The Year Of Transition

Ian LeMay

CFFA President

It is with pride that I report that the role of your Association remains just as important today, as it was 84 years ago: To serve as the primary public policy advocate for the fresh fruit growers and shippers of California. It probably goes without saying, but 2019 truly was a year of transition for the California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA). But as I reflect on the year, I am proud to say that we have weathered the storm, righted our ship, rebuilt our crew and set a path which we are determined to follow. Let me pause there for one moment, as I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge my sincere appreciation to our leadership and membership for the opportunity to serve as President of the California Fresh Fruit Association. Nearly five and a half years ago, I sat in Barry Bedwell’s office, discussing my interest in joining the Association team. Through my own interactions with Barry, I had observed the strength of the industry’s collective, admired the longstanding history of its member companies, and deeply respected the members who had invested their time, talents and treasures creating an entity that spoke as one voice for the California fresh fruit industry. I saw a place that I wanted the opportunity to be a part of, to build my career at and hopefully, have the opportunity to lead someday. Those five and a half years have flown by and I stand here today more thankful, determined and invigorated to make a positive lasting impact for our industry. As we look back at the last year for CFFA, we see that the top priorities for our membership continued to be oriented around three key topics: Labor, Water and Trade.