Apr 28, 20172017 Spudwoman of the Year Addie Waxman
Addie Waxman is the recipient of the inaugural Spudwoman of the Year Award. She is the director of research and development at 1,4 Group in Meridian, Idaho, a developer and supplier of dormancy and sprout inhibiting products for the potato storage industry.
Waxman has worked in the potato industry for 13 years. She has been with 1,4 Group for just over seven years where she tests storage crop protectants in small-scale, large-scale and commercially-sized potato storage units. She advises industry applicators in choosing the best programs for their storages. Waxman also worked for nearly six years as a food scientist at J.R. Simplot in Caldwell, Idaho, where she had developed several french fry products.
While Waxman was at Simplot, she had the opportunity to participate with McDonald’s in a series of sensory trainings and attained her Golden Tongue certification. This certification means she is qualified in grading french fries based on color, aroma, flavor and texture, Waxman said.
In 2012, Waxman started her Ph.D. program, and was sponsored by 1,4 Group’s educational lift program. Her research project was to study the effect of harvest timing and storage duration on end product quality of three processing varieties – Russet Burbank, Alpine Russet and Clearwater Russet. She will graduate on Saturday, May 13th, and receive her Ph.D. in plant science from the University of Idaho.
The Spudwoman of the Year Award is sponsored by Lockwood Manufacturing. Spudman magazine developed this award to recognize potato industry leaders who are making an impact in the industry from all segments including growers, shippers, researchers and marketers. The award will be presented to Waxman during the NPC Summer Meeting on June 28-30 in Denver. Read more about Waxman and the Spudwoman of the Year Award in the Spudman May/June issue.
By David Fairbourn, managing editor
