Building team spirit is high on the agenda of BC Tree Fruits’ new CEO.
Todd McMyn joined the co-op on April 1 and recently spoke to Country Life in BC in one of his first media interviews following the announcement of his appointment on April 9.
“My short-term goal is to bring the idea of team work and cooperation back into this cooperative,” he says. “I look at myself as a quarterback. If you are part of a team you have to pass the ball to win.”
McMyn wants growers to know he is a businessman.
“I think that speaks volumes about where the board is and where the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative is,” he says. “We are going to use business metrics and marketing metrics. Yes, this is a cooperative, we have our unique attributes, but we also have to be very cognisant of how a good business is run.”
A mid-term goal for McMyn is improved marketing. While the brand is familiar to older generations, people born since the 1980s may not be as familiar with the brand. Greater immigration also means brand positioning has to change. McMyn would like to see the brand adapted to different languages and cultures, for example.
“I love the BC Tree Fruit brand. I think it has wheels,” says McMyn. “I think we really have to get that out more and more locally across Canada and also across the globe.”
The co-op’s receiving and packing facilities also need upgrades.
“We have our challenges to align our factories and make them more efficient,” McMyn says. “I am confident we can do that. I think the long-term vision is a fairly sophisticated plant amalgamation.”
McMyn brings extensive global experience to his new job, as well as extensive experience with growers. Prior to BC Tree Fruits, he worked with the precision agriculture division of Winnipeg-based Buhler Industries Inc.
Piece rates won’t change – yet