Wisconsin Potato Association Names Executive Director

The Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association has named Duane Maatz of Grand Forks, N.D., its new executive director. Maatz replaces Mike Carter who resigned in June to take a position as the CEO of Bushmans’ Inc., a potato brokerage firm. Maatz will start with WPVGA at the end of September.

For the past ten years, Maatz has served as the president of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association in East Grand Forks, Minn. In this position, he represented potato growers in Minnesota, North Dakota and northeastern Montana. Among his accomplishments with the NPPGA, Maatz created a Limited Liability Company for the market development activities of the association; he initiated and formalized the Red River Valley Fresh Potato Coop, a company for growers of fresh table potatoes; he formalized the Minn-Dak Bargaining Cooperative under the Capper-Volstead Act for process grower contract negotiations; and increased the Association’s political involvement and influence by maintaining positive relationships on state and federal legislation, playing instrumental roles on issues such as the Farm Bill, disaster, risk management, international trade regulations and agricultural policy.

At WPVGA, Maatz will lead a potato and vegetable trade association with over 400 members and an annual budget of approximately $1.2 million. He will develop and maintain an aggressive grower relations program and build consensus in the areas of research, marketing, education and governmental relations. He takes over an experienced staff of four full-time employees.