Fall Creek Farm & Nursery has announced that Kevin Murphy has joined its professional board of directors. Most recently, Murphy served as chief executive officer of Driscoll’s, before retiring in 2018 after 13 years in the company’s leadership. His appointment brings the Fall Creek board to nine individuals.
Prior to Driscoll’s, Murphy held multiple leadership roles spanning areas of supply chain, process improvement, marketing, innovation, and management at produce companies including Capurro Farms, Fresh Express Farms and TransFRESH Corporation.
Fall Creek, a family-owned company, has been expanding its professional board of directors from entirely family shareholders to include perspectives from external industry leaders with a wide range of business expertise. Murphy is the fifth non-family board member, joining Mark Frandsen, Elin Miller, Ulrich Pilz and Roland Wolfram, who collectively bring a wealth of diverse business experience to the board.
“Our family company places great value on the contributions of our outside board members,” says Dave Brazelton, Fall Creek co-founder and board chair. “We’re excited to welcome Kevin to our board and know his expertise will enrich our already strong team. Having spent his entire career in produce, he brings tremendous experience in growing companies that will help us continually expand and improve our ability to help create a world with better blueberries for our customers and the entire industry.”
“During my time at Driscoll’s, I worked closely with Fall Creek and always admired the company and enjoyed working with the family,” Murphy says of the appointment. “Fall Creek has a strong position in a growing industry, and I look forward to working with them to evaluate their strategic options and continue their impressive trajectory of growth and success.”
Kevin is currently advising Temasek, a sovereign wealth fund based in Singapore, providing strategic insights related to their food and agricultural investments. He also serves on the boards of directors for Graniterock, a large infrastructure and construction contractor in Calif., the Business School at California State University-Monterey Bay, and, in an advisory board role with Zespri.
He has been active in the agricultural labor and immigration debate, which has led to testifying in Congress, participating in the National Immigration Forum and speaking at various companies and institutions including Harvard University.
Murphy was named the Central Coast Business Leader of the Year 2018 by California State University-Monterey Bay. He has a Master of Business Administration degree from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Natal, South Africa. Murphy grew up in South Africa and moved to the U.S. in 1989.
For more information:
Fall Creek Nursery
www.fallcreeknursery.com