New WSPC exec has smooching history in Moses Lake

Voigt excited to work at commission he would often emulate

MOSES LAKE — The Washington State Potato Conference has sentimental value for Chris Voigt and his wife of five years, Stephanie.

Stephanie was working in the potato industry in Boise, while Chris was working in Denver, and they sort of dated at various potato meetings, Chris recalled.

"Our first kiss occurred at the Washington State Potato Conference," he said.

Now Chris, Stephanie and their children, Christopher, 3, and Madeline, 1, will get to revisit the site where love bloomed.

Washington State Potato Commissioners announced Monday that Voigt will assume the position of executive director/director of environmental and regulatory affairs for the Washington State Potato Commission.

Voigt, presently the executive director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee (CPAC), will begin in the WSPC position Sept. 6, replacing Pat Boss, who resigned in May to pursue opportunities as a consultant.

"We feel very fortunate that Chris wants to come to Washington," WSPC chair Randy Mullen said in a statement. "We appreciate his knowledge of the U.S. potato industry and its issues, and the job he has done in Colorado. We look forward to welcoming him on board."

Originally from Newberg, Ore., Voigt earned a B.S. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from Oregon State University and worked in the agrichemical industry for 10 years before joining the U.S. Potato Board as the manager of field operations in 1997. Voigt has been with CPAC for the last three years.

As an intern at Oregon State, Voigt lived in Walla Walla and did marketing and chemical projects in the southern end of the Columbia Basin.

Voigt said that through his work on the U.S. Potato Board, he would outreach to state organizations all over the country and communicate the Potato Board's activities back to the rest of the industry, traveling to Moses Lake several times a year.

"Even as an intern in Walla Walla, the (Washington) growers seemed so progressive and exciting to be around," he said. "They drew me to Washington. They're outstanding, great people, and fun."

Voigt said the move is also an opportunity to get closer to family in Seattle and Portland.

"Moses Lake is going to seem like downtown New York City compared to where we're moving from," he said. "It's a beautiful area, but very isolated. The nearest shopping experience is four hours away. This may be an opportunity for me to get back into water-skiing."

Working closely with all the other state organizations ultimately gave Voigt the chance to see what they were doing, he said, and what was working and what wasn't, and use them in his own operations.

"I have always followed (the WSPC) closely," he said. "It's one of the best potato organizations there is. It's very proactive, very cutting edge … I've always kind of been attracted to it."

When the WSPC inquired as to whether he would be interested in the position, Chris chatted things over with Stephanie, and they decided to apply.

"Being in Colorado as executive director, I emulated what Washington was doing," he said, adding that he feels Washington really set a good example for the rest of the industry with its involvement in trade and environmental issues. "It was important that someone stepped up. I really tried to copy a lot of what Washington was doing. It's really exciting to be able to work for the state that I was trying to emulate for so many years."

Voigt said that Colorado and Washington have dealt with a number of the same issues. All of the western states are in need of water, he noted, adding that Colorado is in a very severe drought situation. Colorado also has endangered species concerns, but not to the extent that Washington does, he said.

"We're all kind of in the same boat in the potato industry, with oversupply and low prices," he said. "The general feeling is that we're not providing products that are meeting consumers' needs. Fewer and fewer are actually cooking fresh potatoes. We have to respond with new and innovative ways to bring customers back to potatoes."

Voigt added that Colorado sends a lot of seed into Washington so, essentially, the two states are going to have a lot of the same potatoes, although Colorado is really focused on fresh potatoes, whereas Washington is focused on processing.

But which state has the best potatoes?

"Let's see, who's paying me today?" Voigt said with a laugh. "Today, Colorado has the best potatoes, but come Sept. 6, Washington is going to have the best potatoes."