Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/635697
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower FEBRUARY 15, 2016 21 DRIVE The Washington State Tree Fruit Association honored Gibson, the 57-year-old married father of two, with the Silver Pear Award during its annual conference in December in Yakima. The former banker was lauded for keeping a close eye on the bottom line and getting involved with all facets of the industry, which includes serving on the science committee of the Northwest Horticultural Council and Pear Bureau Northwest's board of directors. "Don is an outspoken and detailed-oriented board member, which is a good thing, and he has the industry's best interests in mind," said Kevin Moffitt, president of Pear Bureau Northwest. Gibson quickly credits his colleagues. "It's a team approach," he said. That's why he considers his weekly trip through parts of Washington and Oregon — with stops in Alderdale, Dallesport, Hood River, White Salmon and Bingen — worth every mile. Joining the fruit industry Gibson grew up as the youngest of six siblings on a row crop farm near Connell, Washington, and holds bachelor's degrees in finance and economics from Central Washington University. He started his career in banking, officiating a loan for Jack Bloxom, the former president of Mt. Adams, in a 1983 orchard investment. Gibson disliked the smoke-filled boardrooms and lack of autonomy in the banking world, so he switched to work as a field representative for brewing giant Anheuser-Busch Companies. In 1993, he nearly took an executive's position in St. Louis when Bloxom called to offer him an assistant manager's spot at Mt. Adams. "I liked his style," said Bloxom, now the semi-retired chairman of the company's board of directors. He communicates well with employees, growers and customers, Bloxom said. Gibson has been company president since 2008.