Simplot's Bill Whitacre sees growth opportunities in China and Mexico

Bill Whitacre, CEO of the J.R. Simplot Co., was one of several Boise business leaders who talked about conducting business internationally at a recent symposium by the Consortium for Undergraduate International Business Education at Boise State University.

Two highlights:

"We had this rapidly growing opportunity in China. We know that we can produce potatoes. We know that McDonald's is going to continue to grow in China.
But we know that we need to make sizeable investments to keep up with the growth. It's time for us to take the next step and build ... a megaplant that dwarfs the existing facility we currently have."

China isn't the only foreign country where Simplot expects to grow. "Mexico is very important for our company,"CEO Bill Whitacre says. "I could imagine it will literally grow by four or five (times) over the next decade."