PULLMAN, Wash. – Surviving in a global marketplace “while doing good work from the heart” will be the topic of a public lecture at Washington State University Tuesday, April 3, by Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, one of the largest organic food store chains in the country.
Robb will discuss “Toward a More Sustainable View of Business: A Retailer’s Perspective” at 4 p.m., Tuesday, April 3, in Room T-101 of the Food Science Human Nutrition Building on Washington State University’s Pullman campus. The event, which is sponsored by the WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, is free and open to the public.
An avid advocate of organic agriculture and food, Robb will discuss how a corporate model can fit into the idealism and commitment of a business with a strong set of core values that encompasses communities and the environment as well as profits and growth.
Robb joined Whole Foods Market in 1991. He started out by operating the Mill Valley, Calif., store until he became manager of the corporation’s Northern Pacific Region in 1993. While there, he grew that region from two to 17 stores. Robb became executive vice president of operations in 2000, chief operating officer in 2001 and co-president in 2004. Now as co-CEO, he oversees operations on the Whole Planet Foundation Board of Directors.
Robb serves on the Board of Regents for the University of the Pacific.
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