#RUNWITHRAINIER AND DAVE MCGILLIVRAY

By: Dave McGillivray, for Rainier Fruit

“Wholesome to the core” — I don’t know if there is a better description of how I want to live my life than this phrase which also happens to be the motto of the Rainier Fruit Company. Over the years, especially as I age, I’ve learned that it is an unselfish trait to take care of yourself and make it a priority to regularly focus on your own personal well-being, as well as your level of physical, mental and emotional core fitness. I have learned that by taking care of yourself, not only do you eliminate the burden on someone else to take care of you if you fall ill, but you strengthen yourself enough to be able to help those who are less fortunate and are in need.

This is exactly why I wanted to align myself with the Rainer Fruit Company who I have come to learn that as a leading grower of healthy and hearty essential fruits, they have similar goals and objectives as my own. Rainer focuses on quality, wellness and a healthy lifestyle; traits that I aspire to on a daily basis. Nothing in life can be more important.

I recently visited their corporate headquarters in Selah, Washington. I was struck by two very poignant characteristics. First, their attention to detail and commitment to excellence. Everything they did was with the utmost care and attention to detail while striving for perfection.

Secondly, their hard work ethic and work environment was infectiously positive and welcoming. It seemed like one big happy family all working together to achieve a common goal. These are two traits I always strive for when producing an event like the Boston Marathon and other races for thousands of participants. The overall intent is to provide a positive experience for everyone involved. Only by working together as a team and by being totally prepared can we deliver on that promise. I experienced the very same thing at Rainier and it was so refreshing to see this, especially when we live in a culture that often seems to want to take the quickest and shortest path to success, and therefore not truly deserving or earning that aspiration.

Being associated and connected to a “wholesome” company like Rainier has special meaning to me these days. A few years back, I was diagnosed with severe coronary artery disease. Some of this was due to bad genetics, but I am ashamed to say that most was self-inflicted. I always thought if the furnace was hot enough, it would burn. I was dead wrong.

After getting over the shock of this alarming realization, I made a commitment to myself and my family to reverse this disease, if that was even possible. I quickly learned, the hard way, that just because you are fit doesn’t mean you are healthy. On a dime, I changed everything about what I ate and the way I ate. I replaced ice cream and cookies with fruits and vegetables. In only a short period of time, I reversed my disease by almost 50% and I owe it all to making the right nutritional choices. Rainier Fruit provides these types of products that have actually helped save my life and over the next several months I’ll be sharing more of my story and Rainier will be sharing the stories of their employees and other regular people, just like you and I, to teach, enlighten and inspire us to live a lifestyle that is Wholesome to the Core.

I could not be more thrilled and more appreciative about being associated with a company like Rainier. Wholesome to the core – this only begins to explain the importance and value of a company like this to our individual lives. Every decision they make is dedicated to producing the most premium quality product to support the best of each of us. This quote by the company pretty much sums up who they are and actually how I feel about my own life:

“Our primary responsibility as good stewards is to grow the finest quality fruit, using the natural resources entrusted to us, without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. We farm in a way that shows our respect for the land, pride in our product, and a commitment to our community and employees.”

Lastly, but just as important, I’ve always believed in giving back; when you give you receive even more in return. Another “core” mission of Rainier is to do just that. They believe that the support of their community has been instrumental to their success and as such they reciprocate whenever possible. Outside of supplying wholesome food for families around the planet, investing in the community is one of the most important and rewarding ways Rainier has made a positive impact in the world.

Everything that Rainier stands for is wholesome to the core. It just doesn’t get any better than that.