April 2022 - 26

Idaho commission's Field Force
The Idaho Potato
IDAHO POTATO
COMMISSION
Jamey Higham
President and CEO
Commission (IPC)
has a popular T-shirt
with the words
" Powered by Idaho
Potatoes " across the
front. New Orleans
Saints superstar and
Idaho native Taysom
Hill wore it in a social
media video he
filmed for the IPC a
few years ago.
We often tout the
power of the Idaho potato, but we don't
give enough credit to what - or who, in
this case - powers the Idaho potato brand.
There's a whole team of folks and partner
agencies who are enthusiastically dedicated
to making sure consumers can easily
purchase their favorite spuds.
While the IPC is based in Eagle, Idaho,
there are six full-time staff members, the IPC
retail and foodservice promotions directors
who are located throughout the country
and each cover a large geographic territory.
They travel four days a week, meeting with
foodservice distributors, restaurant owners,
buyers and category managers at grocery
stores ... basically anyone who purchases
or uses Idaho potatoes on behalf of their
company. Five years ago, the retail team was
dubbed " The Idaho Potato Field Force " and
was featured in a successful ad campaign for
trade publications that ran for several years.
In my opinion, all six directors are Forces in
the Field.
Even though they are front and center
with customers, most of their work and
accomplishments are behind the scenes.
The retail promotions directors act as potato
category consultants, assisting retailers
in maximizing overall category profitability
through data. They meet with all levels of
management from the teams who stock
the displays in the produce aisle to senior
management responsible for purchasing.
They present and promote the Idaho Potato
Lover's Display Contest, the largest and
longest running retail display contest in
the country that boasts more than 5,000
entries annually.
The foodservice promotions directors
work closely with distributors and produce
specialists to help make sure Idaho potatoes
are readily available and with operators
to feature Idaho potatoes prominently on
menus. The directors also coordinate recipe
ideation seminars, conduct educational
sessions and attend foodservice-related
trade shows.
MEET THE FIELD FORCE
On the retail side, we have:
* Mike Krage (904-553-4548). Krage
handles the Northeast and Midwest
regions.
* Mark Daniels (912-944-8260). Daniels
covers the Southeast and Central regions.
* Kent Bessley (208-631-9760). Beesley
handles the Western U.S. and Canada.
On the foodservice side, there is:
* Matt Brigotti (330-414-5618). Brigotti
covers the Northeast and Midwest
territories.
* Stanley Trout (615-971-0505). Trout
handles the Southeast and Central
regions.
* Armand Lobato (303-588-4565). Lobato
covers the Western U.S.
These gentlemen also serve as great
resources to the industry. They know their
stuff and they're pretty nice guys, too! Please
reach out to them for assistance or any
questions you may have.
Week
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April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2022
