[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 148 (Tuesday, December 5, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2125-E2126]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING WALTER F. PAYNE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2000

  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Walter F. 
Payne, president and chief executive officer of Blue Diamond Growers, 
on the occasion of his retirement. A cooperative owned by nearly 4,000 
almond growers, Blue Diamond is the world's largest nut-tree marketing 
and processing company. Under the steadfast leadership of Walt Payne, 
Blue Diamond processes nearly one-third of the world's crop of almonds, 
making that commodity California's largest food export. I ask my 
colleagues to join with me today in honoring the dedicated service of 
Walt Payne.
  Mr. Payne joined Blue Diamond in 1973 as the director of marketing 
and planning. In 1990, Mr. Payne was appointed chief operating officer 
and in 1992 became president and chief executive officer. His prior 17 
years as a marketing executive provided him with the necessary tools to 
lead Blue Diamond into a period of unprecedented growth and fundamental 
change. Under this leadership, the cooperative was transformed into a 
more efficient and organized business dedicated to cutting unnecessary 
costs and increasing production and sales. However, it is his inclusive 
management style, in combination with his desire for open and honest 
communication that will truly be remembered.
  Mr. Payne has worked tirelessly to include the views of management, 
member growers and plant workers alike to create a more effective 
business. In an organization that had previously been run from the top 
down, Walt found it more productive to establish an environment that 
encouraged the inclusion of employees, at all levels, in the 
development and implementation of ideas. In fact, it is this inclusive 
management style that has proved to be

[[Page E2126]]

an integral component to the unprecedented success of Blue Diamond.
  When Walter Payne was named CEO, he vowed to spend 15 percent of his 
time in the fields meeting with growers, listening to and addressing 
their concerns. It was this commitment to open and honest communication 
that won him national acknowledgment as ``CEO Outstanding Communicator 
of the Year'' in 1998, awarded by the Cooperative Communicators 
Association.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor for me to pay tribute to my friend, 
Walt Payne, a truly outstanding member of our community. As CEO, he 
fostered an atmosphere based on teamwork, open communication and 
productivity at all levels. As a testament to his success, Payne's 
first crop as a young marketer at Blue Diamond totaled 145 million 
pounds. His last crop set a state record at 830 million pounds. I ask 
all of my colleagues to join with me in celebrating the accomplishments 
of an extraordinary leader and wish him all the best as he begins a new 
phase in his life.

                          ____________________