelsen served as a commissioner from 1994 to 2000.
Mr. Andrus will serve as vice chairman of foodservice and export, working closely with Don Odiorne, vice president of foodservice for the IPC, and Seth Pemsler, vice president of retail-International for the IPC, respectively. According to Mr. Odiorne, Mr. Andrus' life experience and training will make him a valuable asset to the IPC.
"R.J. certainly has the relevant experience that we will draw from as we reach out to the foodservice community," Mr. Odiorne said in a release. "Our commissioners provide the IPC staff with 'real life' potato-industry perspectives, and that is invaluable as we formulate plans to promote Idaho potatoes. Personally, I am very much looking forward to working with R.J. during his tenure with the commission."
Mr. Walters' family has been involved in the potato industry for generations. In fact, his maternal grandfather, Harvey Schwendiman, and his father, Warren Walters, both served as commissioners with the Idaho Potato Commission in 1949-64 and 1979-85, respectively.
Today, Mr. Walters and his brother Jeffrey own and operate a fresh-pack facility in Newdale, ID, that was originally started by their grandfather. After graduating from Brigham Young University in 1985 with a degree in accounting, Mr. Walters joined his brother at Walter's Produce, which was then owned by their father. The two brothers purchased their father's interest in the company a few years later, and in 1997, they moved the operation to a new facility. According to Mr. Walters, his father remains very interested in what his two sons are doing with the business and he drops by every day for about 15 minutes or so to visit and say hello.
In the time since the two Walters brothers have taken over the family business, the company has expanded to keep up with demand and to achieve certain economies of scale to ensure it stays competitive. It is one of several major suppliers of Idaho potatoes for the "Green Giant" and "Sun Spiced" labels.
Throughout Mr. Walter's career, he has had the opportunity to work in various capacities both inside and outside the potato industry. Within the potato industry, he has served on the board of directors of the Idaho Grower Shippers Association and was chairman in 2004-05. He has also been involved with the National Potato Council and the Potato Industry Leadership Institute.
According to Mr. Walters, he is very interested in doing his part to ensure that the Idaho name is supported and promoted to its fullest potential, noting that Idaho's close association with quality potatoes is one of the industry's strongest platforms on which to build.
"I appreciate the work of our commissioners 50 years ago when they started to push the 'Grown in Idaho' seal," he said in the release. "Today's Idaho potato industry is still reaping the rewards of its foresight and hard work. We can't ride forever on their efforts. It's time that we step up to the plate and do what we need to do to promote the label for the next generation of growers, processors, packers and shippers."
Mr. Walters, who travels frequently for business and as much as he can for pleasure with his wife, Patrice, is pleased at the reception he gets when he tells people he is from Idaho. He recalled a trip to Portugal a few years ago when he mentioned he was from Idaho and the people he was meeting did not know where Idaho resides in the United States -- but they knew right away that Idaho is where the potatoes come from.
Mr. Walters will work with Commissioner Ron Olsen on the commission's retail committee, and he will serve on the office procedures and the export committees.
He and his wife have six children ranging from age 5 to 22. When he has "down time," he likes to spend time with his family, and they particularly enjoy water-skiing and wakeboarding in the summer and snowboarding in the winter months.
Mr. Andrus has worked in the potato industry his entire life. As a child, he was heavily involved in his parents' farm, where he learned every aspect of their three-crop operation. Potatoes were the focus of the business, and his family grew grain and hay in rotation years.
After attending Ricks College in Rexburg, ID, and Idaho State University in Pocatello, Mr. Andrus accepted a position with Idaho Supreme Potatoes, a large processing facility located in Firth, ID. He has worked for Idaho Supreme since 1990, and he is currently director of raw product procurement. His responsibilities have also expanded to include national sales of finished, dehydrated potato products.
As one of two commissioners on the IPC representing the processing side of the Idaho potato industry, Mr. Andrus is uniquely qualified to serve the commission thanks to his farming background and his experience at Idaho Supreme. Owned by a local family with deep Idaho roots, Mr. Andrus is proud of the fact that the company has retained its Idaho heritage -- all its shareholders, officers and employees are residents of Idaho. Idaho Supreme has been an industry leader in the dehydrated potato market since 1966. About 70 percent of its finished product is sold to the snack-food industry for use as an ingredient, and the other 30 percent is sold into the retail market.
Mr. Andrus believes that one of the strong opportunities for market growth for the Idaho potato is in the production of dehydrated products for distribution to the poor and underprivileged of the world. He is also committed to other opportunities for market growth, including increasing the fresh-market share. Idaho's stature in the worldwide potato market, he said, is the ideal platform to sell the finest world-class food products (grown in Idaho) to the international marketplace.
He attended the National Potato Council's Potato Industry Leadership Institute earlier this year as one of five participants from Idaho. He said that he enjoyed the opportunity and feels that the experience augments the knowledge and experience he has gained throughout his career.
"It is human nature to talk about things that may not work as well as they could or to complain about the way things are," Mr. Andrus said. However, he takes this to the next step, and he has committed himself to being a part of the solution. His mantra is: "If you don't do anything else, get involved." Getting involved runs in the Andrus family, too. His uncle Dale Mickelsen served as a commissioner from 1994 to 2000.
Mr. Andrus will serve as vice chairman of foodservice and export, working closely with Don Odiorne, vice president of foodservice for the IPC, and Seth Pemsler, vice president of retail-International for the IPC, respectively. According to Mr. Odiorne, Mr. Andrus' life experience and training will make him a valuable asset to the IPC.
"R.J. certainly has the relevant experience that we will draw from as we reach out to the foodservice community," Mr. Odiorne said in a release. "Our commissioners provide the IPC staff with 'real life' potato-industry perspectives, and that is invaluable as we formulate plans to promote Idaho potatoes. Personally, I am very much looking forward to working with R.J. during his tenure with the commission."
Mr. Walters' family has been involved in the potato industry for generations. In fact, his maternal grandfather, Harvey Schwendiman, and his father, Warren Walters, both served as commissioners with the Idaho Potato Commission in 1949-64 and 1979-85, respectively.
Today, Mr. Walters and his brother Jeffrey own and operate a fresh-pack facility in Newdale, ID, that was originally started by their grandfather. After graduating from Brigham Young University in 1985 with a degree in accounting, Mr. Walters joined his brother at Walter's Produce, which was then owned by their father. The two brothers purchased their father's interest in the company a few years later, and in 1997, they moved the operation to a new facility. According to Mr. Walters, his father remains very interested in what his two sons are doing with the business and he drops by every day for about 15 minutes or so to visit and say hello.
In the time since the two Walters brothers have taken over the family business, the company has expanded to keep up with demand and to achieve certain economies of scale to ensure it stays competitive. It is one of several major suppliers of Idaho potatoes for the "Green Giant" and "Sun Spiced" labels.
Throughout Mr. Walter's career, he has had the opportunity to work in various capacities both inside and outside the potato industry. Within the potato industry, he has served on the board of directors of the Idaho Grower Shippers Association and was chairman in 2004-05. He has also been involved with the National Potato Council and the Potato Industry Leadership Institute.
According to Mr. Walters, he is very interested in doing his part to ensure that the Idaho name is supported and promoted to its fullest potential, noting that Idaho's close association with quality potatoes is one of the industry's strongest platforms on which to build.
"I appreciate the work of our commissioners 50 years ago when they started to push the 'Grown in Idaho' seal," he said in the release. "Today's Idaho potato industry is still reaping the rewards of its foresight and hard work. We can't ride forever on their efforts. It's time that we step up to the plate and do what we need to do to promote the label for the next generation of growers, processors, packers and shippers."
Mr. Walters, who travels frequently for business and as much as he can for pleasure with his wife, Patrice, is pleased at the reception he gets when he tells people he is from Idaho. He recalled a trip to Portugal a few years ago when he mentioned he was from Idaho and the people he was meeting did not know where Idaho resides in the United States -- but they knew right away that Idaho is where the potatoes come from.
Mr. Walters will work with Commissioner Ron Olsen on the commission's retail committee, and he will serve on the office procedures and the export committees.
He and his wife have six children ranging from age 5 to 22. When he has "down time," he likes to spend time with his family, and they particularly enjoy water-skiing and wakeboarding in the summer and snowboarding in the winter months.
