Aug 22, 2024

Organic grower new USApple board chair

The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) has named a new chair to lead its board of directors.

New York apple marketer and shipper Brett Baker, president of United Apple Sales LLC, will serve as chair for the 2024-25 term. United grows conventional and organic apples.

Baker succeeds 2023-24 USApple chair Steve Clement, CEO of PNW Tree Fruit in Washington.

The gavel was officially passed from Clement to Baker at USApple’s Aug. 14-16 board of directors meeting in Chicago at the completion of its Outlook conference on Friday, the show’s last day.

Raised on a fruit and vegetable farm in Ransomville, New York, Baker follows a unique legacy, both in the apple business and in this esteemed industry leadership role, according to a news release.

In addition to Baker, other USApple’s 2024-25 elected board officers include:

• Vice chair: Steve Smith, vice president, marketing, Washington Fruit, Yakima, Washington
• Secretary: Philip Glaize III, head of operations/sales, Glaize Apples, Winchester, Virginia
• Treasurer: Kaari Stannard, president & CEO, New York Apple Sales, Glenmont, New York
• Immediate Past Chair: Steve Clement

Baker’s father, Paul Baker, was chair of USApple in 1989.

“This is a pivotal time to have someone with Brett’s experience and deep-rooted passion for agriculture at the helm of our board of directors,” Jim Bair, USApple’s president and CEO, said in the release. “His leadership will be essential to driving innovation and addressing challenges.”

Prior to joining the Lyndonville, New York-based United Apple Sales in 2010, Baker graduated from Cornell in 1999 and spent a handful of years on the family farm. Then, he went into the grocery retail business with Aldi for nine years.

“It’s an honor to be elected as the chair of USApple,” Baker said in the release. “I am committed to continuing the work of my predecessors – including my own late father – to advocate for our industry, foster innovation, and overcome the challenges we face. As an industry working together, we can enact meaningful change through USApple.”

Yakima, Washington’s PNW Tree Fruit is associated with Sage Fruit, which grows, ships and markets conventional apples, pears, cherries and stone fruit and organic apples and pears.

Raised on a fruit and vegetable farm in Ransomville, New York, near the shores of Lake Ontario north of Buffalo, New York, Baker follows a unique legacy, both in the apple business and in this esteemed industry leadership role, according to a news release.

Also located close to Lake Ontario, United grows and ships a large number of varieties of conventional apples and pears as well as organic Golden Delicious, Crispin and Ida Red apples.

USApple is a national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include 36 state and regional apple associations, representing 26,000 apple growers throughout the country and more than 3,700 apple-related companies. USApple’s members collectively grow more than 10 billion pounds of apples a year on average, supporting about 150,000 jobs and generating more than $8 billion in total wages and $23 billion in economic activity.