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Robert W. Norris, was selected in June, 2003, to succeed David D. Farley as the California cotton marketing co-operative's president. Norris, 60, is only the sixth chief executive officer in Calcot's 76-year history, and is the first California native to hold the post.
Norris, continuously employed by Calcot in various positions since 1969, most recently was its number two top executive, serving as executive vice-president of the company. He has extensive experience in all aspects of finance, cotton marketing, warehousing and shipping. As Calcot president, he is directed by Calcot's board and is responsible for guiding the grower-owned cooperative association in its efforts to maximize returns on producers' cotton.
As executive vice president and previously senior vice president of finance and administration, Norris was responsible for all banking relations, foreign and domestic, which required constant contact with and oversight of all Calcot departments, including export sales, domestic sales, futures, traffic, market research, and grower services. Norris directly oversaw grower services, call pool marketing, data processing, warehousing, traffic and administration.
Norris has worked his way up the ladder, beginning as a growers services assistant, and later serving as office manager of Calcot's Arizona plant, supervisor of Calcot's call pool, before being promoted to assistant vice president of grower services and later vice president of finance.
He was promoted to senior vice president in 1991, and named executive vice president in 2002.
He also serves as a vice president of Amcot, Inc., the trade association of the nationâ€'s four major cotton marketing cooperatives, and previously was its secretary/treasurer.
A military veteran, he served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969, and he holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration from California State University â€" Fresno and also graduated from the Financial Executive Program at Pennsylvania State University in 1982.
Norris is a delegate to the National Cotton Council, and an advisor to the Bakersfield College Athletic Foundation.
He and his wife, Donna, reside in Bakersfield and have two children.
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