sept-oct-2020

In Memoriam: Bill Wright, Industry Pioneer The Blue Diamond family lost a pioneer in our industry recently. Bill Wright, who began his career at Blue Diamond Growers in the early 1970s, passed away on September 2, 2020. Bill made a significant contribution to Blue Diamond and the California almond industry. Bill began at Blue Diamond as the domestic sales manager and retired after more than 30 years as the domestic sales director for the industrial division in 2004. At the beginning of Bill’s career, he was responsible for domestic ingredient sales and the emerging retail and food service business. Along with long-term business colleague John Wagaman, Bill was instrumental in growing Blue Diamond ’s business with major U.S. food companies, including Hershey, General Mills, Kellogg, Quaker Oats, Post, and many others. “Bill was a wonderful man who was fair, genuine, and ethical to all who had the privilege to work with him,” said Bill Morecraft, Senior Vice President of Global Ingredients for Blue Diamond . “He was truly one of the good guys in our industry, and his hard work over many years at Blue Diamond paved the way for our continued successes in the U.S. market today.” Bill was a founding member of the Peanut Tree Nut Processing Association (PTNPA) and served as its president for many years in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He worked tirelessly in this capacity for the entire tree nut industry and was bestowed an honorary lifetime membership. He left no doubt that the most treasured thing in his life was his family and friends. Blue Diamond will miss you, Bill! Thank you for showing us all that ”good guys do win!“ He was truly one of the good guys in our industry, and his hard work over many years at Blue Diamond paved the way for our continued successes in the U.S. market today. — Bill Morecraft 1 3 S E P T E M B E R – O C T O B E R 2 0 2 0