CMI Orchards unveils several high-powered leadership changes including VP of sales and VP of operations
Bob Mast, president of US grower-packer-shipper CMI Orchards, has appointed a new leadership team to support the company’s continued success.
“CMI has witnessed a remarkable upswing in the past decade,” Mast said. “As we anticipate further expansion, adding to our top-tier leadership team is absolutely paramount to our continued success.”
As part of these changes, Joel Hewitt has moved to vice president of sales. “My journey over the last 13 years at CMI has been supported by our team of dedicated leaders and colleagues, and their incredible commitment to the business,” he said of the transition. “I’m greatly looking forward to being part of the continual improvements and the evolution of our company for many years to come.”
In addition to Hewitt, Garrett Joeckel will be stepping into the role of vice president of operations. Joeckel started working at CMI in 2014, primarily focusing on production, and expanded his scope of work to include sales reporting, analytics, and account management.
“The chance to collaborate with our operational support teams to take all phases of our business to the next level, as well as drive value back to our growers, is one I am humbled and extremely grateful for,” said Joeckel.
CMI’s new production manager, Wade Baker, joined CMI in 2022 with almost 30 years of industry experience in warehousing, including leadership roles in production planning, quality control, inventory management, and logistics. “Getting the chance to work on the sales side, and now in a position where I interact with both sides of the business, feels like it’s really come full-circle for me. I’m thrilled for what’s to come,” Baker said.
Loren Foss is taking on the role of vice president of domestic business strategy. Foss has 15 years of experience in the produce industry, with the first half of his career focused on export sales in Asia and the Middle East before eventually moving to manage the sales side of branded varieties for CMI.
“I’m extremely honoured and eager to be stepping into this new role,” Foss said. “CMI’s retail partners value our branded apple varieties and our ability to execute on sales strategies. I look forward to joining the management team and creating new paths to driving growth in the marketplace and expanding our retail business while carving out opportunities to grow our premium lineup of branded products.”
Additionally, Scott Agnew, has advanced to the new role of senior director of international sales and Steve Reinholt will be focusing on export business development. Steve Castleman is now CMI’s senior director of strategy after 25 years with the company and Robb Myers is now senior director of business development.
“CMI is such a forward-thinking organisation built by a team full of people who work exceptionally hard for our customers and growers,” Myers said.
“These changes are just a small indication of the star power our team has.”
