FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2007
www.stemilt.com
Contact: Roger Pepperl
Marketing Director
State business group honors Stemilt's environmental efforts
Stemilt Growers Inc. was selected by the Association of Washington Business (AWB) to receive an Environmental Excellence Award for the company’s resource conservation programs. Stemilt partner-owner Kyle Mathison, (holding certificate), accepted the award Oct. 18 at the AWB Northwest Environmental Summit held in Tacoma, Wash. Presenting Mathison the award are Ken Weiner of K & L Gates legal firm in Seattle, left, Janis Adair of the state Department of Ecology, and Grant Nelson, government affairs director for the AWB.
State business group honors Stemilt's environmental efforts
OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Association of Washington Business has selected Stemilt Growers Inc. as one of the state's most effective and innovative companies in the area of environmental stewardship and resource conservation.
Stemilt owner and partner Kyle Mathison accepted the award Oct. 18 on behalf of the tree fruit growing and packing company during the Association of Washington Business' (AWB) Northwest Environmental Summit in Tacoma. The two-day annual summit provides forums and workshops to help state businesses stay current on environmental policies.
According to an AWB press release, nine Washington companies received the award. Stemilt was selected in the area of resource conservation. Stemilt's practices noted in the press release included redesigned fruit packaging that is easier to recycle, modified lighting and door design to conserve energy, and drip irrigation and micro-sprinkler installation in orchards to save water.
Another conservation-related project that helped Stemilt earn the title was the 23-acre compost farm Mathison developed. The compost has replaced synthetic fertilizers used in many of Stemilt's orchards. Panasonic Shikoku Electronics Corp. of America and PACCAR Inc. also received awards in the resource conservation category.
AWB environmental excellence awards were also given to the following companies: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the environmental innovator/livable communities segment; Achilles USA Inc. and Quadrant Homes for continuous improvement in resource conservation; Les Schwab Tire Centers and AAA Kartak Glass & Closet Inc. in the education category; and SSA Marine for air quality improvement.
Dan Brunnell, AWB communications manager, said his organization has awarded the environmental excellence honors for 17 years as a way to demonstrate to both the public and to other businesses how many positive efforts are underway in the business community.
"These are great examples of what is already being done and what can be done by businesses to enhance environmental stewardship," Brunnell said.
Brunnell said potential environmental excellence award winners are nominated for the honor and the finalists are chosen by a panel of judges. The panelists this year included an AWB environmental specialist, a representative of the state Department of Ecology, and an executive from the Northwest Environmental Business Council. The effectiveness, effort and innovation of each nominee's program are evaluated as part of the criteria, Brunnell said.
Mathison accepted the framed AWB certificate during a ceremony on the second day of the Northwest Environmental Summit. He said Stemilt launched its own program in 1989 called Responsible Choice to reduce synthetic orchard applications and conserve natural resources. Today those principles are stronger than ever, and protocols have also been added to all of Stemilt's packing operations.
"Taking care of our water, land and people through sustainable agriculture is good for the environment, and it's good for the tree fruit industry," Mathison said.
Stemilt Growers Inc.
Stemilt Growers Inc. is a privately owned fresh tree fruit grower-packer-shipper established by current Board Chairman Tom Mathison in 1960. The Mathison family has been in the business of producing tree fruits since 1914 when the family's first orchards were established near Wenatchee on Stemilt Hill, overlooking the mighty Columbia River. Stemilt continues to be solely owned by the Mathison family, with five packing facilities in Washington and one in Stockton, Calif. Stemilt is the largest fresh cherry grower-packer-shipper in the United States, as well as a national leader in apples, pears, and organic tree fruits. Learn more about Stemilt at www.stemilt.com.
Association of Washington Business
AWB is Washington's oldest and largest statewide business association. Formed in 1904, its 6,500 members employ more than 600,000 workers. AWB also acts as the state's chamber of commerce and the umbrella organization for more than 130 trade and professional organizations. While AWB's membership includes the state's major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, more than 85 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people, and one-third of our members hire fewer than 10. Learn more about AWB at www.awb.org