CMI grower Apple Citizen of the Year
CMI grower Apple Citizen of the Year
Columbia Marketing International, a Wenatchee, WA-based distributor of premium-quality apples, pears and cherries, has announced that Mike Wade, general manager of Columbia Fruit Packers, has been named this year?s Apple Citizen of the Year.
The award began in 1981; the recipient is chosen by a group of apple industry representatives.
Mr. Wade is the third generation of his family in the agricultural business in the Wenatchee Valley. In 1946, his grandfather Ike Wade began Columbia Fruit Packers Inc. In 1950, Mike?s Wade?s father, Jim Wade (who was the recipient of the 1995 Apple Citizen of the Year award), joined the business. In the late 1960s, Mike Wade began working in family orchards and, when he was old enough, he spent summers working in the warehouse.
Mr. Wade graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in business. After a brief stint at Boeing and in restaurant management, he began working for his father at Columbia Fruit in 1979.
Mr. Wade is a member of the U.S. Apple Foundation and is past president of the Washington Fruit Commission Board, past chairman of the Northwest Horticultural Council Board and past chairman of the Northwest Fruit Exporters Board.
Mr. Wade opened one of the early wineries, Fieldng Hills, in the Wenatchee Valley in 1999, after Columbia Fruit Packers planted its first vineyards in 1998.
Mr. Wade and his wife, Karen, have three daughters and make their home in East Wenatchee on an orchard that Ike Wade purchased in the 1940s.
Bob Mast, marketing director for CMI, said, "This honor represents the dedication, commitment and leadership of Mike Wade."
CMI is the sales and marketing company for five independently owned growing and packing companies in Washington: Columbia Fruit Packers in Wenatchee; McDougall & Sons in Wenatchee; Double Diamond in Quincy; Larson Fruit in Selah; and Highland Fruit in Yakima.
The award began in 1981; the recipient is chosen by a group of apple industry representatives.
Mr. Wade is the third generation of his family in the agricultural business in the Wenatchee Valley. In 1946, his grandfather Ike Wade began Columbia Fruit Packers Inc. In 1950, Mike?s Wade?s father, Jim Wade (who was the recipient of the 1995 Apple Citizen of the Year award), joined the business. In the late 1960s, Mike Wade began working in family orchards and, when he was old enough, he spent summers working in the warehouse.
Mr. Wade graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in business. After a brief stint at Boeing and in restaurant management, he began working for his father at Columbia Fruit in 1979.
Mr. Wade is a member of the U.S. Apple Foundation and is past president of the Washington Fruit Commission Board, past chairman of the Northwest Horticultural Council Board and past chairman of the Northwest Fruit Exporters Board.
Mr. Wade opened one of the early wineries, Fieldng Hills, in the Wenatchee Valley in 1999, after Columbia Fruit Packers planted its first vineyards in 1998.
Mr. Wade and his wife, Karen, have three daughters and make their home in East Wenatchee on an orchard that Ike Wade purchased in the 1940s.
Bob Mast, marketing director for CMI, said, "This honor represents the dedication, commitment and leadership of Mike Wade."
CMI is the sales and marketing company for five independently owned growing and packing companies in Washington: Columbia Fruit Packers in Wenatchee; McDougall & Sons in Wenatchee; Double Diamond in Quincy; Larson Fruit in Selah; and Highland Fruit in Yakima.
