Seattle, WA – The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco has appointed West Mathison, president and CEO of Wenatchee-based Stemilt Growers LLC, to the Seattle Branch board of directors. The appointment was effective January 1, 2016. Mr. Mathison was appointed to provide insights on his respective business sector and offer observations on the economy.
Mr. Mathison is part of the fifth generation of Mathison family farmers and has led the family-owned company since 2005. Stemilt is one of nation’s largest tree fruit companies and is a leading grower/packer/shipper of fresh apples, pears, cherries and summer fruits. The company is the nation’s leading shipper of sweet cherries and a large supplier of organic tree fruit. Mr. Mathison oversees agricultural operations in Washington and some in California.
Under Mr. Mathison’s leadership, Stemilt has released new proprietary apple varieties such as Piñata® and SweeTango® and acquired a large fruit company. Stemilt has also made land purchases to extend the company’s seasonality on cherries and availability of up-and-coming apple varieties.
Mr. Mathison is on the boards of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, Washington Apple Commission, and the Keeping it in the Valley Foundation.
Other members of the Seattle Branch board include Scott L. Morris (Chair), Avista Corp.; Nicole W. Piasecki, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Craig Dawson, Retail Lockbox; Greg C. Leeds, Wizards of the Coast; Sophie Minich, Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI); and Carol K. Nelson, KeyBank.
The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (SF Fed) works to advance the nation’s monetary, financial, and payment systems to build a stronger economy for all Americans. As part of the U.S. central bank, the SF Fed serves the Twelfth Federal Reserve District, which covers the nine western states—Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawai’i, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington—plus American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. By pursuing our two key goals of maximum employment and price stability—known as the Fed’s dual mandate—we work toward supporting an economy that works for everyone.