A legend of the US apple industry, Tom Mathison of Stemilt Growers, has died of cancer aged 82.
Mathison has served as chairman of the board at the Wenatchee, Washington-based company after giving up the presidency to his grandson, West Mathison, in 2005.
Mathison turned a struggling orchard on a 35-acre homestead into one of the largest fruit packing operations in the state in 50 years.
Last year, Stemilt Growers shipped more than 20 million boxes of apples, pears and cherries. The company has more than 1,500 full-time employees which increases during harvest seasons.
Mathison furthered his name during the successful fight to keep the Teamsters Union out of his warehouses in the late 1990s.
Desmond O’Rourke, economist and president of Belrose Inc, said: “He was truly a giant in the industry, and not just in Washington State. He is known worldwide. Many of the things that Tom introduced into his business are now industry practices.
“He was one of the first to recognise the social requirements of the fruit industry were going to be rising. He was way ahead of his time,” he said.
