(March 2007)
Brenda Thomas named General Manager of Orchard View Farms
Orchard View Farms, a 4th generation farming family, located in The Dalles, Oregon, recently promoted Brenda (Bailey) Thomas to General Manager. Thomas' father, Bob Bailey is the current President of Orchard View Farms and her uncle, Ken Bailey is Vice-President.
Thomas joined Orchard View Farms in the spring of 2007 and was the warehouse manager. Prior to rejoining Orchard View Farms in an official capacity, she has been on the board of directors for 15 years.
Thomas and her husband, Sterling, launched a veterinary practice in The Dalles, OR in 1993 and sold it in the spring of 2007, freeing Thomas to get more involved with Orchard View Farms. Thomas has a degree from Tufts University in Boston and holds a Veterinary Medicine degree from Oregon State University/Washington State University. She initially worked at a veterinary clinic in Goldendale, WA prior to opening their practice in The Dalles.
"I always knew I'd come back to Orchard View Farms, and I wanted to come back and help keep the tradition going that my great grandfather and grandmother started in the 1920's when they planted our first orchard." states Thomas. Orchard View Farms and the Bailey family are one of the largest cherry growing families in the world. The majority of their acreage is located within 30 miles of The Dalles, OR. The orchards range in elevation at nearly sea level and next to the Columbia River to over 2,000 feet in elevation at a couple of locations.
"One of the benefits at Orchard View Farms is we have such diverse microclimates right here within The Dalles. This allows us to produce cherries from early June to early August without traveling several hours after they are harvested, virtually all of the orchards are within a 30 minute drive. We feel this helps us keep a firm control on our quality," said Thomas. Thomas and her sister, Bridget Bailey (Quality Control and Special Projects Manager) have seen a multitude of changes in the orchards and the warehouse since they were young girls playing in the orchards all day long.
"It amazes me how much the industry has changed over the years. We used to have a 3-week season and then we'd all go camping. Our harvest season now runs for as many as 10 weeks and we are working on the orchards year round. We also used to pack bings in 20 pound boxes and that was the extent of our packing. Now we can pack 100% consumer packs and we have countless options including zippered bags, clamshells, gift boxes and specialty packs," says Thomas. "We have also seen a proliferation of cherry varieties, from chelans and tietons which extended our early season to sweethearts, lapins, reginas and attikas which are extending our late season."
Since the Baileys first started planting orchards in the 1920's, they have always had an affinity for the land. They were one of the first, if not the first domestic cherry orchard to qualify for Eurepgap standards. The Baileys have been recognized as Stewards of the Land by American Farmland Trust in 2002 and were also recognized by their peers with the prestigious Good Fruit Grower of the Year in 2003. The Baileys were one of the first warehouses to use ozonated water which is chemical free and Orchard View feels is the best disinfectant available. In fact, Brenda Thomas recently provided comments to Forbes Magazine regarding their use of Purfresh.
"We want to maintain our farms for our family and the community for years to come," says Thomas' sister Bridget who focuses on quality control in the orchards and in the warehouse. "This means carefully auditing our orchards and warehouses each season to make sure they are living up to our expectations and the standards we set for ourselves, not to mention the standards set by our customers."
Another innovation which helped set Orchard View Farms apart in its early years was its dedication to its workers. Orchard View Farms has long had worker housing, and this past season even put air-conditioning into the units. OVF has also helped numerous employees buy their first homes with a home scholarship program. According to company President, Bob Bailey, "One of the most rewarding aspects of my career in the orchards is how family oriented we are, from my own family to the families of our workers, many of whom are 2nd and 3rd generation themselves."
One of the Thomas' immediate focuses is the packing house and she's working hard with the OVF cherry team to increase efficiencies, quality and to minimize the effect the packing line has on cherries. "Our goal is to have pride in every box," said Thomas.
As Thomas continues to immerse herself in the multiple aspects of running a packing facility and a warehouse, she knows one thing is constant. "The family will always be there, the enthusiasm that my Dad and uncle's Ken and Tom have for the business is contagious. We work through our issues and share and celebrate our successes. Working day-to-day with my sister is something we always talked about and now we are doing it and challenging each other every day."
The Grant J. Hunt Company is the exclusive sales and marketing agency for Orchard View Farms. According to company President and former PMA chairman, Grant Hunt, "Brenda has been a great addition to the Orchard View Farms team. She brings a fresh new focus and is really helping Orchard View prepare for the future as their tonnage continues to grow. The Bailey family are truly leaders in the cherry industry and it's wonderful to see the next generation coming in and playing an active roll."