Carlos C. Garcia, a cooperative official from Lubbock, Texas, was elected as president of Cotton Council International (CCI) for 2022. CCI is the National Cotton Council’s (NCC) export promotion arm and carries out programs in more than 50 countries globally under the COTTON USA™ trademark. Garcia and other CCI officers were elected at CCI’s board meeting held as part of the NCC’s 2022 Annual Meeting that convened in Houston, Texas.
“Despite the global pandemic, CCI held 35 events – both virtually and in person – in 12 of the biggest cotton importing countries of the world in 2021,” Garcia said. “I was proud to represent the U.S. industry during a COTTON USA event last year and saw firsthand how CCI’s business-building programs resonate with our customers overseas. I will continue to communicate U.S. cotton’s competitive advantages with CCI in 2022 with a focus on the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol® and COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™.
Garcia is the export sales manager at Plains Cotton Cooperative Association (PCCA), a marketing cooperative owned by farmers in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico dedicated to supplying sustainably-grown, high-quality cotton fiber around the world.
Originally from Van Horn, Texas, Garcia attended Texas Tech University. While pursuing his degree, he worked as a marketing intern in PCCA’s Traffic and Invoicing Department. In 2000 after earning a degree in multi-disciplinary studies from Texas Tech, Garcia joined PCCA’s export department. He became the export sales manager in 2004 and has worked at PCCA for 22 years.
Garcia is past president of the Lubbock Cotton Exchange and current board member. He is also a member of the International Cotton Association and has served on the Advisory Committee on Universal Cotton Standards. A NCC Cotton Leadership Program graduate, he currently serves on the NCC’s Public Relations and International Market Development Committee.
Garcia is involved with several community organizations as well, currently serving on the Board of Managers of Lubbock County Hospital District, and as chairman in 2021. He is currently a UMC Foundation Board Member and past director as well as having served on the Slaton Independent School District Board of Trustees.
Other 2022 CCI officers elected include: chairman, Ted D. Sheely, a producer from Lemoore, California; first vice president, Steve Dyer, a merchant from Cordova, Tenn.; second vice president, J. Lee Cromley, a producer from Brooklet, Ga.; secretary, Gary Adams, also of Cordova; and assistant secretary, Bruce Atherley, from Washington, D.C. Newly elected as CCI treasurer was Carlo Bocardo, a cooperative official from Bakersfield, California.
Elected as 2022 CCI directors were Kevin Brinkley, a Lubbock, Texas cooperative official; James (Jim) Martin, a Gastonia, N.C. manufacturer; and Beau Stephenson, a Richardson, Texas merchant.
Re-elected as 2022 CCI directors were: PRODUCERS – Philip F. Edwards, III, a Smithfield, Va.; Barry W. Evans, Kress, Texas; John F. Lindamood, Tiptonville, Tenn.; Richard Gaona, Roby, Texas; Matthew R. (Matt) Hyneman, Jonesboro, Ark.; Neal Isbell, Muscle Shoals, Ala.; and Paul (Paco) Ollerton, Casa Grande, Ariz.; GINNERS – George G. LaCour, Jr., Morganza, La., and Curtis H. Stewart, Spade, Texas; MERCHANTS – John C. King, III, Memphis, Tenn.; Tim G. North, Dallas, Texas; Ernst D. (Ernie) Schroeder, Jr., Bakersfield, California; and William A. Barksdale, Cordova, Tenn.; COOPERATIVES – Frederick Barrier, Greenwood, Miss.; and Donald A. Robinson, Garner, N.C.; COTTONSEED – James (Jim) C. Massey, Harlingen, Texas; WAREHOUSEMAN – Vance C. Shoaf, Milan, Tenn.; and MANUFACTURERS – Robin Perkins, Sanford, North Carolina.