WWW.POTATOGROWER.COM 21
has been chairman of the board
there since 2010. Sun Valley
Potato currently has 19 grower-
owners stretching nearly the
entire breadth of southern
Idaho.
"Being the chairman at Sun
Valley is, in my mind, one of
my greatest accomplishments
in the industry," he says. "It's
gone from barely hanging on
to being one of the five or six
biggest fresh-pack sheds in the
state. We're the only true co-op
shed in Idaho, and that structure
has helped us and all the other
growers so much over the
years."
In 1994, Randy was elected as
a member of the U.S. Potato
Board (now Potatoes USA), and
it didn't take long for people
to take notice of him. A few
years after his introduction to
the board — and much earlier
than he had anticipated — he
was named chairman. A stint
on the National Potato Council
(including a year as president)
followed shortly thereafter.
And then six years on the Idaho
Potato Commission.
"It honestly wasn't my
intention," he says. "But in a
matter of a few short years, I
was a leader for all of them. It's
really been incredible."
Karlene spent all those years
attending meeting with Randy,
but, she says, "I was just a
spouse, and I was having a good
old time." Once again, though,
the passion for the industry
shone through, and she was
elected to the U.S. Potato Board
as Randy was leaving. Before
long, she found herself on the
executive committee, making
sure that Oakley, Idaho, was
heard from on a national level.
"Being part of that national
potato family has been the
highlight of being a potato
grower," she says. "The biggest
thing that holds that group
together is a shared trust in God
with your life's work. Being a
part of that group has been such
a blessing."
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