Big changes are happening in the next couple of weeks at Pine Island Cranberry: our CFO, Holly, is moving on to concentrate on the Haines Family Foundation full-time. The Foundation, created by Holly and Bill Jr. (under the auspice of Bill Sr.) as a tribute to their mother and her championship of schooling for Burlington County residents, also supports open space and farmland preservation efforts and works closely with Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia.

Holly is very excited about this next stage in her life; the Haines Family Foundation is already doing some wonderful things, but, she says, she’s going to miss seeing her family every day. “Not only that, I love the routine of growing cranberries,” she says. “I love the cycle of what we do here all year. I’ll miss seeing that constantly.”

She’s glad to be leaving the place in such good hands. “When I first came on board with my dad and my brother, we were the management. Now we have a fantastic system in place with a lot of good people who love the place as much as we do; they’ve all become family. I know they’ll continue to do excellent work.”

The management team will miss her, as well. Joann Martin, who will be taking over many of Holly’s duties, says she’s learned a lot from her since coming on board at Pine Island. “Holly’s been great at showing me the ropes,” Joann says. “Agriculture is a new experience for me, but she’s really showed me a lot about the process, and I’m looking forward to continuing and expanding her work.”

Fred Torres, our general manager, grew up with Holly and Bill. “That’s a lot of history!” Fred says. “Holly is always professional and she was really dedicated to making sure the office ran smoothly, but she’s always aware of family. In the end, that’s what it’s all about.”

Bill agrees: “Both at Pine Island and now with the Haines Family Foundation, Holly keeps her eye on the ball. At Pine Island, we’re growers; it’s what we do and who we are. And she’ll be able to take that focus and apply it to help people, whatever it takes.”