01 Sep RESOURCE GROUP TEAM SPOTLIGHT: Travis Howard – Senior Account Manager
RESOURCE GROUP TEAM SPOTLIGHT: Welcome, Travis Howard – Senior Account Manager
Get to know Travis through this fun Q&A – our newest team member coming straight to us from Albert’s Organics! Travis boasts a passion for the Organic industry & 15 years of organic produce + distribution experience!
Q: Tell us a bit about your background – work experience/life experience:
A: I’m a Minnesota native, and am still just as Minnesotan as ever. You can take the boy out of MN, but you can’t take the MN out of the boy! While going to school for electronics and networking, I got a job in an Organic Produce warehouse to pay my way, but then when I graduated, electronics industry was falling apart and organics were taking off, so I stuck with it. I have a 7 year old daughter who just started 2nd grade this week and is super excited about the new school year! In 2005 I moved to Florida to work with a distributor in Sarasota and a few years later opened Front Door Organics with Pat Bayor. In 2010 I moved to Chicago for a year, where I met Ron and Stephen Cropper. From there I took a position in Charlotte, NC, to get closer to my daughter who lives here in FL with her mom. That company helped me move back to the Sunshine State, where I now live happily ever after
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job / field?
A: The greatest thing about Organic Produce is knowing we’re helping clean up the mess left by conventional agriculture. Our bodies and our planet are made up mostly of water, and so there is a great sense of ‘doing right’ by supporting cleaner ways to produce food that don’t pollute our ground water and our bodies.
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m passionate about Organic Produce! I am a ‘core’ organic consumer, often times changing my recipes and plans if an organic something-or-other isn’t available. This usually suits me better than going conventional… Other passions of mine include seeing live music, delving in to the local craft beer scene, and getting out into the great outdoors on a long hike or taking the kayak out into Sarasota’s waterways.
Q: How many years of experience do have in this line of work? Where did you work prior to Resource Group?
A: I have been working with organic produce distribution for about 15 years. I started at a worker-owned coop in Minneapolis called Roots & Fruits, then moved to Global Organic in Sarasota. Next was Front Door Organics, then Goodness Greeness, then Albert’s Organics and now on to RG. I have seen so many different ways to ship our fruits and vegetables, and hope to use this experience to grow programs with Resource Group
Q: What are 3 fun facts about yourself?
A: Three fun facts about me? Hm… that’s a bit tough! 🙂
– When I was 23, I quit my job and bought an open-ended flight to Africa – just because it sounded like a good idea
– I’m active with the Parent-Teacher advisory group at my daughter’s school
– Living in the south has given me a love for BBQ – I dug in and learned how to smoke meat with the best of them, and I make a NC-style BBQ sauce that rivals some of the best sauces made in NC.
