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Washington State Wine industry honors den Hoed…
Bill den Hoed has been honored for nearly 20 years of involvement in the Washington wine grape industry. Den Hoed served for nine years on the board of directors of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers, and recently stepped down after serving on the Washington Wine Commission’s board, also for nine years.
Den Hoed, partner in Vigneron Management LLC, grows grapes in Grandview and near the Wallula Gap of the Columbia River. He received the award during the annual meeting of the Wine Grape Growers Association.
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Ownership change at Burrows Tractor in Yakima…
John Riel has become a partner in Burrows Tractor, based in Yakima, Washington, following the retirement of former co-owner John Kabrich.
Riel has owned a hop farm and worked through several departments in the tractor business. After graduating from high school in 1978, he began working for Burrows Tractor as a general helper before becoming a mechanic in the service department. He was later promoted to service manager and then transitioned into sales, eventually becoming sales manager. He now serves as general manager of Burrows Tractor and manages the Yakima and Wenatchee stores.
Burrows Tractor was founded in 1939 by William Kabrich and Grover Burrows. In 1949, William’s son Rex Kabrich took over ownership of the company. Rex’s two sons Bill Kabrich and John Kabrich succeeded their father when he retired in 1988. When John Kabrich retired recently, Riel purchased an equal ownership position with Bill, who continues to serve as president of the company, a position he has held since 1989.
Burrows specializes in narrow tractors and is a full-service dealer. The business recently expanded into turf equipment, commercial mowers, and the consumer market, in response to consumer demands.
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Deputy ag director for Washington State retires…
Bill Brookreson, deputy director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, has retired after almost 32 years with the department.
After starting his career with the department’s grain inspection program in 1974, he held several senior management positions in divisions dealing with plants, pests, and pesticides. In 1988, he received the Governor’s Distinguished Management Leadership Award, and earned a Washington State Department of Agriculture Director’s Citation Award in 1993.
He became deputy director in 1999 and was acting director from December 2001 to June 2002 before Valoria Loveland was appointed director. Brookreson has worked under nine department directors and seven governors.
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