After more than 40 years serving the agricultural industry and leading World Perspectives, Inc., Gary Blumenthal is retiring. His career—which included time on Capitol Hill, at USDA and the White House—helped shape U.S. and international agricultural policy and guided strategic discussions at agribusinesses worldwide.

Washington, D.C. was the foundation for Gary’s career in agricultural policy, starting with his first role as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Congressman Larry J. Hopkins (R-Kentucky). Working on Capitol Hill, he became familiar with the machinations of U.S. policy and built a strong network of connections. More importantly, it was there that he met Jeanie Emmert, who would eventually become his wife of 40 years. Gary joined the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service later in 1983 and served as Legislative Director before becoming then-Secretary of Agriculture Clayton Yeutter’s Chief of Staff in 1989. 

From 1991 through 1993, Gary served concurrently as the Deputy Assistant for Cabinet Affairs to President George H.W. Bush and as the Special Assistant to the President for Agricultural Trade and Food Assistance. Ironically, his appointment to the latter position occurred after he had argued against its creation. He would often remark that only in Washington could someone get hired for a position they didn’t think necessary. 

Gary left the federal government in 1994 to join World Perspectives, Inc., then under the leadership of Carole Brookins, the company’s founder. Eleven years later, he became the company’s owner and President and CEO, a title he held for 25 years. He modernized the company’s structure from a single office in downtown Washington, D.C. to a network of analysts across the globe, turning the company’s viewpoint “from a U.S. perspective of the world to an actual world perspective.” Gary also diversified the company’s client base by adding bespoke consulting services, which industry groups describe as “best in class.” Over his time with WPI, Gary completed over 160 projects for 91 unique clients across 50 different countries. 

Throughout his career, Gary became known for his industry knowledge and trade policy expertise, which earned him myriad speaking invitations and opportunities to serve on numerous boards and committees. He was especially proud of serving on the USDA-USTR Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Grains, Feed and Oilseeds, the USDA Emerging Markets Program Advisory Committee, and the World Agricultural Forum. Gary also became known for his steady voice in moments of political or market turmoil and his ability to calmly explain why the crisis of the day was unlikely to bring about the end of the world.

On a personal level, I am grateful to have worked for and learned from Gary over the years. His expertise on ag policy is unparalleled, but it is his personal attributes that made him a great president. He has shown incredible integrity and wisdom in leading a company and serving clients. He eschewed top-down directives and instead solicited feedback from every employee and weighed their input. Never once did I leave a meeting with Gary feeling that I was unheard. 

His leadership style was far from micromanaging as he preferred to “hire smart people and have them tell [WPI] what to do”, an approach that fostered creativity and innovation throughout the company. 

I have learned too much from Gary to recount here, but the major themes of his mentorship can be encapsulated as follows: do the right thing even when difficult, believe in your people, and tell clients what they need to hear—not just what they want to hear.

While Gary’s retirement on 10 June marks the end of an important chapter in WPI’s story, the values he helped instill—integrity, independent thinking, professionalism, innovation, and commitment to clients—will guide the company going forward. 

On behalf of everyone at WPI, thank you, Gary, for your leadership, guidance, friendship, and trust. We wish you and your family all the best in retirement.