The Oceana County Economic Alliance (OCEA) Annual Breakfast took place at the Earl & Linda Peterson West Michigan Research Station in Hart last Friday morning. There was a full house in attendance to get an update, and celebrate 45 years of the OCEA.
Board President Phil Morse gave the welcoming remarks and introduced OCEA Executive Director Curtis Burdette. Burdette outlined the current mission of the OCEA, and identified ongoing projects throughout the county.
Senior Vice President of The Right Place Tim Mroz also gave an overview of the organization. The Right Place serves seven of the 13 counties throughout West Michigan, including: Kent, Ionia, Lake, Mason, Montcalm, Newaygo, and Oceana. "The Oceana County Economic Alliance is an organization created to assist business development needs in Oceana County with a mission to create a diverse economic environment by strengthening talent, leveraging resources, and supporting the retention, expansion, attraction, and creation of Oceana County businesses," according to The Right Place website.
Paul Inglis, a founding board member of the OCEA and former county administrator, gave a detailed history of the organization from its inception in 1980 to date. Many names of those responsible for the organization were recalled by Inglis going through the early files, and it was a full roster of past and present businesspeople. These included B.K. Fitz, Harry Ruth, Anne Hardy, Gary Bailey, John Carlson, Sheila Gowell, Ron Steiner, Cliff Prince, Walt Urick, Ed Strong, Bill Hanna, David Hinze, Allen Porter, Harry Lynch, Lora Swenson, Chuck Persenaire, Willa Kenoyer and Jerry Frick. Assisting Kurdziel Iron was the first project of the OCEA.
The highlight of the breakfast was a slideshow of the formation of Peterson Farms, Inc. (PFI) and its path to becoming Oceana County’s largest employer. Earl Peterson and his wife, Linda, were present to tell their family history that spans four generations of fruit growers in West Michigan. Their parents, LeRoy Don and Marjorie Peterson, and Theresa Weaver, along with Vern and Jean Ann Lambrix were always in the background supporting the young couple. It is a story of family, faith and making good luck.
Their story is as much a story of success as it is a testament to a loving marriage. Linda and Earl graduated in 1965 from Hart High School, and then went on to Western Michigan University for their degrees. They returned to Hart to teach, with Linda at Hart High School and Earl at Elbridge Elementary. He eventually became the principal.
The first farm they purchased was in Elbridge in 1972 - a producing cherry orchard for zero money down. Cherry prices were depressed at that time, but a market swing was coming. By adding more cherry acreage, along with mechanical harvesting, they went from being a grower to becoming a processor in 1984. They also had a custom harvesting business they started in Benton Harbor, following the cherry crop to Northport and Old Mission, working long 14-hour days that lasted from early July to the end of August. Most small growers could not afford owning their own equipment, so the shaking business was in demand as hand labor disappeared.
Being a processor, they also became an innovator in the industry. From pit detection to color sorting, the Petersons were able to satisfy the most discriminating buyers. Sara Lee and McDonald's were key names in the growth of PFI. Along with that growth came blueberries, sweet cherries, asparagus and the ever important apple lines. Peterson Farms Fresh was established in 2004, and is responsible for making the Petersons leaders in the United States in the production of apple slices. They are found in lunches across the nation.
Ever present in the story was that of Earl telling of how he and Linda would manage every aspect of PFI together. Earl explained how they would identify opportunities and find solutions that worked. "Today, Peterson Farms is a marketing leader of frozen fruits in the U.S., marketing over 150 million finished pounds of frozen fruits and 7 million gallons of single-strength apple juice/cider and juice concentrates," according to the PFI website. Satellite facilities in Florida and California have been acquired to position the Peterson Farms brand nationally.
Linda and Earl have three children who have all been active in the business. Sarah, Aaron and Mark all started at the bottom, learning every aspect of the business. Today Aaron acts as the president, with Sarah managing sales for the company. Mark is pursuing his love of the outdoors as the owner of World Wide Trophy Adventures.
The Peterson family has been directly involved in initiatives for housing, childcare and community projects. Oceana Acres and the Shelby Township Park are prime examples of ways they've given back to the community.
It must also be noted their philanthropic giving has benefitted Echo Publishing Inc., for which this writer will forever be indebted.
