BC Tree Fruits extends CEO Warren Sarafinchan for five years

Photo: LinkedIn

BC Tree Fruits Cooperative clearly loves the direction in which chief executive officer Warren Sarafinchan has guided the organization, because it has extended his contract for another five years.

Sarafinchan has been at the helm for 18 months and has made many significant moves to turn the tree fruit co-operative around.

“As Warren has already demonstrated, he is fully committed to working with the growers, board members and employees at the Cooperative to implement the changes needed to strengthen the Cooperative and improve grower profitability,” BC Tree Fruits board of directors president Steve Brown said in a press release.

“In his short time with the Cooperative, Warren and his team have been working tirelessly to improve efficiencies, reduce costs and has taken major steps to right size all aspects of the organization. The board of directors is confident that Warren is the right person to deliver the changes required in our Cooperative.”

One of Sarafinchan’s main missions for the company has been to “right-size” the company, which included the sale of its downtown office for $7.5 million.

“I thank the board of directors for their continued confidence in me and consider it a privilege to be able to lead the Cooperative into the future,” Sarafinchan said. “In the last 18 months we have taken significant steps to turn over a new leaf and make needed changes.

“Much has already been done, but there is much more to do. I look forward to working with the board of directors, our growers, our employees and with the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries to build a sustainable tree fruit industry here in British Columbia.”

BC Tree Fruits was established in the Okanagan Valley in 1936, and it represents 350 growers and 600 regular and seasonal employees. It is Western Canada’s largest tree fruits packing house.