Bob Mast, president of Wenatchee-based CMI Orchards, was named the 2023 Apple Citizen of the Year.
The annual award, bestowed by the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival, honors the roots of the Wenatchee Valley fruit industry and the leaders who support its growth, according to a news release from CMI. The winner is chosen by industry leaders and past award recipients.
Mast grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and graduated from Arizona State University with a double major in business management and marketing.
In 2003, Mast joined CMI Orchards as director of marketing for one of Washington’s largest growers, shippers and packers of premium-quality conventional and organic apples, pears and cherries. He served as vice president of marketing before being promoted to president of the company in 2013.
Mast has served eight years on the board of directors for the Washington Apple Commission. He is also a trustee for the U.S. Apple Association and a past chairman and current member of the Washington Apple Education Foundation board of directors.
Mast will be honored at a luncheon on May 3 and the Stemilt Grand Parade on May 6 in Wenatchee. For more information, go to appleblossom.org.
—by Jonelle Mejica
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