Tom Mick Announces Retirement from WA Grain Commission

Tom Mick Announces His Retirement from WA Grain Commission

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report after this.

At yesterday’s board meeting Tom Mick CEO of the Washington Grain Commission announced he will retire on June 30th. Chairman of the WA Grain Commission Tom Zwainz said no quick decisions will be made on hiring Mick’s replacement.

Zwainz: “He has done a great job for the Washington Wheat Industry. We’ve always wondered if he was going to retire. He will be fully engaged right up until 5 o’clock that last day. He will be in charge until then. We’ve got a lot of programs going on that he has started and will continue to operate.”

Glen Squires, vice president of the commission, will serve as interim CEO upon Mick’s departure and as the board searches for a replacement.

Mick began his career in the grain industry with the Colorado Wheat Administrative Committee. He then spent eight years as the director of the U.S. Wheat Associate’s Southeast Asia Office in Singapore followed by two years at its Washington D.C. headquarters prior to his start with the then Washington Wheat Commission in 1987.

Zwainz especially commended Mick for the executive team Mick has put together at the WCG and the collaboration he created between to the commission and the the Washington Association of Wheat Growers and the reorganization of the two groups that happened in 2007.

Zwainz stated that the commission would work together with the Washington Association of Wheat Growers in pursing the next CEO.

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.