Page 44 - 0619

KYLE PAUL VILHAUER, 39 Sales Executive
Lakeside Organic Gardens HQ: Watsonville, CA
Hometown: Corralitos, CA
Hobbies: Golf, fishing, gardening, dogs, snowboarding, backpacking Personal/Community: 1 son, member of Spring Hills Golf Course Men’s Club & Twilight League
Motto in life: Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those doing it. Work history: Vilhauer started working for his family’s produce brokerage, Vilhauer Co., at a very young age where he learned the ins and outs of the industry from his father and grandfather. Some of his earliest work memories recall his summer months of high school of on-ground buying, “bird-dogging” or inspecting loads of flat- pack iceberg lettuce throughout the Salinas Valley and stopping at the berry docks on the way home. His first summer job was bird-dogging for the family brokerage and after awhile, he became his dad’s full-time bird-dog, spanning the Salinas Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Coachella Valley, Imperial Valley and Yuma for four full seasons while conducting daily field inspections. In 2010, he decided to step out of the family business and was hired as sales executive at Lakeside Organic Gardens. He is mainly respon- sible for daily sales, as he handles some of Lakeside’s biggest customers. However, his current duties also include forecasting, pricing, customer relations, assisting with quality control, planting schedules, daily harvest schedules, updating the team on supply and demand throughout the industry, overseeing quality control, truck dispatch, contract pricing, future pricing and USDA law. He is known at Lakeside as the “produce encyclopedia.” In his nine years at the company he has contributed to growing the company from a small, family-owned farm to the largest owned-and-operated solely organic farm in the nation. His back-
44 / JUNE 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
ground in quality control has contributed to the improvement of Lakeside’s systems.
Q: How did you begin working in the produce industry?
I followed in my father’s and grandfather’s footsteps. Watching them run a successful produce brokerage, I knew from a young age that I wanted to be in the industry. The fast-paced, hands-on excitement drew me in. I remain in contact with some of the rela- tionships my dad built, and I cherish them to this day. I always do my best to carry on my dad’s dedication and hard work.
Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of in your career?
To grow with Lakeside from a small local organic farm to the largest fami- ly-owned-and-operated solely organic vegetable grower/shipper in the United States is definitely something notable.
Q: What advice would you give someone new to the produce industry? Keep an open mind and positive outlook, learn about your strengths and find your passion. The industry is ever-changing. Consumer demands are ever-changing and an open outlook and positive attitude will help you greatly along the way. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, step outside of your comfort zone, try something new.
Q: What do you think the industry can do to promote more produce consumption?
I think more of the industry growers could help promote produce consumption by educating consumers about where their produce comes from and how it’s grown. Teaching consumers that their produce is grown in soil by people just like them and the hard work, long days and struggles it takes to get a head of lettuce from our fields to their plates is extremely valuable.
Q: What are some of the more chal- lenging aspects of a career in the produce industry today?
One of the more challenging aspects of the produce industry today is keeping up with the ever-changing laws. Trucking laws have changed over the past year, where drivers’ time behind the wheel has been shortened. Everyone has had to adjust to the federal laws, growers, shippers, receivers, whole- salers, retailers and trucking companies.
ABBEY WALKER, 38 Regional Sales Manager Litehouse, Inc.
HQ: Sandpoint, ID
Hometown: Eau Claire, WI
Hobbies: Running marathons, traveling, cooking with family Personal/Community: Married,
two children
Motto in life: Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively. — Dalai Lama XIV Work history: Since joining Litehouse in 2011, Walker has had a tremendous impact, establishing her role as a top performer in the company’s fastest growing channel, value added. As regional sales manager working from San Francisco, she moves beyond the bounds of traditional customer-vendor relationships and strives to create strategic partnerships. She takes initiative by helping customers succeed by providing trends and market research data that enables them to create on-trend and timely-consumer packaged goods. The Litehouse value-added channel ended 2018 with 26 percent growth year-over-year, thanks in part to her diligent work. Walker and her team have tripled the size of the value-added business, making it the fastest growing channel for Litehouse. Today, she manages the largest Litehouse customer. One of her greatest accomplishments in the past year was a quick turnaround item launch for Litehouse’s top customer. After the customer reached out regarding an organic salad dressing for one of its kits, she was able to diligently work with several internal departments to launch the product within three months, instead of the typical six-month lead time. The item is not only very successful for the customer, but has become one of the company’s top three SKUs.
Q: How did you begin working in the produce industry?
In 2011, I met Brent Carr (senior vice pres-
ident of sales and marketing) to discuss an open position in the Value-Added division. At the time, I was working for a wine company doing sales to San Fran- cisco restaurants. Brent had received my contact information from my brother, who was currently working for a produce company. My brother had been strongly suggesting I make a move to the industry as my frustrations with the high-pressure, monthly-quota driven wine sales world was starting to take its toll. I am thankful Brent was willing to see past the fact that I did not have a produce background but did have transferable skills that would lend them- selves to making me a valuable employee.
Q: What do you know now you wish you knew when you first started your career?
I would remind myself to be fully focused on every sales call and in every meeting regardless of how well I knew the customer. I would tell myself to treat every conver- sation as if it was the first time we were meeting, so I would not miss the subtle hints that would open the door for new opportunities. I would take note that being complacent would make room for my competitor to get their toe in the door and that being comfortable would be no excuse for not remaining engaged.
Q: What industry improvements would you like to see?
I would love to see a move to more compostable/biodegradable packing in the value added/meal replacement category. As consumers are looking for ways to add ease to feeding their families, I think we need to be mindful of the impact that the additional packaging has on future generations.
Q: What do you think the industry can do to promote more produce consump- tion?
In 2016, Litehouse introduced a marketing campaign with the goal to migrate the consumer from the center salad dressing aisle to the produce section. Our goal was to earn consumer trust in the entire produce category so all of our partners would win, not just Litehouse. If we can leverage industry support to expand our efforts and remind consumers of the preservatives or unnatural ingredients that go into many center-store, packaged goods we will no doubt see a lift in sales and drive velocity for the entire category.