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Gosselin earns FCC leadership award

NEWS HIGHLIGHT

Gosselin earns FCC
leadership award
Marie Gosselin has been honoured with
one of five 2010 FCC (Farm Credit Canada) Rosemary Davis Awards for
leadership and commitment to the Canadian agriculture and agri-food
industry.

March 19, 2010, Portneuf, Qué – Marie Gosselin has been honoured with one of five 2010 FCC (Farm Credit Canada) Rosemary Davis Awards for leadership and commitment to the Canadian agriculture and agri-food industry.

The award was created in 2005 to honour
Rosemary Davis, FCC’s first female board chair. Davis was a successful
agribusiness owner and operator for many years, and active in the industry.
Judging criteria for the award include demonstrated leadership, community
involvement, and making a difference in agriculture by displaying passion for
the industry and a clear vision for its future.

Gosselin started working at Les Serres du Saint-Laurent
20 years ago and became its president and CEO in 2008. At the helm of the
largest greenhouse operation in Québec, she has made tremendous contributions
to the company’s growth.

Les Serres du Saint-Laurent specializes in greenhouse
tomatoes, in particular the Savoura brand tomato, which currently accounts for
over 55 per cent of Québec’s annual tomato sales. The company’s five locations
employ a total of 250 people and generate $30 million in sales. The greenhouses
cover 18 acres, the equivalent of 35 football fields.

In 2007, Gosselin was the driving force behind a new
greenhouse complex – the first of its kind in Québec – heated with biogas from
a landfill site. The operation has developed its own unique expertise using
artificial lighting. “Producers come from all over the world to see how it
works,” she adds.

Gosselin serves on several boards and is very active in
the greenhouse industry as vice-president of the Syndicat des producteurs en
serres du Québec (UPA) and director of the Québec Produce Marketing
Association. She is also involved in the Dispute Resolution Commission, an
international organization that ensures smooth trading of produce between
Canada, Mexico and the United States.

In 1994, she won the Québec Métro young entrepreneur
award and, in 2005, the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association and the Salon de
l’Agriculture presented her with the Cérès award for agri-marketing person of
the year.

“My vision has always been to build a name and a brand
synonymous with quality and reliability of our agricultural products,” says
Gosselin. “For this to happen, you need teamwork. It’s essential. Teamwork is
what makes us strong and people really value it.”

Other 2010 winners are:

• Bette Jean Crews – hog and crops producer, industry
leader, teacher and volunteer – Trenton, Ont.

• Gay
Hahn – dairy producer, industry leader, educator and volunteer – Burnaby, B.C.

• Jeannie
van Dyk – dairy and crops producer, volunteer, mentor and teacher – Noel Shore,
N.S.

• Margaret Rempel – hog and crops producer, volunteer,
industry and community leader – Ste. Anne, Man.

For biographies of all the winners, visit www.fccrosemarydavisaward.ca.