Twenty-five years at one job?
Sure, growers do it all the time — sometimes generation after generation tending a family farm over lifetimes.
In publishing, it’s far less common. So, to the members of the Good Fruit Grower team who have had the privilege of working alongside Advertising Manager Doug Button as he wraps up 25 years with the magazine?
It’s been a gift.
In that time, Doug crafted a career that could also serve as a master class in sales: Balancing the Needs of Your Organization with Those of Your Customers 101. He did so with thoughtful deliberation and clarity of purpose, always on a steady course. Honesty, empathy and a positive attitude are the norm with Doug.
B.J. Thurlby, president of the Washington State Fruit Commission, which owns Good Fruit Grower, perhaps said it best during a recent meeting: Noting that in an industry of constant deadlines and often competing interests, there are regular storms, but “Doug is always the calm in the storm.”
He’s also been a trusted mentor and dear friend to many, including me.
That certainly won’t end when Doug retires May 1. We’re sorry to have him go, but also thrilled to see him enjoy a well-earned retirement with his wife, Kim, (purveyor of soon-to-be-missed delectable desserts), five sons and numerous grandchildren (20 and counting).
“It’s been very fulfilling,” he said. “I have felt very privileged to have worked with so many great people within this amazing industry. And while I am looking forward to spending more time with my family, I will miss the work we have done together.”
We’ll miss you too, Doug!
Going forward
Stepping into the role of advertising manager is Germaine Newstead, who has excelled in the magazine’s sales department since July 2019. We’re confident she will maintain the steady leadership and service to our customers that have become the Good Fruit Grower standard.
Julie Sears also has been promoted to the advertising sales representative position.
Both are eager and excited to continue to serve the industry in these new roles, and we’re excited to see it, too.
Many say change is not easy, but I have always believed change presents opportunities, and we are fortunate to have the right people in the right place at the right time.
As Doug would say, “Onward and upward.” •
—by Shannon Dininny
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