Summerland, BRITISH COLUMBIA (August 14, 2018) – Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. (OSF), the developer of nonbrowning Arctic® apple varieties, has made several significant hires that will be key to the company’s continued growth. JF Gamelin joined OSF’s senior management team as Director of Sales and is responsible for leading sales operations for Arctic® apples and ApBitz™ dried apple snacks. Gamelin’s keen vision to drive sales while strategically aligning with OSF’s innovative product development and rapidly expanding supply will be integral to the company’s success. He brings with him a master’s degree in project management and over a decade of sales experience directly in the produce industry.
As a vertically-integrated company and part of its aggressive expansion plans OSF has also started the process of developing its own centralized fruit receiving, storage, processing, packing and shipping facility in Washington State. Joel Yeager has been hired as Facility Operations Manager and will play a vital role in assisting with the development of this infrastructure and overseeing day-to-day operations when it’s complete. With a bachelor’s degree in business management and 28 years in the food processing industry, Yeager’s experience will be a valuable asset to this endeavor.
“We are extremely excited about the growth opportunities ahead of us at OSF,” explains Neal Carter, President of Okanagan Specialty Fruits. “The industry experience these new team members bring will play an integral role in reaching our goals and finding creative solutions to any challenges we may encounter along the way.”
Carter’s wife, Louisa, who helped co-found OSF, retired earlier this year as the company’s Chief Financial Officer after dedicating over two decades of involvement in the development of Arctic® apples. Andrew Hofer has been hired as her replacement. As a Chartered Accountant who grew up on an orchard in British Columbia, Hofer’s been a natural addition to the OSF team.
“Starting this company with Louisa has been such an adventure and I couldn’t have done it without her,” says Carter. “Her retirement is very well-deserved and I know I speak for the whole team when I say how much her contributions were valued and will be missed.”
About Okanagan Specialty Fruits & Arctic Apples
Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) is a vertically integrated company specializing in the development, growing, processing, and marketing of novel tree fruit varieties developed through bioengineering. Based in Summerland, British Columbia, Canada, OSF was founded in 1996 and acquired by an affiliate of Third Security, LLC in 2020. OSF’s flagship product is its Arctic apple varieties. Arctic apples provide a sustainable solution to less food waste and improved apple consumption. For consumer information, visit www.arcticapples.com; for company information and partnership opportunities, visit www.osfruits.com.
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