Crazy about Craisins

From his office window, Brad Dowie, ’97, looks out at cranberry bogs, so he knows when it’s harvest time.

“It’s amazing how picturesque the process is,” he said. He watches as beaters knock the berries into the water. Then they are corralled into a large circle and pulled out of the water.

Watching the harvest offers him yet another reminder of the growers and how his work can have an impact on their livelihood.

As trade marketing manager for Ocean Spray Cranberries, based in Lakeville, Mass., Dowie serves as a conduit between the company’s marketing department and the sales teams he supports throughout North America.

“Ocean Spray is a cooperative, and the owners are the growers themselves,” said Dowie, whose wife, Erin Flynn Dowie, ’97, is a speech therapist.

“We’re trying to do the best for the growers so we can continually provide them with a superior value proposition for their membership.”

After graduating with a degree in finance, Dowie worked for four years in the mutual fund industry and spent five years working for Coca-Cola Enterprises before taking a position in Ocean Spray’s finance department—with an eye on moving into the sales and marketing area.

“Being in the food and beverage industry is fun. It’s a lot of the sexier, more visual products, something people can relate to more.”