WPVGA grower members, staff, and PILI participants stand up for potatoes at Washington Summit
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
Wisconsin rolled out the red carpet for future leaders of the potato industry, welcoming them to the state, February 19-22, for the Leadership, Education & Advancement Foundation’s “Potato Industry Leadership Institute” (PILI).
Visitors enrolled in the Leadership Institute traveled from Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington for two full days of leadership training.
The PILI program provides an overview of the local and national potato industry, including challenges and issues beyond the production sector.
2025 PILI Grower Leader Colin Szawlowski of Valley Spud, Hadley, Massachusetts, welcomed participants to Madison, Wisconsin, and began introductions.
Leadership Institute participants introduced each of their assigned classmates after having talked to and interviewed them beforehand and provided information about their assigned partner’s farms/employers, families, leadership goals, and something fun about that person.
National Potato Council (NPC) Chief Operating Officer Mike Wenkel, Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) Executive Director Tamas Houlihan, and Potatoes USA Chief Marketing Officer Kim Breshears presented “Understanding the Organizations of the U.S. Potato Industry.”
