Organizers of the 2016 IBU World Cup are thrilled with the early support of Pineland Farms Naturally Potatoes. The gold event sponsorship was announced April 17 by Rodney McCrum, company president and chief operating officer, who cited the parallel between the success of the Mars Hill potato production facility and the great results of the volunteers and communities who have hosted world-class winter sports events at a world-class facility in his backyard.
“The great products and successful results that we see here in our facility and outstanding events such as the coming 2016 IBU World Cup are to the credit of the hard work and dedication of the people of Aroostook County,” McCrum said. “Our support for this event is in recognition of these folks and the tremendous work ethic they possess. From the hardworking growers we rely on to provide the potatoes for processing and the innovative workers that ensure our products get to market, to the community leaders and hundreds of volunteers who ensure every detail is cared for and a warm Aroostook welcome is extended when we host such events – it is the people who make it possible.”
Jane Towle, event director for the local World Cup event, expressed her appreciation of Pineland Farms’ sponsorship of the event.
“We are extremely grateful for this lead gold level sponsorship and for their partnership as a key County business acknowledging the tremendous effort of the outstanding volunteers who make it possible for us to showcase the beauty and hospitality of northern Maine,” she said. “When we have hosted international events such as these in the past, we have introduced the athletes, coaches, support staff and visitors to the culture and heritage of Aroostook County. The products that Pineland Farms produces certainly reflect an important food tradition in our region and we look forward to introducing these products to IBU officials when they arrive this summer for inspections, and to all our international guests next February.”
The state-of-the-art Mars Hill facility, located among 55,000 acres of homegrown potatoes in Aroostook County, produces refrigerated potato products.
The 2016 World Cup is the latest in a number of national and international Nordic ski and biathlon events to be hosted at the Nordic Heritage Center. The most recent such activity was the IBU Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships in late February and early March 2014. The last World Cup hosted in The County, in February 2011, had stops in both Presque Isle and Fort Kent.
The 2016 event will mark the first large-scale event hosted in The County since the Nordic Heritage Center has operated independent of direct support provided by the Maine Winter Sports Center. The operation and maintenance of the four-season sports facility, located just off the Fort Fairfield Road in Presque Isle, are supported in large-part by the Libra Foundation, as well as local businesses and organizations, other donations, club memberships and revenue generated by events, including those sanctioned by the IBU.
