Mathison Named Apple Man Of The Year

Last week, Stemilt’s president, West Mathison was awarded 2019 Apple Man of the Year during the USApple Association’s Conference in Chicago.  USApple says Mathison was chosen for his work introducing new and modern varieties to the apple industry, including Pinata®, SweeTango® and the company’s newest apple, Rave®.

Mathison has been president of Stemilt since 2005.

The Apple Man/Women of the Year award is given annually

“Although born into the industry, West has been committed from the very beginning, even helping his great-grandmother serve cookies to crews when he was just six years old,” explains Roger Pepperl, Stemilt’s marketing director. “His commitment since has never wavered, which is clear in his innovative mindset and how he has led Stemilt to be a leader in the industry.”

“West wants to delight the consumer, so he is constantly seeking the next best thing,” says Pepperl. “Today, consumers are after flavor profiles that are grown by sustainable, modern companies, and West has ensured that Stemilt is at that level.”

Mathison has applied that same delight towards his employees with a goal of building a culture of teamwork and excellence in the workplace. He has demonstrated his care in innovative ways, including: on-site café’s, a full benefit program with 401k retirement plans and multiple health clinics. In 2015, Mathison worked with Confluence Health to introduce the industry’s first on-site primary health clinic for a workplace in order to give employees and their dependents access to quality health care at no cost.

“West understands that for a business to be successful, his people need to feel successful too,” said Pepperl. “He has gone above and beyond to ensure his employees are taken care of and feel they are part of Stemilt’s mission to cultivate people and delight consumers.”

With this award, Mathison joins a few industry legends, including his own late grandfather and Stemilt founder, Tom Mathison. Tom won the award 23 years ago before passing away in 2008.

“Tom and West spent many years together while West was preparing to succeed his grandfather as Stemilt’s leader,” states Pepperl. “Both Tom and West have forward thinking approaches and that is apparent in Stemilt’s success today. We are all extremely proud of West for his accomplishments and happy to work for a company who has a man like West as its leader.”

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