N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 POTATO GROWER 15 Fresh Summit Co-chair Leah Halverson Receives Prestigious Award One of the chief organizers for the 2018 Fresh Summit was Leah Halverson, Director of Business Development at Black Gold Farms based in Grand Forks, North Dakota Leah just completed her second year as co-chair on the PMA Fresh Summit Committee. Leah had to take some time off from her PMA and Black Gold duties on Friday evening to attend a reception hosted by Produce Business maga- zine. At the reception Leah was a recipient of the "40 Under 40" award. The award recognizes 40 of the best young leaders in the pro- duce industry in the country. As director of new business develop- ment for Black Gold Farms, Leah works on solidifying relationships with new and existing customers, and finds new opportunities to mar- ket and sell red, yellow and sweet potatoes. She also manages all mar- keting activities including branding, tradeshows, industry events, promo- tional programming and social media. Leah has been involved in several industry organizations including serving on the AgChat Foundation's board. She was a member of the United Fresh Leadership Program class 20 and was selected to speak on behalf of her class at graduation. Leah's brother Eric Halverson received the same award in 2016. (Left to right) Jim Prevor and Ken Whittiker from Produce Business magazine present Leah Halverson with their "40 Under 40" award.