Power of Partnerships
Inspires Young Leaders
Keying on the 2017 Annual Meeting theme of
Partnering
for Growth, Leading the Way
, guests attending the
Young Leader Graduation dinner for the 2017 class
drew inspiration from stories of
Blue Diamond’s
successful
partnership with HP Hood in building the
Almond Breeze
brand and those that led to
Blue Diamond
member John
Stenderup conquering both Mt. Everest and Mt. Lhotse
in a single expedition.
Thirty-four young leaders representing various segments of
the industry completed the 2017 Young Leader training
that included tours of
Blue Diamond
facilities, meetings
with management and visiting their representatives
at the State Capitol in Sacramento. Comments from
participants described the multiple experiences as eye-
opening, informative and very effective in building their
understanding of the almond industry and how
Blue
Diamond
serves their interests in both the marketplace
and government arenas.
This year’s program included a warm welcome by
Chairman of the Board Dan Cummings, presentation by
District 9 Board Member Kent Stenderup, and comments
from President and CEO Mark Jansen who emphasized
the importance of partnerships – between growers and
their cooperative and with suppliers and customers
around the world. Mark singled out the partnership with
HP Hood, a family-owned dairy processing company
on the East Coast that helped launch
Almond Breeze
and power it to a $400 million business in a decade.
His guest, Executive Vice President of HP Hood Jeff
Kaneb, noted that the venture was a risk for both Hood
and
Blue Diamond
and “we had no idea how big the
business would become, but it has been good for both
parties.” He added, “We are involved with many other
businesses and use the
Blue Diamond
model in all of
our partnerships. When I mention that we are involved
with
Blue Diamond
, there is a lot of admiration for
Blue
Diamond
, you need to know that.”
Lessons from the Mountain
John Stenderup, son of Kent and Patty Stenderup,
shared his story of inspiration, overcoming extreme
challenges and the power of partnerships in achieving
difficult goals. He along with three close friends set
out to climb Mt. Everest, the tallest and one of the
deadliest mountains in the world, and its neighbor,
Mt. Lhotse, the fourth highest peak. He told of months
of preparation, the weeks on the flanks of Mt. Everest
becoming acclimated for the final push in the extreme
cold and oxygen-thin air of the summit. John began his
adventure, unknowingly, by hiking with his father. He
found he was “good at it,” and moved on to higher and
steeper challenges. He climbed Denali in Alaska, one
of the more challenging mountains, several times when
Kent suggested to his son that he take on Everest. Kent
climbed to base camp with John and his team.
The story of the climb was told in the July/August issue
of
Almond Facts
. What John wanted to convey to this
group of
Blue Diamond
Young Leaders were a few
lessons learned from his life-changing adventure. In
summary, they are:
• Trust Each Other – We have to do that in agriculture,
since we are such a small segment of the population
and not well understood by those who make policy.
• Make It Fun – Merriment and good humor relieve
stress.
• Confront Your Fears – Do not allow your fears to
prevent you from chasing your dreams.
ANNUALGROWERSMEETING
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