As some of you may have heard the beginning of 2018 has brought on a lot of new changes for the Fields Forward Team. The biggest change being in staffing.
Fields Forward would like to Thank Jen Comer for her work as Fields Forward Coordinator and wish her all the best in her new position as General Manager for Morris Greenhouse and Flower shop which was recently purchased by Lower Kootenay Band. Jen will be staying on as a Fields Forward Impact team member and we are excited to be continuing to work with her.
During the month of January, the Fields Forward Team was busy doing active recruitment in order to fill Jen’s shoes and we are pleased to say that it has resulted in a dynamite team who will be leading the charge.
Elizabeth Quinn has been brought on as the Strategic Planner for Fields Forward. She brings with her 7 years of experience as the Executive Director of the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets (BCAFM). During her time, she grew the BCAFM from 1 part-time position to 5 full-time permanent staff positions. She has successfully raised over $5 million and initiated, planned, developed and wrote grant applications, developed partnership, and stakeholder agreements and assumed responsibility for implementation, development and coordination of many projects. Her priority will be to assist in setting up the governance, structure, and funding for Fields Forward, Mobile Press, and Kootenay Farms.
David Mutch has been brought on as the Community Liaison for Fields Forward. David has been involved with Fields Forward from the beginning, sitting on the Fields Forward Impact Team for the last 2 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Horticulture Technology, was employed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for 7 years, has instructed at College of the Rockies, worked at Growers Supply, and is the owner of William Tell Family Estates and JRD Farms. Dave’s focus will be liaising with local farmers and producers and overseeing the Mobile Press project.
Darby Marcellus has been brought on as the Food Venture Collaborative Manager. Darby has worked in the food and retail industry for over 15 years, with 9 years spent in a Team Leader role with Choices Market and Whole Foods. He brings years of experience in working with distributors and knows what it takes to get products onto the shelves. Darby’s is working on current fee structures, metrics and labour efficiencies for the 2018 Mobile Press season. He’s also researching and developing diverse marketing and distribution channels while developing the Kootenay Farms brand.
Our last big announcement is we will be having our 3rd Annual Fields Forward Forum on March 10th from 10-3 at the Creston Recreation Complex. Mark the date and stay tuned for more details. We look forward to working with you all in the coming year!