Nelia Alamo, 32Director of Sales & MarketingGills Onions, LLCOxnard, CA

With Gills Onions for over 10 years, Alamohas worked in many different areas of the com-pany and contributed to its success and evolu-tion. Working at the field level, packaging, salesand marketing have given her a better under-standing of the company.

She served on the board of the InternationalFresh-Cut Produce Association (IFPA) and nowthe United Fresh Produce Association (UFPA) aswell as the Produce for Better Health Foundation(PBH). “It is so important to get involved withthe organizations supporting and promotingour industry.”

She served as chair of her local Cal PolyAlumni Association for two years and is involvedin the local chapter of California Women forAgriculture. With two children at home, shespends a good deal of time being involved intheir school and extra curricular activities.

Produce has been a passion in her family formany generations. “It is unique because we aredealing with a highly perishable product,” sheexplains, “but there are many wonderful bene-

Nelia Alamo

fits. Produce and specifically Gills Onions havebecome so much of who I am. I love our compa-ny and the foundation it was built on. The quali-ty of the people and products inspires me. I ammotivated by the future of this industry, espe-cially the fresh-cut segment.”

Her biggest mentor is her father Steve Gill.“He has given me opportunity to be a part of thisindustry. He is a great inspiration for the way heconducts business. He is very personable and hasalways given opportunities to all his employees.He is willing to listen to everyone. He is a greatleader and businessman and I feel fortunate tobe a part of what he’s involved in.

“Lorri Koster of Mann Packing and JenniferArmen-Bolen of Nunhems are role models aswomen in the produce industry, leaders andmothers. At times it is such a juggling act, tryingto balance career and motherhood, and I look tothem as inspiration.”

Gus Arrigo Jr., 40PresidentMartha’s Garden Inc.Toronto, ON Canada

Arrigo has been in the produce business hiswhole life. He began with his father in thewholesale/ re-packing business at Bailey RiverFarms, then moved to the fresh-cut side.

In 1990, when he founded Lakeside Process-ing, there were only a handful of fresh-cutprocessors and HACCP was its infancy. Around1999, he purchased Martha’s Garden; later theLakeside name was dropped. Within two years,Martha’s was a full-line processor supplying agood portion of the major QSRs in easternCanada and had fully implemented HACCP andGMPs formally into its policies and procedures.

“We have been honored to win many qualityand achievement awards from our valued inter-

national customers,”reports Arrigo.Martha’s produces everything from retail

lines of fresh, single-serve shake-and-eat saladsand fresh soups to fresh pie fillings for foodser-vice. It also has been at the forefront of innova-tion and R&D. “We were the first to bring slicedand diced tomatoes to the Canadian market. Wewere one of the first in the industry in general towork with this product.”

He has been a part of the Canadian SafeSchool Network, an organization to stop violencein schools and give kids a safe learning environ-ment. He is also actively involved in cooking aholiday feast for the homeless of Toronto. “Thisfunction involves our whole management teamactually cooking for over 600 people. All fooditems are donated by Martha’s Garden.”

He would like to be able to eliminate patho-genic bacteria harmful to the consumer. “I thinkan industry task force needs to be developedspecifically for this purpose. We need somewhereto pool our knowledge to better the industry.”

He would also like to see a drastic reductionin the amount of packaging used in the foodindustry. “We are always thinking fresh andwholesome, yet we are one of the worst offenders

Gus Arrigo Jr.

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Winners of our third annual 40-Under-FortyAwards Program should be truly honoredbecause they were chosen by industrymentors. PRODUCE BUSINESS conducted anextensive, widespread search throughout

the industry to elicit nominations for top young industry leadersunder the age of 40. The search involved fax and e-mail broadcaststo thousands of executives, consultants, associations and universi-ties as well as intensive networking and phone interviews.

We had far more nominations than we could use. Individualcandidates were contacted to highlight their key company, industryand community accomplishments, sharing meaningful examplesof how they have been leaders in the industry, as well as theirfuture goals and aspirations.

If you were not chosen this year or if you nominated someonewho was not selected, please understand that the process washighly competitive, and we encourage you to re-submit updatednominations for next year’s competition.We encourage everyone toalert PRODUCE BUSINESS of well-deserving candidates and to helppraise and support future produce movers and shakers as we lookforward to honoring 40 new 40-Under-Forty leaders in 2008.

Profiles by Jodean Robbins

P R O D U C E B U S I N E S S • J U N E 2 0 0 720

of excessive packaging. There needs to be a pushon reducing the amount of packaging used.”

Phil Swyden, whom he knew while at Pepsi-Co, was influential from a processing aspect.“Phil was very instrumental in guiding metoward total quality in our processing facility.”

Anthony Arrigo of F.G Lister & Co. is a pro-duce mentor. “Anthony has been a leader in theproduce industry for over 45 years now. He hasand still does inspire me to be better and better.”

Wendy Brannen, 35Executive DirectorVidalia Onion CommitteeVidalia, GA

Brannen has successfully overcome the mon-umental challenge of rebuilding the trust in theVidalia Onion Committee (VOC) of growers andpackers and rebuilding the Vidalia marketinglegacy after the office suffered tumultuoustimes.“It’s been my personal mission to prove toeveryone what this office can do when it’s prop-erly running on their behalf.”

With the support of a tiny staff, in her firstyear (2006) she rolled out a new Vidalia Onionlogo that was incorporated into all new corre-spondence, three new brochures and new POSmaterials. Under her direction, VOC also sentout six first-ever Vidalia Onion newsletters to3,000 retail professionals and completelyrevamped its Web site. She coordinated a nation-al partnership with Weight Watchers as its 2006second quarter Pick of the Season, receiving aPRODUCE BUSINESS Marketing Excellence Award,and she orchestrated a national consumer mediablitz, reaching more than 64 million potentialVidalia Onion purchasers through TV appear-ances, newspaper recipe releases and materialssent to food editors.

“I’ve covered a lot of ground around thecountry from displaying at PMA [Produce Mar-keting Association, Newark, DE] to frying onionrings at area farmers’ markets to volunteering theCommittee as part of the Vidalia Christmasparade line-up. One thing of which I’m particu-larly proud is securing a spot as sole sponsor ofthe Vidalia Onion Cook-off at the annual VidaliaOnion Festival. Unbelievably, the farmers havehad virtually no presence at the event started 30years ago to celebrate their crop.”

Another major accomplishment has beenrebuilding the compliance end of things.“We areregulated by the USDA [U.S. Department ofAgriculture] and have very specific require-ments. To be in USDA compliance we must

Wendy Brannen

make so many house calls to the packingshedsand each year audit a certain percentage. Neitherof these requirements had been done in years. In2006, I hired a compliance officer and betweenthe two of us, we’ve seen our staff packinghousevisits go from less than a dozen in 2005 to over150 in 2006. We are well on our way to complet-ing the requisite number of packingshed audits.”

For the 2007 season, Brannen coordinated thepurchase of an entire trade newspaper devoted toVidalias and got Vidalias on Martha Stewart.“The greatest compliment I hear is when peopletell me my love of and enthusiasm for my job arereadily apparent as soon as they meet me. Ibelieve in my product, and I am honored to workfor the fine growers of Vidalias.”

Brannen is active in the area Convention andVisitor’s Bureau and was asked to sit on theToombs Montgomery Agri-Tourism Board. Assuch, she won approval to rebuild the VidaliaOnion Museum.“We should have the new muse-um doors open just in time for the 2008 annualVidalia Onion Festival.”

Turning around the reputation of her officehas been a challenge and the goodness of thegrowers and packers inspires her. “Theirearnestness and strong work ethic make mewant to give them my best.”

Making her dad proud has pushed her toexcel. “My father, grandfather, his father and soon have always had strong ties to farming theland. My dad has been very successful in runninga peanut buying point and fertilizer company innearby Bulloch County. He is well liked and veryrespected, so I’ve had some big shoes to fill.”

She wants to get more involved nationally.“I’d like the opportunity to step into leadershiproles with some of the regional and nationalcouncils, such as Southeast Produce Council. It’simportant to stake a claim in what’s going on inour industry.”

Pat Calabretta, 40Director Of MerchandisingSobeys Quebec, Inc.Boucherville, QC, Canada

Calabretta started as buyer of electronics andseasonal goods at Costco and moved to IGA(Sobeys) in 1997. His team turned the producedepartment into a consumer destination. “Thiswas done from merchandising, marketing, buy-ing and the retail side to make sure all these pro-grams are executed,” he says.“Currently, the IGAbanner has become No. 1 in Quebec, the result ofthe gallant efforts put forth by everyone.”

Under his direction, IGA stores have gottenhigher quality and greater variety. “The mostdramatic change is when we changed our pota-toes from direct store delivery [DSD] to ware-house. After that, we realized we weren’t deliver-ing the best to our clients. We created specsaccording to what we wanted and our suppliersfound it tough. It was challenging because theywould ship DSD and were never challenged.Now, we are the No. 1 warehouse when it comesto inspections done by third-party inspectorQualiterra, which inspects Metro and Loblaws.”

A director of the Québec Produce Marketing

Association (QPMA), and Canadian ProduceMarketing Association (CPMA), Calabretta isvery involved in promoting fresh fruits and veg-etables with the 5-to-10-a-day program. He alsoworks to provide industry solutions on foodsafety issues and Best Practices.

He has participated in many QPMA activitiesfor the promotion of health and well being, suchas Defi Sportif, 2900 athletes from 12 countrieswith five types of disabilities. Another programis Petit Dejeuner, which gives fruit to school-children so they can have a healthful breakfast.

Health, nutrition and the passion of growersand all in the industry chain are his inspirations.“It motivates me to know the president of acompany can also be the person loading yourextra load on a Saturday morning.”

His 2-year-old son is an inspiration everymorning, when he asks his papa for “des fraises”— strawberries please. “This for me is inspira-tion enough. I already made one very importantperson happy.”

Calabretta will continue to promote con-sumption of fruits and vegetables and provideunderprivileged children with healthful fruits tostart their day. He wants to continue findingsolutions and consistent messaging on foodsafety issues.“These points are important to mebecause with the increased consumption, wemust make sure food safety is followed. Our kidsare our future leaders — we must take care ofthem so they can lead healthy lives.”

Christian Bourbonnière, a vice president atMetro Richelieu, is an inspiration. “He took meunder his wing in 1995 and gave me the oppor-tunity to be were I am today. He portrays signs ofpassion and integrity for the industry. Christianis very well known in the industry and respectedby his peers. I will always be grateful for theopportunity he gave me.”

Wayne McKnight, vice president of globalprocurement food for Wal-Mart Stores, chal-lenged him to see the bigger picture.“Wayne hadsuch a vision we often said he was from a differ-ent planet. I look back and many of his visionsthat many thought were non-attainable are nowbeing worked on by some of those who thoughthe was from a different planet.”

Chris Cervini, 35PresidentLakeside Produce Inc.Leamington, ON

Cervini has expanded Lakeside Produce into

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an international company with production inCanada, the United States and Mexico, allowing itto offer a year-round program in Canada and theUnited States with consistency and dependability.

He was recently chosen one of three NorthAmerican distributors from Enza Zaden with anexclusive seed agreement. He retains control ofall aspects of growing, marketing and distribu-tion of the product and stays a step ahead of hiscompetition. “Product development mixed withmy aggressive style helps me grow my businessin new markets with innovative items.”

He believes in the highest customer serviceavailable and is known as someone who will notmislead them for the quick-sell.“All of my deal-ings are first and foremost integrity based. I willnot approach a new market if I do not believe Iwill be able to service the retailer or wholesaledistributor with the highest quality and specproduct and the best customer service.”

Lakeside is a member of the Ontario Green-house Vegetable Growers Association (OGVG).Vice chairman from 2003 to 2006 and its repre-sentative on the North American Tomato TradeWorking Group, Cervini remains very active inOGVG. He was recognized by the Board of Busi-ness Improvement in Leamington, ON, receivingthe Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in1998 and the Home Grown Award in 2007.

Lakeside is active in the community anddonates to many local charities and events.Cervini is especially proud of the company’ssponsorship of We Care For Kids, a programsupporting local pediatric care programs andallowing ill children to be treated in their owncommunities. Lakeside is also a sponsor of theLeamington Hospital.

The competitiveness of the industry inspiresCervini.“I believe in my product, I believe in mypeople and I believe I can make a difference inthis industry. I am inspired to be the very bestevery single day. I am extremely involved inmaking a difference in this industry through mygrowing practices and marketing efforts. I aminspired by the opportunity to lead and continuea legacy begun by my great-grandfather over 70years ago. It is a driving force of mine to keep thelegacy of Lakeside Produce moving forward andadhering to those core values.”

The biggest challenges he faces come frominnovative competitors and the need to expandinto new markets. “When approaching retailers,it is your job to give them a reason to bring youon as a vendor. You have to include innovative

Chris Cervini

items, superior customer service and competi-tive pricing. You have to push yourself to go theextra mile everyday.”

His most immediate goal is expanding Lake-side’s ground equity.“I am committed to becom-ing a vertically integrated grower. My plans andexpectations are to have my own growing opera-tions in Mexico within three to five years whilesustaining our current relationships with ourMexican growers. With vertical integration, I willhave control of the growing and marketing, with-out having to solely rely on other growers.”

He also plans to take aim at childhood obesity.“With child obesity levels reaching an all-timehigh, everyone in our industry has a responsibili-ty to help reverse this trend. The produce industryshould be leading this charge. Not only can wehelp fight child obesity, but we can also increaseconsumption of our products and help to build astronger more sustainable market. Lakeside iscurrently putting together a line of specialty prod-ucts marketed toward children. Working withmarketing groups, I can make certain our productline has relevance to the end user.”

John Coppa, owner/operator of HighlandFarms, has been his mentor and good friend foryears.“He has been instrumental in teaching methe needs of the retailers. He showed me howimportant customer service is and why you needto make sure you are relevant to the retailer. Johnhas helped me learn the importance of mygrowth and breaking into new markets.”

Mark Cassius, COO of Euro Fresh Farms, andEric Janke, COO of DiMare Fresh, are also indus-try mentors. “They are both visionaries and thechallenges of the industry excite them withoutdiscouragement. They are both extremely pro-gressive in their attention to retailers’ and con-sumers’ needs. They both make me a betterowner/operator by pushing me on quality, spec,color and cost.”

Charles A. Ciruli III, 37CEO/PartnerCiruli Brothers, LLCTubac, AZ

Ciruli is in charge of the day-to-day opera-tions of Ciruli Brothers and leading over 40 peo-ple who work there. Under his oversight, the com-pany has grown 30 percent each year. He is veryinvolved with the Boys and Girls Club of SantaCruz County and is a founding Board of Directorsmember, serving on the Board since 1993.

He served on the Board of the Fresh ProduceAssociation in 2004/2005 and was a member of

Charles A. Ciruli III

the United Fresh Produce Association Leader-ship Class of 2005. He is an avid believer in thebenefits of volunteering.“I enjoy working withinthe local produce industry to raise funds forlocal charities because I feel it is important togive back to our community.”

He is most inspired by being part of threegenerations of a family business that has beenable to maintain relationships for over 50 years.“There are definitely challenges in being a part ofa family business but those challenges are faroutweighed by the benefits.”

Ciruli wants to grow and strengthen the busi-ness and position it as viable in the ever-chang-ing industry for the next generations to come.

He considers himself fortunate to have hadmany industry mentors.“I am extremely gratefulfor all of their help and encouragement. However,the greatest influences have been my father forhis constant support and guidance and Pete Pur-cell, with CANMEXUS, for his wisdom and careover many years.”

Brett Combs, 39PresidentCombs Produce, LPFirst Choice Distributing Co., LLCCombs Specialty, LPCombs Fresh Pak Co., LLCDallas, TX

Combs started his career at JC Combs Inc.fresh out of college. His father had passed awayfive years earlier and his mother and several keyemployees kept the company afloat. His firstposition was handling walk-up sales. “In thosedays, we were just trying to figure out ways tokeep paying our bills, “ he notes. After graduallytaking on numerous responsibilities, he becamevice president. Since he began running the com-pany, sales have more than quadrupled.

In 1995 he started First Choice Distributing tooffer direct sales, and in 1999, Combs Fresh Pak tooffer potato repacking. In 2002 the Comito Familyof Capital City Fruit approached him about a con-cept called Nation Fresh. “I came on board andwas on the management committee for one year.My marketing director, Steve Phipps, left Combsto head up the initial marketing of Nation Fresh.Being involved with Nation Fresh has given us thecapability to sell nationwide tomato programswith a consistent food safety program.”

In 2004, he started Combs Specialty to offer afull line of specialty produce. The parent compa-ny was eventually renamed Combs Produce LP

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and in 2006, it completed a major expansion bypurchasing three buildings formerly occupiedby Nogales Produce Co. In addition to the mas-sive warehouse facilities, the company owns 20delivery trucks and distributes throughout a 5-state region.

Combs lists competition, food safety, risingcosts and constantly evolving customerdemands as daily challenges but calls his staffan inspiration.“The great people working for ushere and our incredible customer base inspireme every day.”

Steve Fleming, James Baker and RonnieGaubatz, all with Combs, have been his mentors.“Steve came on board shortly before I did and isthird generation like me. He’s been an inspira-tion. He’s solid as a rock and a real produce guy. Ihired James several years later and the same canbe said of him. Then Ronnie came on board notlong after James. These are all produce guys. I’mjust the guy with the finance degree who helpedput it all together.”

Steven J. Condit, 36National Sales ManagerCustom Pak, Inc.Immokalee, FL

As national sales manager, Condit has beenresponsible for several successful and innovativeprograms. He is project manager and co-creatorof Custom Pak’s first trademark, Gator Packer, incooperation with the University of Florida —IFAS. Gator Packer automates packaging reportsand efficiencies of the packing lines to trackpackaging efficiencies and productivity. He alsocreated the first sustainable, homegrown tomatoprogram for Sam’s Club and other retailers topromote local farming operations in North Car-olina, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Mary-land and California.

Condit is responsible for direct-to-retail salesmanagement handling in the California, Mary-land, Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolinarepack facilities to laterally integrate corestrengths between Custom Pak and its clients,allow additional discounted savings to the con-sumer and help facilitate the proper sale of itsfood safety program to key buyers on national,regional and local levels. He promotes the R&Ddepartment of Six L’s Packing Company, Inc. insales and procurement of unique varietals.

He has managed marketing tools for theFlorida Agricultural Promotional Campaign

Steven J. Condit

(FAPC) Fresh from Florida, a joint venturebetween the Florida Department of Agricultureand Consumer Services and private growers likeSix L’s. “The direct result has been effectivelydesigned campaigns, promotions and buyingevents benefiting retailers, growers and the con-sumer,” he states. “I have also increased aware-ness to retailers, wholesalers, club business, QSRsand Custom Pak’s foodservice clients, by pushingthe Florida Tomato — USA Grown Fresh cam-paign in conjunction with the Florida TomatoCommittee. The results helped increase publicawareness of the importance of Florida’s $87 bil-lion agriculture business to the state’s economy.”

Condit is program manager for co-packingDisney Garden tomatoes nationally and water-melons east of the Mississippi in a national cam-paign to promote the Increased Consumption ofFresh Fruits and Vegetables among Children tofight childhood obesity. He is also an advisoryboard member for Imaginations Farms, DisneyGardens’ marketing/sales arm.

He has been active in Six L’s fund raising forChildren’s Miracle Network, Ronald McDonaldCare Mobile, Redlands Christian Migrant Asso-ciation and The Guadalupe Center, as well asCustom Pak’s fund-raising for the United Way.

He became interested in the industry as ayoung boy working on his father’s 150-acre farmin Bath, NY. “My family taught me the impor-tance and discipline of farming the land andrespecting the environment. I began to learn theimportance of how to profit from the land. Myfather, with a high school education, knew moreabout farming, weather, soil and production thanmost farmers I know in today’s educated society.”

Larry Lipman, CEO, board member and partowner of Six L’s, is his principal mentor.“Larry’sfamily-run, privately owned businesses operateda multi-national growing, repacking and ship-ping agribusiness for over the last 75 years.Combined with an irrigation systems businessand a research facility, the Lipman family hasmanaged to put together one of the most sophis-ticated operations in tomato and vegetablegrowing today.”

Dana Davis, 36Sponsorship Sales ManagerProduce Marketing AssociationNewark, DE

During eight years at PMA, Davis has servedin the marketing and business developmentdepartments, moving from marketing specialistto business development coordinator to sponsor-ship sales manager. She has helped PMA gainrevenue through registrations, booth sales, spon-sorship sales and membership. In the sales field,she continually meets or exceeds the revenuegoals set by the organization.

She helps growers and other industry suppli-ers with their marketing efforts and has a reputa-tion of never trying to sell sponsorships just tomake a buck. “Through sponsorships of PMA’sevents and products, members of the produceindustry can increase exposure of their brands,”she explains.“I bring new and exciting marketingopportunities to the attention of the marketing

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departments within many companies. I listen totheir needs and recommend sponsorships tohelp them meet their goals.”

Her community accomplishments includefund-raising for the American Cancer Society.“This is a cause hitting home a few too manytimes. My mother is a breast-cancer survivor. Iwork alongside others at PMA in bringing infunds for this worthy cause.”

She is inspired by the passion of this indus-try and how it represents health and nutrition.“Iam constantly impressed with how strongly thecompanies I work with care about their brands.We do good things for people. If I can support it,no matter how small my role may be, I feel mylife has more meaning. My job, like this industry,is challenged by Mother Nature. A grower mayhave been hit by a hurricane or lost its crop dueto a freeze so we may lose a customer for one,two or more years. I am always pleased to seecompanies bounce back, as well as saddenedwhen they go out of business due to the loss.”

She admires Lisa McNeece of GrimmwayFarms, Jin Ju Wilder of Coast Produce and JanDeLyser of the California Avocado Commission.“I am immediately inspired by their dedicationto the industry and their brands. While I do nothave a mentor or protégée relationship with anyof these women, I take pride in knowing thereare strong women in the industry who are doinggreat things.”

Todd DeWaard, 32SalesmanSuperior SalesHudsonville, MI

DeWaard started as a part-time repacker atHarvest Produce, became a full-timer, was pro-moted to hilo-driver/produce inspector and even-tually was brought into the office as a salesman.After two years in sales, Harvest merged withSuperior where he climbed the sales ladder. He isnow considered owner Randy Vande Guchte’sright-hand man. Currently he manages a largelocal foodservice account, which has grown 400percent since he took it over three years ago.“Wewon an award from this customer for being one ofits top suppliers for 2006,” he says. “In the sum-mer, my duties expand to include handling keygrowers for our Michigan growing season whilealso selling Michigan vegetables to numerouscustomers east of the Mississippi River.”

A graduate of the United Fresh Fruit and Veg-

Dana Davis

etable Produce (UFFVA) Leadership ProgramClass 9, he helped spearhead the effort to getgrowers third-party certified and take the neces-sary steps to ensure food safety in Michigan.“This class helped to jump-start my leadershipjourney in this business as it turned my focusfrom looking at this like a bill-paying job intobeing a career I loved. The course helped showme even a little Michigan shipper like Superiorcould make a difference in this industry.”

He and his wife are youth leaders at theirchurch. “It gives us insight into the ways theyounger generations look at the world and givesme tools to help Superior adapt to the newest cus-tomers in our industry. It also gives us a way tohelp mentor teens and give them advice based onthe experiences I’ve had climbing the ladder.”

He is an avid runner and runs as many racesas his schedule will allow. “This helps keep meon a healthful path and hopefully sets an exam-ple for others to eat healthfully and stay in shapehelping to lead to a successful career.”

His inspiration comes from knowing theindustry is providing the general public with ahealthful product. “You will never find a personwho will tell you to stop eating our productbecause it is bad for you or will make you fatter.Knowing everyday I can take a product from ahard-working farmer and help the process ofgetting it out to those who want it for healthfulliving is an extremely rewarding feeling.”

DeWaard would like to see the produceindustry continue to push for more of a presencein the school system.“I don’t think you can put aprice on what it would mean for our society tobe raised on apples, oranges and bananas at anearly age over items such as Twinkies, donutsand chips. I think it would create a strongerindustry for us while also raising healthier,smarter future generations.”

He names Randy Vande Guchte as his mentor.“It took me awhile to understand some of hismethods and understand how he made the com-pany a success. Once I focused on this, I wasamazed at how much I learned. He cares deeplyfor his employees but is not afraid to confrontthem if they are not following the Superior way atwork or in life. His business has been a great suc-cess since he started it more than 15 years agoand sometimes I have to take a step back andrealize this when going to challenge him on anissue. He is very loyal to his vegetable growers aswell and makes sure his employees understandwithout the grower there is no Superior.”

Todd DeWaard

Danny Dumas, 38Vice President, N.A. Sales & Product

Management, Banana & Pineapple ProgramsDel Monte Fresh Produce N.A. Inc.Coral Gables, FL

Dumas made his entrée into Del Monte byhelping successfully establish its first and onlyCanadian office. Designed to handle sales andcustomer service for all of Eastern Canada, theoffice has been very successful, growing salesyear after year.

Dumas was promoted last year to his currentposition and relocated to corporate headquar-ters in Miami where he manages the banana andpineapple programs in North America. “I sawthis as a great learning experience, a great careermove and an exciting opportunity not only formyself but also for my family,” he explains.“Thisnew position has broadened my horizons onother aspects of our business since Del Monte isa vertically integrated company.”

Dumas has 18 years experience in the pro-duce industry including nine with Dole andsome experience with a Canadian wholesaler. Hehas faced several challenges during the course ofhis career and is motivated by the industry’sever-evolving challenges. “With all the publicityand studies about the benefits of eating produce,it is inspiring to be part of such a dynamicindustry that contributes to the health and well-ness of people around the globe.”

His goal is to continue to increase his knowl-edge on a professional and personal level.“I havespent 17 years servicing the Eastern Canadianmarketplace. One of my goals is to quickly gainknowledge on the American market and continueto grow within the industry in North America. Bythe same token, with our new life in the UnitedStates, I am happy my wife and two sons have thesame privilege to live this experience.”

He has been very involved with his kids’sports, coaching hockey and football.“It’s a greatway to spend time with my kids and allows meto give back the time others gave me as I wasgrowing up. Since our move to South Florida, Icontinue to get involved with ice hockey.”

Through the years, Dumas has enjoyed work-ing for and with great people who were not justgreat leaders but also mentors. “There would betoo many to name. When dealing with differentdepartments within a company, everyone has adifferent way to approach or address certain situ-ations and all this shared experience makes thisgreat business what it is.”

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Tanya Fell, 34President, Aynat ConsultingExecutive Director, Colorado Onion AssociationDirector of Marketing & Retail Relations,

Strohauer FarmsLaSalle, CO

Fell’s produce career began almost 10 yearsago when she became director of public andindustry relations for the National Onion Asso-ciation (NOA). She was responsible for manag-ing, coordinating and implementing nationalconsumer and foodservice marketing and pub-lic relations efforts, membership relations andrecruitment, and special event and meetingplanning. While there, she was an educator forthe twice-yearly PMA Fresh Produce Academy.

After the birth of her triplets in January2003, John McClung recruited her to be vicepresident of the Texas Produce Association(TPA). “He felt I would be a good fit for theirorganization,” she reports. “My activities andaccomplishments there included coordinatingand overseeing nationwide communicationefforts, membership, program and event plan-ning, media relations and issues management.”

After leaving TPA, she began a consultingfirm focusing on the produce industry, AynatConsulting. Under this umbrella, she becamedirector of marketing and retail relations forStrohauer Farms, doing marketing and publicrelations, sales, package and carton developmentand design, chemical handling and usage, man-aging the potato shed and more.

She also serves as the executive director ofthe Colorado Onion Association.“I was recruitedfor this position this past November. It is a plea-sure to be back involved in the onion industry.”

Fell was part of the UFFVA Leadership Pro-gram Class 7 and is currently on the board ofdirectors for the Leadership Alumni Board. Shewas the only female and the youngest person inthe class.“My ‘big brothers’ deserve a lot of creditfor guiding me through and giving me directionto learn the produce industry more fully.”

She serves as vice president for the FortCollins Parents of Multiples Club and willbecome president in July. She is also co-chair ofits tag sale committee. She was responsible forthe marketing efforts and Web site developmentat Genesis United Methodist Church.

Working with trade associations and com-modity groups inspires her. “The more knowl-edge I held, the more informed the memberswere and are. This really challenged me to attendas many educational seminars and produce

Tanya Fell

workshops as possible so I could educate ourassociation members with what I learned.”

Wayne Mininger, NOA executive vice presi-dent, is a mentor. “He groomed me to be who Iam today. He taught me a lot about the onionindustry and the produce industry as a whole.He inspired me to strive for success while main-taining a high level of professionalism. WithoutWayne as my mentor I would not be who I amor where I am today in the produce industry.”

McClung has taught her the importance oflegislative and issues management. “John wasinstrumental in helping me recognize my lead-ership abilities and strengthen my weaknesses.”

She continues to learn about the farming per-spective from Harry Strohauer, president andowner of Strohauer Farms.“This has been one ofthe largest learning curves I have experienced. Ihave been responsible for marketing and publicrelations on a national level but I now have theopportunity to learn the growing and shippingside of the business. Harry has been an outstand-ing mentor from whom to learn about farming,the issues directly effecting production like waterand labor, and how much work really goes intobringing food to consumers from the farm to thetable. He has also pushed me to do many things Inever thought I would be able to do.”

Julie Feltis, 25Associate Category Manager — ProduceHannaford Brothers CompanyScarborough, ME

In four years with Hannaford, Feltis has takenon several roles. She pioneered the Supply ChainLeadership Development Program, helpingdesign it and being the first to complete it. It pre-pared her to lead in several areas, includingretail, merchandising, distribution and supply-chain services. In her current role as a producecategory manager, she is responsible for 15 cate-gories including stone fruit, apples, grapes, tropi-cal and cut fruit. She has implemented a processfor completing in-depth category analyses, builtstrong industry partnerships with vendors andgrowers, and worked to ensure the highest quali-ty standards and compliance with federal regula-tions and food safety.

Programs she has implemented or carriedout include Sesame Street Apple of the Monthand a vendor-produced cut-fruit program. In2005 she helped found the Libra Future Fund(LFF) and is a member of its board of directors.“LFF was created to capitalize upon the energyand creativity Maine’s young people embody

Julie Feltis

and to combat youth out-migration by support-ing initiatives increasing the number of Maine-based professional opportunities,” she explains.“So far we have funded more than a dozen entre-preneurial endeavors contributing to the eco-nomic development of Maine.”

Working in the produce industry has beeneye-opening. “Having spent my first year of cate-gory management on the grocery side, it wasintriguing to see the differences between groceryand fresh food. Perhaps the most challenging partis trying to stay on top of all of the geographic,varietal and seasonal changes. There has been nolack of inspiration in my role. From the influx ofconsumer and produce manager feedback to thein-depth discussions with growers about thecrops they live for, it’s easy to find motivation tohelp push the industry forward.”

She admires the dedication and enthusiasmher retail produce associates put forth each day.“These folks have such a passion for the businessand are the frontline to our customers. I have hadthe opportunity to visit numerous growingregions and spend time with several farmers andthere is nothing quite like the pride a farmertakes in his or her crops. It has been a joy to listento the stories of how family businesses came tobe, and the passion and sheer devotion thesefolks have for their land and their product areundeniable. This is not something you find in allaspects of the grocery world and it is a pleasureto be a part of something so meaningful.”

She mentions several people at Hannaford asmentors, in particular her partner in categorymanagement, Mark Jewell.“While I represent thefruit side of produce, Mark represents the veg-etable side. I have never met anyone with asmuch passion and excitement for the business asMark. Produce is his dream field and it shows ineverything he does. Not only does he have such astrong desire for his work but he also has aincredible knowledge of all ends of the businessfrom procurement to logistics to growing regionsand variety offerings to how to best display it forour consumers. Mark has been a true inspirationfor me and is someone I can continuously leanupon for support, advice and guidance.”

Anthony Gallino, 37Vice President of SalesCalifornia Giant, Inc.Watsonville, CA

Gallino has helped build CalGiant’s reputa-tion and customer base. Since he was hired as acoordinator over 10 years ago, the company hastripled in size. Currently, he leads the entire salesteam in a year-round berry program. As the vol-ume increases each year, Gallino keeps pace withthe growth track by increasing demand fromexisting and new customers.

Gallino grew up in the ag community andwants to be part of the effort to help U.S. agricul-ture prosper. He has served on the local WaterBoard helping to resolve issues between ag andresidential needs.

Seven years ago he organized a grassrootslocal cycling team sponsored by CalGiant. He hastaken it from a local group to an international

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competitive team with a winning record. Thesuccess has garnered multiple corporate spon-sorships and integration into CalGiant’s main-stream marketing campaign. “I wanted to pro-mote our brand and increase visibility for thecompany with the community and consumersrelating to the positive attributes of a healthfuldiet as well as a healthful lifestyle,”he reports.

Changes in the industry challenge andinspire him. “The best part about being in pro-duce is that no two days are the same when youwork with a product grown outside. I am alsoinspired and challenged by the changing face ofthe customer. The business changes so muchwhen buyers and chains change that it keeps mefocused on continually building relationshipsand improving service.”

His goals in this industry are to continue toposition California Giant as a leader and innova-tor. “I enjoy providing a quality product andstrong message to the consumer about healthand nutrition. I want to continue to be a part of amovement increasing consumption of fruits andvegetables with the American consumer.”

Gallino calls Pat Riordan and Bill Moncovich,owners of California Giant, mentors. “They’vetaught me the values of business and life in theindustry.”

Amy L. Gates, 30Chief Operations OfficerFrontera ProduceEdinburg, TX

Gates has improved Frontera’s organizationby developing a company structure, structuringdepartments with accountability and improvingcommunication. She created a human resourcesdepartment to maintain the integrity and con-sistency of policies for employees and updatedhealth and other employee benefits and corpo-rate insurance.

She improved financial procedures andimplemented key revisions to the legal structureand company systems. She evaluated the RPCprovider and managed the transition to a lower-cost, better-service provider and establisheddaily inventory management to monitor materi-als. She improved systems and information flowfor new programs including cantaloupe importsfrom Guatemala, mango imports from Peru andEcuador, Frontera’s pineapple operation in IslaVera Cruz, the watermelon-packing warehouseset up and the Jensen onion deal.

Anthony Gallino

Gates believes leaders work directly with thepeople who follow them. “I take time to workwith employees, customers, vendors, growers andsupporting shippers. I listen to them so I canmake the best decision possible for them and ourcompany. My reputation in the industry grew outof my career in a sales and consulting role withFamous Software where I worked shoulder toshoulder with the clients to insure their success.My leadership style drew the principals of Fron-tera Produce to hire me and it’s a work ethic Imaintain while in my position as COO here.”

The produce possibilities available to a moti-vated person are her inspiration. “There is noother industry as dynamic, unpredictable andfilled with opportunity. The perishable nature ofproduce is what makes all of these things possi-ble and it almost can reinvent itself in one seasonwith the right conditions. The things inspiringme are the same things another person wouldsee as challenges, but I just see opportunities.”

She credits Jim Steele and Will Steele withhelping shape her views about the produceindustry and business in general.“I admire whatthey have accomplished here in just 15 years andam so excited about the future for this company.They have given me an amazing amount of trustand respect, allowing me to become the leader Iam today. Mentors, to me, are those you workclosely with and share thoughts and ideas, andthose are the reasons I choose the Steeles.”

Melissa Heinrich, 30Wal-Mart Stores, IncWestern Vegetable BuyerBentonville, AR

Heinrich is known for doing anything shesets her mind to. She is a consummate industryprofessional who conducts business with clarityand purpose.Vendors recognize her as a tremen-dous asset to the industry. In her previous posi-tion as a field buyer for Albertsons in Salinas, CA,she co-founded the Central Coast Young Farmersand Ranchers (CCYFR), part of Monterey CountyFarm Bureau. Through CCYFR, she was involvedin raising funds for local food organizations,America’s Second Harvest, Monterey CountyFood Bank and Meals on Wheels.

She volunteered on Habitat for Humanity andMonterey County Ag Education projects and wasselected for the California Leadership FarmBureau and UFFVA Produce Industry LeadershipProgram class 11.

The people in the industry are her inspira-

Amy L. Gates

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tion.“I grew up in Blythe, CA, a small agricultur-al town in the Palo Verde Valley and knew Iwanted to be in agriculture. I have met some ofbest people through my involvement in the pro-duce industry.”

She credits several industry mentorsthroughout her career. “This industry has somany great people willing to help and giveopportunities to people who are young andambitious. There are many people I call on foradvice. I have been fortunate to work for a num-ber of great companies and consider the leader-ship at each of these companies as my mentors.”

Laura Johnson, 40Section ManagerIdaho State Department of AgricultureBoise, Idaho

Starting with the Idaho State Department ofAgriculture’s (ISDA) Market Development Divi-sion in 1991, Johnson has worked her way fromtrade specialist to section manager. Under hermanagement and direction, the division hasmade some significant strides, including assem-bling a great team of professionals who supportthe division’s efforts. “I can’t take credit for allthe success because each of the staff membershas played a major role. We have a great team ofhardworking professionals.”

One key to the success has been the partner-ships developed with industry and other agen-cies. In September 2003, ISDA’s brand identitycampaign, Idaho Preferred, was launched with aproduce promotion in Wal-Mart. “The programhas really taken off. Fresh produce is the bulk ofthe program and includes potatoes, onions,strawberries, pumpkins, watermelon, apples,pluots, peaches, plums, asparagus, lettuce, herbs,cherries, table grapes and more.”

Laura Johnson

Melissa Heinrich

A Wal-Mart pilot “outdoor air produce mar-ket” at an Idaho store in 2006 increased sales by17 percent; Wal-Mart will expand it this fall.

Through Idaho Preferred and in cooperationwith the Department of Education and Ag in theClassroom, ISDA launched a campaign to getIdaho produce into Idaho schools.“What began asa pilot project in two schools in 2004 now encom-passes all 28 elementary schools in the MeridianSchool District and another 25 schools throughoutthe state that participate in the USDA-fundedFresh Fruit and Vegetable program.”

In August/September 2006, the district fea-tured Idaho fruits on the menu of 28 elementaryschools for a total of 14 days. Over 15,000 ele-mentary students were treated to Idaho peaches,grapes, melons, pears and apples on their lunchtrays. Students in year-round schools alsoenjoyed Idaho berries, apricots and nectarinesin August. In addition to fruits, the districtadded baked Idaho potatoes to its school lunchmenu — year-round.”

One of the most innovative international pro-grams created under Johnson’s direction is acooking show in Mexico. “With the assistance ofthe ATO in Monterrey, Mexico, I was introducedto Lulu Pedraza, a well-known celebrity chefwith a weekly cooking show.We developed a pro-gram to feature Idaho products, including onionsand potatoes, on her show. The program hasgrown to include produce as well as processedproducts from the western United States.”

Johnson’s division has spent several yearsworking with the Idaho-Eastern Oregon OnionCommittee and the Western U.S. AgriculturalTrade Association (WUSATA) to develop a mar-ket for yellow onions in Mexico.A strategy involv-ing in-bound buying missions, outbound trademissions, in-store promotions, public relations,advertising, technical training and recipe devel-opment has resulted in increased sales. “It’simportant to be persistent. We faced a number ofnaysayers who said we couldn’t ship yellowonions into a principally white-onion market. Butsales this last season exceeded $1.5 million.”

She worked closely with the Idaho PotatoCommission on a multi-pronged strategy to getIdaho fresh potato shippers more engaged inexports with a primary focus on Mexico. “Theinitiative included export education, promotionand trade policy. Idaho had taken the lion’s shareof the market, getting over 30 percent of the shareof U.S. exports and the lowest rejection rate at theboarder. Unfortunately, the market was temporar-ily closed due to a pest concern but it just recentlyre-opened for Idaho. We look forward to renewedemphasis on the Mexican potato market.”

Johnson is chair of the Western RegionNorth America Agricultural Marketing Officials(NAAMO), which hosted the first Food andAgriculture Brand Identity Conference in Febru-ary 2007.“I generated the idea and the staff exe-cuted a very successful program, providingideas for enhancing brand identity campaignsacross the country.”

Johnson cites Rick Waitley, administrator of anumber of groups, including Ag In The Class-room, Leadership Idaho Agriculture and FoodProducers of Idaho, as a mentor. “He is a leader

in forming strategic alliances and collaboratingwith various organizations. His efforts to cham-pion issues for agriculture are extraordinary. Heis a role model and a great coach.”

Another mentor is Stewart Hyndman, a for-mer boss who started an export company.“Stew-art led by example and I learned a number ofthings from him when I started working oninternational issues. He had a real focus onreturn on investment and helped me learn aboutthe importance of setting priorities.”

Mike Krell, 36Produce MerchandiserKrogerShenandoah, TX

At just 36, Krell recently celebrated his 20-year anniversary with the Southwest Division ofKroger. He has worked in store operations and asa produce merchandising field specialist, divi-sion floral merchandiser and buyer, division pro-duce buyer and division assistant produce mer-chandiser. He is currently a division producemerchandiser.

He has volunteered in the communitythrough his association and involvement withthe Houston Food Bank and the Houston FreshFruit and Vegetable Association. As a formerpresident of the Houston Fresh Fruit and Veg-etable Association, he worked hard to help raisethe profile of children’s nutrition and increasingthe consumption of fruits and vegetables.

His grandparents, retired watermelon grow-ers, instilled him with values such as honestyand integrity early on.“I seem to have a passionfor produce and for agriculture in general.Work-ing with highly motivated, professional individu-als in my company and the industry helps moti-vate me to do more daily.”

Krell acknowledges he has been fortunate towork with some industry greats. “Reggie Griffin,vice president of produce and floral for the KrogerCompany, hired me as a produce field specialistmany years ago. Under Reggie’s leadership andguidance, I learned the details of successful in-store merchandising as well as many basic busi-ness principles I still draw from today.”

Ron Lemaire, 39Executive Vice President & Director of MarketingCanadian Produce Marketing AssociationOttawa, Canada

Under Lemaire’s leadership, CPMA hasgained strength and implemented unique and

Mike Krell

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valuable programs. As part of the CPMA Trilat-eral team (CPMA, Heart and Stroke Foundation,Canadian Cancer Society), Lemaire developedand delivered the national 5 to 10 a day, for bet-ter health program. In 1997 the program had a 4percent consumer awareness. As part of theteam, Lemaire re-launched it in 1999 and it nowhas a 47 percent brand awareness and continuesto drive consumption of fruit and vegetables inCanada. “The program’s success is based on asound integrated social marketing approach tobehavioral change,” he describes.“Success is dri-ven through partnerships and collaboration.”

During his tenure at CPMA, with the supportof the president and elected industry leadership,he has been influential in its growth, develop-ment and issues. “These link directly to the

Ron Lemaire

seven key pillars upon which CPMA is focused.These include government relations, food safety,produce identification, health and nutrition, net-working. We’ve seen 200 percent growth in con-vention and trade show participation, educationand marketing and promotions.”

Lemaire has served as chairman of the Inter-national Fruit and Vegetable Alliance since itsinception. He was instrumental in the develop-ment and incorporation of the InternationalFruit and Vegetable Alliance, whose role is toencourage and foster efforts to increase the con-sumption of fruit and vegetables globally forbetter health by supporting national initiatives,promoting efficiencies, facilitating collaborationon shared aims and providing global leadership.

He is chair of the National/Provincial Pro-duce Marketing Association Working Group,which meets twice a year to discuss industryissues and how national and regional groups willwork to address them.“This can include market-ing/promotion, government relations, food safe-ty and crisis management. This group is key tobuilding synergies within Canada and thenational and provincial stakeholders.”

On a personal level, he coaches communityhockey and soccer, plays hockey and basketballand is treasurer of his men’s basketball league.

He mentions Dan Dempster as a mentor.“Dan has been president of CPMA for 24 yearsand his vision and commitment to the industryhave enabled me to develop and expand my hori-

zons domestically and internationally by provid-ing me with clear, direct guidance and support.Above all, Dan has also shown me what it is to bepassionate about the produce industry.”

Lemaire also mentions John Anderson ofThe Oppenheimer Group. “John was part of therecruitment team that hired me in 1998 and wasa CPMA director and chairman. He is truly avisionary in how to build relationships and syn-ergies both domestically and internationally andhas demonstrated to me how to pull togetherrelationships and alliances within an industrythat has a diverse group of stakeholders from thepublic and private sector.”

Lisa Lockard, 38Marketing ManagerChiquita Brands InternationalCincinnati, OH

In a little over 21⁄2 years with Chiquita,Lockard has developed several key marketingand innovation programs, including Partners forProfit, an integrated consumer and trade mar-keting program designed to strengthen brandequity, increase volume and profit, and bringinnovation to the core banana business. Theyearlong program featured branded hammockdisplays, rotating consumption-driving point-of-sale, merchandising, radio/billboard advertisingand public relations. In conjunction with theprogram, she introduced the Chiquita Second

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Stickers program, providing consumption-building messages to consumers and earningover one billion media impressions a year. Over3,500 stores participated in the program, experi-encing sales lifts of four to seven percent. Thehammock display was awarded a Gold POPAIaward for Outstanding Merchandising Achieve-ment as well as a Silver Design of the TimesAward for its innovation and creativity.

Lockard also worked on the Chiquita To Go(CTG) program. “These premium single-servebananas are consistently ripe and ready to eat,and the technology enables convenience stores,coffee shops and other small retail outletsreceiving deliveries only once or twice a weekthe ability to merchandise perfectly ripebananas every day,”she explains.

She developed CTG brand architecture, tradeand retail marketing materials, in-store displays,and a retail education and execution supportstructure. CTG bananas are available in 8,000convenience stores nationwide, with plans totriple it by the end of 2007. CTG was one of thetop new products in 2006 chosen by the NACS,the association for convenience and petroleumretailers. Chiquita To Go Wave MerchandisingSystem was awarded a “Bronze Design of theTimes Award”for its innovation and creativity.

For the Chiquita Fresh & Ready program, shedeveloped brand architecture and consumerpositioning, packaging graphics, in-store dis-plays and POS, retailer training materials, PRand media plan including television, radio,direct mail and internet advertising.

With over 15 years of experience at a varietyof consumer products companies like Coca-Cola, Heinz and Mead School and Office Prod-ucts, Lockard has developed over 200 productsand has been involved in countless new productand marketing program launches. However sheis especially inspired and challenges by produce.“Working with and developing products built byMother Nature presents very unique challengesnot experienced with man-made products. Thevariability, fragility and perishability of freshproduce add a high level of complexity to newproduct development. In addition, commercial-izing products in retail channels that have nottypically had extensive fresh produce distribu-tion makes product handling education andflawless retail execution a priority.”

Since joining Chiquita, Raul Fernandez, vicepresident of technology and innovation, andDavid Lund, director of innovation and product

Lisa Lockard

development, have added most to her success.“Between the two of them, I have learned moreabout bananas than I ever thought humanlypossible and they both exhibit a strong desire tobring profound innovation to the industry. Theinsights and experience they possess are criticalto bridging the old with the new and bringingground-breaking products to market. They trulyrepresent the best in the industry.”

John Longaker, Jr., 37Treasurer/Purchasing ManagerCondies FoodsW. Salt Lake City, UT

Longaker is known throughout the industryfor his integrity. He joined Condies in 2000 withpurchasing responsibility for all raw products.He has unique experience working with manydifferent commodity shippers in many differentareas. As the company and the industry evolved,his position evolved to include management ofthe IT infrastructure and Condies real estateinterests. He was appointed Treasurer severalyears ago. Besides modernizing all companypurchases and contracts and updating all ITsystems, he has represented Condies Foods inmultiple customer symposia and action teams.

He participated in the first United Fresh Pro-duce Executive Development Program. “It was agreat honor to experience the pulse of all therelated industries, including fruit and vegetableshippers, processors and retailers in the focusedenvironment of Cornell University,”he reports.

The people in the industry inspire Longaker.“I believe if one claims to value the virtue ofintegrity, then one must practice it. There are somany names I wish I could mention those whohave been tremendous examples to me person-ally. They would represent a range from cus-tomers to shippers to brokers to transportationcompanies, all providing their respective safestand best product, day in and day out.”

A major challenge is food safety.“Customershave been lost due to a loss of confidence in thesafety of food they eat. Ronald Reagan oftenused the phrase ‘Trust but verify’ when he dis-cussed nuclear arms treaties. Our customers aredemanding more verification than ever beforein order to safeguard trust in the food they eaton a daily basis. We need to regain and retainthe public’s trust in the food we provide.”

Labor is also a challenge.“Labor seems to gettighter and tighter each year, while there aregreater requirements involved with immigration

John Longaker, Jr.

and with providing good working conditions. Weneed to find a good balance of interests and sta-ble supply of workers. It needs to be win-win.”

Many people have influenced his career andlife, including Condies president Gary Black andvice president Scott Black.“Gary has sincere dedi-cation to the customer. It is never just lip service.Scott has a tremendous drive for operational effi-ciency. He understands how and where the piecesfit in a facility and also how to get the most out ofwhat he has been given.”

He admires Tom Church and his vision of theindustry and has seen great integrity in brokerslike the Calixtros, Tim Sheehy, Steve Kaiser andMike O’Grady.“I value the consistency and qualityof the Teixeiras and Fresh Kist. I admire the com-mitment of Perricone Juice, Six L’s and Live Oaktomato. As a religious person, I remember themission statement of the Bolthouse family and itsfounding principles. Our industry provides foodnot just to faceless consumers but also to ourspouses, our children and our friends. We are in anoble industry and it is a pleasure to serve here.”

Ande Manos, 38Sales Manager —

New Business Development & MarketingBabé Farms, IncSanta Maria, CA

Manos has worked in the sales and market-ing of specialty vegetables for 13 years and con-tributed significantly to the vision of BabéFarms and the specialty produce industry. She isresponsible for new business with foodservicedistributors and retail accounts nationwide andplays an integral part in setting the pricing formore than 100 specialty items grown andpacked at Babé Farms. She now has responsibili-ty for key marketing functions including prod-uct development and promotion as well asdirecting Babé Farm’s image in the industry.

“Understanding the needs of the world’s topchefs and the health-conscious consumer is inte-gral to product development,” she explains. “Theattempt to meet these evolving needs is what ledto my role in new product development byresearching new and heirloom varieties of spe-cialty leaf items and vegetables. I worked withglobal seed companies and our own productionteam to trial and produce some of the finest andmost unique specialty produce items available.”

As a proud alumna of Cal Poly — San LuisObispo, she assists college students in the for-eign exchange program, creating a larger under-standing of the agriculture program in the Unit-

Ande Manos

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ed States. “I host and coordinate placement ofstudents from Cal Poly’s sister University ofQuerétaro, Mexico. These exceptional studentshave the opportunity to work for and learnabout agribusinesses throughout California.”

Manos has also been a presenter at StanfordUniversity and University of San Francisco forthe Farm-to-Fork program, promoting and sup-porting local and sustainable agriculture.

She is challenged and inspired to create newand exciting specialty produce items fulfilling aniche no other produce company fills. “Settingbenchmark trends and continuing to fulfill thenutritional needs for a society constantly underfire to eat more healthfully motivates me. By pro-ducing and selling specialty vegetables, you areoffering an exciting alternative for the end user,expanding into the veggie side of the plate. Ourcompany’s goal is to be cutting edge while main-taining the integrity of the product and to contin-ue to surpass the expectations of the end user.”

Manos reveres several industry leaders butcalls Frieda Caplan a pillar for women in agricul-ture. “Frieda has contributed a tremendousamount to the growth of specialty produce withinnovative marketing concepts. She has been acharismatic and invaluable trendsetter for allmen and women in agriculture to learn from.”

She has tremendous respect for farmers.“These non-tiring people continue to buy theseed and put it in the ground season after sea-son. While the world and the produce industrybecome more complex, the grower is still intouch with the land, soil and weather systemsmaking or breaking a market. In light of the realestate gains, the farmer is still willing to till theground and continue to produce a healthfulproduct to feed our ever-changing and expand-ing population.”

James M. Margiotta, 33J. Margiotta Company, LLCBronx, NY

After college, Margiotta immersed himself inhis family’s wholesale produce business at NewYork’s Hunts Point Market but changing timesand business practices soon became apparent tohim. In July 2000, he founded J & J Bros., atrucking company, and began to build a deliveryservice. In 2005, he established J. MargiottaCompany International, became an importer ofproduce, currently working with shippers in theCaribbean, South America and Europe.

“At the end of the summer, we will begin thefirst distribution of our foreign product line byreleasing Jimmy’s Best, our exclusive brand ofPeruvian sweet onions, and aiming for the high-est quality and customer satisfaction,” he says.“Working directly with our farmers in Peru, webelieve there will be a tremendous advantage tobeing involved in the process from the farming tothe delivery to our customers. We plan to contin-ue and enhance the excellent tradition of qualityour customers have come to depend upon.”

His father, a lifelong industry veteran is hismentor and inspiration. “He has taught me agreat deal about how to think of new ways tochange while holding on to the traditional cor-

nerstone values of hard work and honesty.”His great grandfather came to the United

States from Italy in 1900 and began the family’scommitment to the produce industry. Sincethen, they have had locations in the markets atWashington Street, Bronx Terminal and HuntsPoint. “We have over 100 years of history in theproduce business. I understand how my fathergrew and changed the business with the timesand the superb job he did at finding ways tomeet his customers’ changing and growingneeds. He taught me to pursue excellence for ourfamily, our business and our future.”

His principal challenge comes from his busi-ness location in New York, one of the most com-petitive markets in the world. He is a member ofthe Hunts Point Board of Directors and treasurerof the New York Produce Trade Association. “Inboth of these endeavors I hope to help influencepositive change and growth for my companyand those of my fellow merchants in the HuntsPoint Market. Each day presents new and differ-ent scenarios in learning how to succeed, how togrow, how to innovate.”

He has also contributed time and energy tocharities, including Surfers Healing, a non-profitfoundation working hands-on with autistic chil-dren, and has helped feed the homeless and poorof New York.

Emily Marlephansakul, 28Executive Vice PresidentFresh Produce & Floral CouncilLa Mirada, CA

Through hard work, leadership skills, a thirstfor knowledge and searching for challenges,Marlephansakul has risen to executive vice pres-ident after success as vice president and mem-bership development director/event coordinatorin just five years with the Fresh Produce & FloralCouncil (FPFC).

She has been responsible for balancing anapproximately $1 million budget and increasingFPFC membership while planning more than 15events per year including annual dinner dances,golf tournaments, luncheons, produce/floraltours, Board retreats, exposition/trade shows,VIP dinners and committee meetings. Sheworks directly with the Board of Directors andvolunteer committees to plan events that vary insize from 30 to over 1000 attendees.

Working with diverse groups and developingpartnerships, she has an infectious positive atti-

James M. Margiotta

tude that complements her ability to work on ateam and develop solutions to any challenge. Shespearheaded the development of a produce han-dling guide utilized by large and independentretailers and the Public Health Institute/CA 5-A-Day. She has also served as an alternate repre-sentative on the PBH Board.

She has held a director position on the boardof the Intercommunity Blind Center. “While onthe board, I utilized my talents and aided inimplementing fund-raising events,” she reports.“I have been involved with public radio by vol-unteering in the music department, participat-ing in member events and daily station activitiesat KCRW. I also volunteer for The Studio forSouthern California History where I mostrecently worked with a group of young childrenwho are participants in a USC study on thedevelopment of nutrition in women.”

Developing relationships on the Los AngelesWholesale Produce Market (LAWPM) hasproven both an inspiration and a challenge.“Oneof my goals at the FPFC was to increase partici-pation of the LAWPM. I was focused on showingthe LAWPM the value the FPFC offered. My face-to-face interactions were a great way to listen tothe comments and concerns of the LAWPM andprovided me with new perspectives of thechanging produce industry.”

She notes industry leaders as mentors,including Jan DeLyser of the CAC and Jin JuWilder of Coast Produce. “Both have providedinspiration, guidance and friendship throughoutmy career in the produce industry. Jan is an out-standing leader within the industry through herindustry presence and years of experience. Hertalent as a key industry leader inspires me towant to make a difference. Jin Ju provides similarinspiration to me and also provides me with agreat example of how to successfully balancefamily and a career. She is a dynamic leader anda great example of what a committee member iscapable of contributing by integrating her voicein an industry often dominated by men and anolder generation.

“I have had a very successful career at theFPFC, but the guidance, inspiration and friend-ship of Jan DeLyser and Jin Ju Wilder haveencouraged me and helped me see how to makea difference in the industry. Just as teachers ofteninspire their students to continue with their stud-ies and be excited about school, Jan and Jin Juprovide great examples of strong women chang-ing the face of the industry.”

Emily Marlephansakul

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Wendy McManus, 40Marketing DirectorNational Mango BoardOrlando, FL

During her time at the National WatermelonPromotion Board (NWPB), McManus developedthe Lycopene Leader logo, gained USDA approvalfor it and worked to incorporate the logo intobox, bin and label designs to get the informationout to consumers. “We worked with fresh-cutwatermelon suppliers and provided stickers sothey could feature the message on fresh-cutproduct,” she states. “We had great success get-ting retailers to include the logo in their ads.”

She developed a user-friendly category man-agement program using regional scan dataaligned with regional consumer research to helpretailers better understand how to build water-melon sales. Such an intensely data-driven toolis very difficult for small commodity boards,such as the NWPB, to develop and implement.

At Consumer Effects, a retail promotionscompany, she developed concepts and managedthe creative process for several co-marketingpromotions. Some were produce-only projects,but others allowed funding from packaged goodsto help move more produce. She developed PinkRibbon Produce, a produce promotion and fund-raiser for breast cancer, raised over $80,000 forlocal Susan G. Komen affiliates in the three par-ticipating retailers’ marketing areas. Her step-mother and her husband’s stepmother are bat-tling breast cancer, so she was motivated to har-ness the power of a produce promotion to helpraise money for this cause.

At the National Mango Board (NMB), herleadership role has grown with the enormousresponsibility of building a commodity-market-ing program from the ground up. “We have justapproved a branding graphics package and we’recurrently redeveloping a vastly expanded Website. These are just two projects on a long list offundamentals we’re taking on, one by one. Ibelieve the mango industry will benefit fromthese efforts for many years to come, regardlessof who is sitting in my chair.”

She finds working with commodity boardsan especially challenging and unique opportuni-ty.“You have to earn the trust and respect of theindustry members who fund the program andsit on the board. The industry communicationcomponent of commodity marketing adds alayer of complexity and a great deal of work tothe job description. It’s not enough to get the jobdone, arrange great retail promotions and land

Wendy McManus

stellar media placements. You also have to findways to illustrate you’ve done the very best youcould with their money to your industry mem-bers. I find this part of the job very challenging,but also very rewarding.”

McManus enjoys the mango industry.“This isan amazing product on the cusp of a major spikein awareness, demand and consumption. When Iaccepted the position, the board was still in itsfirst year of operation, the job wasn’t well definedand the employee benefits were non-existent.However, I really wanted to work with this indus-try and help build the program from the groundup.Accepting this position was a leap of faith andI’ve never regretted it for a minute.”

William Watson brought her into the produceindustry when he hired her at NWPB. “I didn’tknow produce, but he had confidence in my mar-keting skills and background. He has been amentor and an inspiration to me ever since andnow we’re together again at the National MangoBoard. He has taught me so much about the pro-duce industry and about life.”

McManus also acknowledges former NWPBcolleagues, specifically Cece Krumrine andSheila Carden. “They were always willing toanswer questions, provide feedback and help meunderstand what their retailers were looking for.They also went out of their way to introduce meto people at industry events so I wouldn’t feellike such a newcomer.”

She also learned a great deal from Dave Park-er from Fruit Patch and Jan DeLyser from theCAC. “Both of these amazing people have takenthe time to show me the ropes working from thevery unique commodity board perspective.”

Stacey Larson, who owns Consumer Effectsand was her boss for two years, is also a mentor.“She has taught me so much about creativityand persistence. She and her company havedone an amazing job with long-term producepromotions, such as Make The Most Of YourProduce at Kroger. I’m proud I was involved inthe early phase of this young company develop-ing into a real player in the produce industry.”

Eric Mitchnick, 40Sales/Buyer Specialty/Organic DivisionS. Katzman ProduceHunts Point Terminal Market Bronx, NY

Mitchnick has a true passion for the produceindustry and a tenacious pursuit for excellence.During the past 20 years, he has committedhimself to promoting and marketing the bene-fits of organic produce while working for indus-try leaders and creating his own company. Hedeveloped and implemented a specialty andorganic division for S. Katzman, a leading whole-saler on Hunts Point. He won the first Big O Mer-chandising Award sponsored by the OrganicTrade Association (OTA) and two consecutivePRODUCE BUSINESS Marketing Excellence Awards.He has been a spokesperson and speaker at OTAseminars in Maryland and Florida.

A pioneer in organic produce, he has helpededucate retailers, wholesalers, consumers andgrowers about the positive benefits of organicson a personal and environmental level. “When I

started speaking to people about organics 20years ago, they laughed,” he reports.“With exten-sive research and education, I felt I could turnthe laughter into inquiries about organics andtheir benefits to the general public/retailers. Iwanted to bring organic produce into the main-stream because of its obvious health and envi-ronmental benefits without ever forgetting thepotential profitability of the category.”

Changing perception about organics andtheir benefits has been a challenge. “I feel fortu-nate large companies like Whole Foods and Wal-Mart have brought organics into the mainstreamand helped my job become a bit easier.”

He wants to continue educating consumersand colleagues about organics. “I want to helpproduce more educational materials for themass markets like TV, radio and magazinevenues. I’d also like to work with small organicgrowers to increase their presence in the mar-ketplace and introduce to them new items theyshould grow organically. Eventually, I’d love togrow organics on a small organic farm inupstate New York and supply farmers marketsand some select retail stores.”

Mitchnick’s mentors include Bill Wyland ofSeald Sweet, Joe Forte of Wild By Nature and JoeProcacci of Procacci Brothers. “They are verypassionate and knowledgeable about the pro-duce industry. They are all hard-working indi-viduals, very entrepreneurial, and have beenextremely influential in my work ethic andgrowth in the produce business.”

Greg Mixon, 39Vice President/Sales Manger/OwnerSunnyRidge Farm, Inc.Winter Haven, FL

Known for passion and enthusiasm, Mixon,along with his two brothers, purchased Sun-nyRidge from his father three years ago. He hasbeen with the company for eight years, the lastfour as sales manager. Under his sales direction,the company has undergone substantial growth.

He started in the early days of the business.“When I started the job, my father told me it wasa great job and seasonal so my wife and I couldtravel in the off-season and see the world,” heremembers. “That same year we went year-round on blueberries for the first time, so I nevergot to travel the world.”

Wearing grower and marketer hats has kepthim attuned to the needs of everyone in the

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chain. “My success is due to the products we selland the growers we work with. Good reliableproducts can make anybody a good salesperson.”

He has been married for 12 years and hastwo sons and one daughter. He enjoys fishingwith his boys. “This job forces you to focus onyour family and we enjoy spending time togeth-er as much as we can.”

The daily competition in produce is a chal-lenge.“What inspires me every day is the discov-ery of what the market will hold today. The chal-lenge it creates is fantastic. This industry canchange on a dime, upward or downward.”

The product itself also inspires him. “It’smotivating how berries have become so impor-tant and how I can provide such a needed prod-uct. I love being able to sell a product with somany health attributes. It’s something peopletruly love and benefit from.”

His company goal at this point is to create asales organization that continues to value itsproducts and to grow the demand for thoseproducts. He would also like to create more bal-ance between his passion for work and his pas-sion for his family. “Every year we have growthand it challenges how I manage my day.“

Mixon calls his father Gerald Mixon a vision-ary and a mentor.“He saw the potential for blue-berries 15 years ago. He was a well-studied man.He learned about blueberries and was able to seethe prospective opportunity. He gave our compa-ny a strong foundation on which to grow and hisinnovations include forced air-cooling, new vari-eties and small pack sizes. I believe the industryowes him a lot of credit for his leadership.”

Kenny G. Myers, 36Chief Operating OfficerKegel’s ProduceLancaster, PA

At 18, Myers left college to run the familybusiness in light of his father’s deterioratinghealth due to cancer. He led the company from asmall two-dock warehouse to a 100,000-square-foot facility. “I attribute our growth to focusingon quality and customer service,” he states. “Iam adamant about food safety.”

As a part of the new warehouse, he created aconcept known as the Produce Playground.“TheProduce Playground is a test kitchen and thewill-call area for our customers to experienceproduce. When customers pick up produce atour business, I want them to have an experience.

Greg Mixon

We invite in guest chefs to do cooking demosand the area acts as an event headquarters forgroups to hold fund-raisers. I wanted to spot-light produce and be able to open the minds ofconsumers to trying new produce items.”

Myers is a board member of the PMA food-service division. “Becoming a part of PMA hastaught me valuable lessons. The PMA leadershipand members have energy and being a boardmember has been a truly rewarding experience.”

Myers is also very active with the LancasterFarm Land Trust, a group helping farmers pre-serve their land and providing incentives tomaintain farms rather then selling to a develop-er. The Central Penn Business Journal named himOutstanding Entrepreneur under 40 in 2003 andthe Pennsylvania Restaurant Association namedhim Associate Member of the Year in 2003.

In 2004, he won the Pennsylvania RestaurantAssociation Excellence in Food Safety Award. Hegraduated from the Dale Carnegie Human Rela-tions Course in 2007 and the PMA ProduceAcademy in 1999.

His inspiration comes from family, employ-ees and customers. “I strive to reach out to dif-ferent people every day and encourage them toeat healthfully and consume more fresh pro-duce. I’m faced daily with such a diverse groupof wonderful people. It really keeps me on mytoes. I will go from talking to the local pizzashop owner to the chef at a four-star hotel.”

His mother is a significant mentor.“She is ata point in her life where she should be sittingback and enjoying life. but her life is our cus-tomers, which is where she gets her enjoyment.She has taught me how taking a product a cus-tomer needed on a Saturday afternoon in hercar is the ultimate customer service Kegel’s Pro-duce customers deserve.”

Another mentor is Dick Santana of SantanaBanana. “Dick knew my father well and talksabout the old times with me regularly. It is nor-mal for Dick to stop by and pay us a visit. Thismeans a lot to me and shows he really appreciatesour business relationship.”

Bryan Silbermann of PMA is also at the topof his mentor list.“With compassion and intelli-gence Bryan never ceases to amaze me.”

His own version of Cheers helps him copewith stress. “Captain Gus operates Lancaster’sNo. 1 cheesesteak joint and I visit it a few times aweek. Going there offers so much more thengood food. The Captain is always telling stories,doing tricks and making people laugh. I can

Kenny G. Myers

leave the stress of the day at the door. I’ve learneda lot from the Captain — like how important it isto have fun at work. So many of us are so focusedon multi-tasking we forget to have fun.”

Jeff Nichol, 35Director of Sales and MarketingThe California Mushroom FarmVentura, CA

After 10 years in sales in the produce indus-try, Nichol is now in a position that focuses onenhancing the company’s presence in the mar-ketplace and stimulating mushroom consump-tion. He has instituted sales protocols helpingensure seamless service between mushroomproduction and customers.

He previously worked for Tanimura andAntle as a regional sales manager responsible forfresh vegetable outside sales for the westernUnited States and Canada. “This required devel-oping and preserving rapport with foodserviceand retail clients,” he explains. Before T&A, hespent five years with Gills Onions were he devel-oped sales of its processed onion line.

He is active in leadership roles at church andspends time coaching soccer for his daughters.

Nichol enjoys meeting the challenge of sell-ing a new product to a market, handling season-ality and bringing new clients to my company.“Ialways strive to develop a win-win relationshipbetween customers and the organization I workfor. Meeting these challenges is what inspires meto further push my abilities and myself.”

His father Rick Nichol has been an inspira-tion. “He is a great communicator. He has astrong work ethic and is always diligent to takecare of his customers’ needs.”

Nichol would like to be involved in a tradeorganization such as PMA or United to supportthe cause of increasing produce consumptionand healthful living.

He mentions Steve Gill as one of the peoplemost influential in his career. “He exudes a con-tagious passion for what he does and produces.He is the type of leader I strive to emulate.”

He recognizes Greg Sagan, senior vice presi-dent of Modern Mushroom Farms, as one of themost knowledgeable people in the industry.“Greg is an expert in sales, knows how to devel-op relationships and provides great solutions tocustomers. His expertise in customer presenta-tions and category management is a terrificlearning tool for me.”

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Matt Reel, 27Sales ManagerSeald SweetVero Beach, FL

Since starting in the industry five years agowith no background in produce, Reel hasworked hard to educate himself, working hisway up the ladder, and has made significant con-tributions to his company.

After hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, hehelped organize a farm-worker relief promotionwith several retailers and raised $200,000. Thisinitiative helped Seald Sweet win supplier of thequarter with Wal-Mart in 2005. When SealdSweet went through a major restructuring effortin 2005, he helped integrate departments andreshape the way it went to market with products.It is now a stronger, more diverse and morefocused company than at any time in its nearly100-year history.

A team player, Reel credits the relationshipshe has with co-workers and industry leaders forhis success. He is the father of three and oftenvolunteers at his children’s school and athleticactivities, from assisting with carnival set-ups tocoaching his son’s basketball team.

He considers himself very competitive, andsince there is a new challenge everyday in thisindustry, he loves going to work every morning.“One of my biggest inspirations on a day-to-daybasis is the people I work with. There are greatpeople within the company, as are those I havean opportunity to deal with everyday includingcustomers, growers, packinghouse personneland service providers. So many people I’ve metover these past five years I now consider closefriends. I can’t imagine being involved in a dif-ferent industry.”

Bruce McEvoy, Mayda Sotomayor and DavidMixon of Seald Sweet and a few others havebeen very important to his career development.“Bruce, Mayda and David play vital rolls withinthe company and their vision, work ethic andintegrity have set the bar very high for me.

“Frank Hunt is the managing director ofHunt Brothers Cooperative here in Florida, andalthough he is one of the most knowledgeableand successful people I know, he always has timeto answer questions and discuss issues as theyrelate to the Florida citrus industry. Frankdemonstrates the respect and integrity everyonein our business should admire. Ed Kay who hasworked with Seald Sweet for over 40 years exem-plifies the kind of dedication I’ve always

Matt Reel

admired. All these people have been crucial tomy development and growth. I know I wouldn’thave made it this far without their leadership.”

Tammy Sparkman, 35Produce BuyerSam’s ClubBentonville, AR

Sparkman’s produce career began in 2000 asan hourly replenishment associate at Sam’s Club.She quickly advanced to an assistant buyer infloral, assistant buyer in produce and her currentposition of produce buyer. Her responsibilitiesinclude a budget in excess of $250 million insales with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, mel-ons, mushrooms and all holiday items.

Her biggest successes come when the marketis tight.“When the product is in short supply andother retailers are getting cut or experiencingquality issues, my sales go through the roof,” sheexplains. “This is a direct result of solid relation-ships I have forged with my growers. I havealigned myself with the best in the business andwe work together to move crops.”

Sparkman focuses on sustainability. Sheplanned, organized and executed the firstNationwide Tomato Program at Sam’s Club in2006. “By going after homegrown tomatoes, wesupported the American farmer, promoted sus-tainable agriculture and experienced enormouslogistic savings. I have also encouraged themajority of my vendors to switch to environ-mentally friendly packaging and aligned distrib-ution centers for logistical savings.”

Community involvement expands her hori-zons. She works with small communities, help-ing them in their stores, helping them clean uptheir firehouses, etc. “The need for volunteers,especially in small communities, is in short sup-ply. There seems to always be something betterpeople think they can do with their time but Iwould disagree and encourage others to give ofthemselves. It helps you become a better, morewell-rounded leader, helps you understand spe-cial circumstances of those less fortunate andalso increases your compassion.”

Her inspiration is the challenges and respon-sibilities of working for the world’s leadingretailer.“I am inspired not only to meet the chal-lenge of this position but also to surpass it. Thejob of the buyer is to make sure you are bringingproducts your consumers want to the market. Inproduce, not only do you have to bring the rightitems but you also have to bring them in at thehighest quality available. My value equation

Tammy Sparkman

always needs to be in place. It is imperative allmy growers are PRIMUS-certified, practicingGAP and ensuring the health and hygiene oftheir workers. This is a substantial challenge forme due to the sheer volume I purchase.

“In the world of marketing, we are in a uniqueposition. We have something with great taste thatalso has nutritional value. It is the job of the buyerto make sure we are purchasing the correct vari-eties and quality to take to market. We need tomake sure we always have the consumer in mind.Consumers come in and buy a peach from yourstore; if it’s not good, they assume you don’t havegood produce. As we all know, this is not neces-sarily the case. However the assumption is madeand it sticks with this consumer, so getting caughtup on the spot buys is very dangerous.”

Three of her mentors are Bob DiPiazza, for-merly with Sam’s Club and now a consultant,Michael Cochran with Wal-Mart and PaulDiMare of DiMare Fresh. “Bob is an amazingmerchandiser and has been involved with pro-duce for roughly 40 years. He took me under hiswing and explained specs and markets with theknowledge and experience few possess. His pas-sion for produce is contagious and I can onlyhope I can pass on the lessons he taught me withthe same excitement. Bob DiPiazza is truly oneof the great people in our industry.”

Cochran was the first produce buyer Spark-man worked under. “When I began in merchan-dising, we were buying apples, pears, tomatoes,peppers, cucumbers, melons and holiday items.Michael gave me watermelons after only twoweeks on the job. Terrified, I took them and ran.He was always there to make sure I was on track.He was always involved in the day-to-day andshowed me the value of grower relationships.One of the biggest things Michael taught me washow to be open to new ideas. He never gets stuckon how it should be done. Even if he doesn’tagree with your decisions, he will always give youthe latitude to try it. He always understood thevalue of experiencing things for yourself and getshow you will learn the most from your failures.”

Sparkman considers DiMare an innovativegrower. “He teaches me the value of the growerand how important it is to help sustain the Amer-ican farmer. He is very vocal on his viewpointsbut leaves room for me to come to my own con-clusions. I deeply respect his viewpoint and herespects mine. As you can see, I have mentorswho give me differentiating views from the mer-chandising, buying and growing sides — Bob inmerchandising, Michael in buying and Paul ingrowing. This helps me better understand allstandpoints and make the best decisions.”

Kimberly St. George, 37Senior Marketing ManagerRiver Ranch Fresh Foods, LLCSalinas, CA

In the 10 years St. George has been at RiverRanch, she has made significant contributions inthe areas of trade development, key customersales growth, consumer relations, companyadvertising and industry/community exposure.

The company’s first Web site was created

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under her direction in 1999. It evolved to a moreexpansive trade site in 2002, and a dedicated con-sumer site was added in 2003. “These sites servethe company’s trade industry partners, regionalemployees and consumers by providing valuableproduct and company information,”she notes.

She directed the design and implementationof several comprehensive trade-advertising cam-paigns across all media, including trade printads, direct mail, printed collateral material, salesmaterials, convention show graphics and salespresentations. “These campaigns were launchedat the introduction of our integrated core compe-tency campaign and redesigned Popeye Fresh!product line.”

By working directly with one of the compa-ny’s largest key retail accounts, her marketingefforts have been instrumental in growing itsbusiness by launching over 10 new items specifi-cally for this customer. Quarterly customer-spe-cific promotions, including sweepstakes, demos,couponing and cross-promotions have led toincreased consumer loyalty to store brand andincreased sales.

Her implementation of a formal consumerresponse department system, protocol and pro-cedures has become a way for the company tohave direct contact with consumers and provideimmediate response to their needs. Through thesuccessful management and execution of over50 conventions, customer events, exhibit tradebooths, trade shows and community serviceevents, she has established strong industry orga-nization affiliations and important company tiesto the community.

St. George serves on the Salute to AgricultureMarketing Committee of the Salinas Chamber ofCommerce and the PBH Dinner Auction Com-mittee. She served on PMA’s Fresh Summit Con-vention Programming Committee and PMA’sFresh Summit Exhibitor Advisory Committee.

Since 2001, she has been the River Ranchteam captain for the American Cancer Society(ACS) Salinas Relay for Life. Team River Ranchhas raised over $100K for ACS since her involve-ment. She has served on the UC Davis AlumniAssociation Board of Directors, as the UC DavisAlumni Monterey Chapter President and Chap-ter Scholarship Chair and she has been active inleadership roles in the Salinas Jaycees.

The mother of two small children, she knowsthe importance of exposing kids to a variety offresh fruits and vegetables. “Although it is chal-lenging to introduce new produce items to chil-

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dren, our industry has begun to develop moreinnovative, healthful, convenient produce items,making it easier for families to consume freshfruits and vegetables, rather than the canned andfrozen vegetables I grew up with. We need to findways for fruits and vegetables to appeal to allgenerations. When children become produceconsumers at a young age, they start asking theirparents for fruits and vegetables and develop alifelong commitment to healthful eating habits.This is an important goal we should all embraceto help build our industry.”

John Pryor, who passed away this year at theage of 90, became her mentor two decades agowhen he awarded her a high school scholarshipto attend UC Davis. “Over my college years, hehonored me with several scholarships to attendhis alma mater and inspired me to excel at UCDavis, pursue agriculture and return to hishometown of Salinas to work in the produceindustry. John’s knowledge of the industry andhis self-made company combined with his gen-erosity inspired me to give back to UC Davis andthe community. I continued to stay in touch withJohn years after graduation and was proud tonominate and present an award he received in2000, the UC Davis Alumni DistinguishedAchievement Award. John Pryor is one of thereasons I pursued an agricultural degree andcareer in the Salinas Valley produce industry.”

Kaari Standard, 34Owner/PresidentNew York Apple Sales, Inc.Castleton, New York

Standard is a leading apple marketer in NewYork, representing more than 150 apple growersand marketing for more than eight major pack-ing companies. She has earned the respect ofretailers across the country and overseas and is aleading supplier to Wal-Mart.

Assuming control of the business at a youngage when her stepfather died, Standard helped thebusiness and industry excel, putting together ayear-round program for retailers. “By far thelargest challenge I have faced in my producecareer was the passing of my stepfather and pre-vious owner of New York Apple Sales. In June2000, Marty Michaelson passed away due to can-cer. At this time I was still very new to the appleindustry and had to work very hard to maintainour grower base and grow our customer base,”she explains. An investment in people andresources has helped the company more thandouble its revenue since then.

Kaari Standard

She credits relationships for the successachieved to date. “Dedication in learning firstwhat it takes to produce an apple allowed me tobecome a trusted leader in the marketing of theirproduct. Had I not had the experience and takenthe time to learn this end of the business, I wouldhave never been able to take over the role ofowner and president and continue to have thesupport of my growers to market their fruit.”

She is part of class 12 of UFFVA’s leadershipprogram and serves on the board of the USExport Council as a representative from NewYork.She is also a member of PMA and US Apple.

Since purchasing the remaining shares of thebusiness in the summer of 2005, she has workedto formulate a 5-year strategic plan. Now in thesecond year of the plan, she is beginning todiversify products and position the company as ayearlong apple supplier by supplementingregional fruit with imports out of Chile andpotentially New Zealand. “I am also looking atnew varieties to partner with our growers tobecome the U.S. licensing agent. We have hadwonderful growth over the past years and I wantto continue it through the investment in peopleand new products.”

Michaelson was her major mentor. Mike Fad-dis, former part-owner of New York Apple Sales,continues to mentor her today.“Mike has been inthe produce business for almost his entire life.Though technology and some business processeshave changed over the years, the basics he taughtme continue to lead me in the right direction. Hegave me the skills and drive to take risks. Noteverything has worked out as I would have liked,but he gave me the strength and encouragementto make a decision and see it through.”

Mike Stevens, 35Senior Director, Retail SalesEarthbound FarmSan Juan Bautista, CA

Stevens led the information technology ini-tiative at Earthbound Farm to redesign the userinterface of its sales system. With real-timeaccess to inventory and product information, hiswork has achieved time savings of as much astwo hours per person per day.“It has revolution-ized the way we use IT in sales and enabled us touse our information advantage on behalf of ourcustomers,”he says.

With the support of his team and colleagues,he has grown Earthbound’s commodity program

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from a sideline to a program standing on itsown.“It is now pulling its own weight in balancewith our salad program. Now consumers whoknow our brand from organic salads can discov-er our organic commodities, too.”

Though difficult for the company, thespinach recall in September 2006 drew manyEarthbound leaders to the forefront. Stevensplayed a key tactical role in the mechanics of theproduct recall, leading the sales team in thetough task of guiding customers through thescary process of pulling product off the shelves,documenting it and returning it. “I don’t wishthe experience on anyone, but the way our teampulled together and did what needed to be donemade me proud of Earthbound Farm’s integrity.”

Stevens is leading Earthbound’s outreach touniversity internship programs to bring new tal-ent into the agriculture industry, and the relation-ships he built as a salesman have made him aresource for customers who seek him out as anorganics spokesman for panels and discussions.“Whether I’m talking about sales challenges orthe mission of bringing organic food to as manypeople as possible, my message is simply I lovewhat I do. And I’m privileged to be able to do itfor a company as inspiring as Earthbound Farm.”

Stevens’ goal is to continue to lead and getbetter at doing it.“In the short term, I’m activelymentoring and coaching younger people comingup in the company and building a great salesteam at Earthbound Farm. I’m seeking greaterexposure outside the company, reaching out tonew, creative talent and representing Earth-bound Farm’s philosophy in the marketplace.And I’m moving away from day-to-day tacticaltasks toward strategic management of our salesprogram to help add value and support organicfarming’s place in the world.”

He is grateful to several people for teachinghim what he needed to know. His father DanStevens, director of export sales for Nunes Com-pany, is first on his list.“He taught me a love forthe industry and for the sales game. He modeledan extreme work ethic that keeps me at the jobtill the job’s done.”

His first sales boss, Kris Capurro, now a Part-ner at Capurro Marketing, LLC, is another men-tor.“He may be surprised to be named a mentorbut he’s the best true FOB commodity salesmanI know. He taught me a lot about the mechanicsof sales and was the first to point out I shouldn’tbe afraid of making a mistake. My ability tolearn from ‘failing forward’ is something hehelped me develop.”

Stevens relies on golf partner and confidant,Todd Kodet, senior vice president of supply atEarthbound Farm, for farming lessons and sageadvice. “He’s expanded my knowledge of grow-ing and harvesting, improved my golf swing andhelped me better understand the farmers whosupport us all.”

Stevens acknowledges Tonya Antle, Earth-bound’s vice president of organic sales, as a kin-dred competitive spirit who helped him becomea more passionate sales professional and a betterperson. “Every day she raises the bar over myhead and challenges me to clear it. Every day, shereminds me how much fun the sales game still

is. She does nothing halfway, and she inspiresme to do the same.”

Nancy Stevenson, 32Senior Sales Executive/Grower Relations, Apple,

Pear, Melon & Organic Product Category LeaderFisher Capespan USAGloucester City, NJ

In the produce industry since 1998, Steven-son’s career has advanced quickly. Fluency inSpanish has enabled her to build relationshipswith grower/ exporters in Chile, Argentina, Peruand Brazil and successfully procure product andnegotiate programs from these areas. “The rela-tionships I have made have remained strongthroughout the years and have developed toinclude additional product lines, additionalgrowers and most of all additional friendships,”she states.“I have been able to maintain a repu-tation of being a person the growers can trust.”

She has advanced in category managementby taking on numerous commodities, includingapples, pears, melons and organics. She leadsteammates by detailing market conditions, pricestructures, volume predictions, etc. and is ableto advise them in their individual customerplanning processes. As import volumes haveincreased, so have customer commitments tofixed programs in these categories.

“Customers have been able to turn to me tofill their needs with produce and as an informa-tion resource. They count on me to tell themwhat is happening overseas and with the cropsso they may be able to better plan their promo-tions. I enjoy the challenge of finding out infor-mation for clients.”

She is currently an events director for Phlockof South Jersey, a not-for-profit social organiza-tion that holds charity events for children withcancer, Alzheimer charities, etc. It supports alocal a senior home during the holidays and pro-grams such as Adopt a Highway. She is also awater aerobics instructor at her local YMCA oncea week and assists in training new instructors.

The fast pace of the industry has inspired therealization that this is the only field she canimagine working in.“The movement of a perish-able commodity through the system, learningcustomer specifications and finding the rightproduct for them have all been challenges. How-ever, they are also the inspiration keeping memoving and striving to learn more. Learningabout the products, the customers, the industryand the consumer has played a role.When I startto speak about my career, I find myself trying to

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teach everyone, including my kids, everything Iknow about the industry. It has fascinated mefrom the beginning and I believe it will continueto do so until retirement.”

She is a single mother with two daughters,ages 13 and 7. “Through their interest in mywork, they have motivated me to work towardlearning more and teaching more. It isn’t every-day you go to the supermarket with your chil-dren and you hear them yell in the produce aisle,‘Hey, Mom! These are the apples you import.’They think it’s cool.”

“On the import side of our industry, there arevery few women selling or even interacting withgrowers. This has also been a challenge at times,and as commonly said in this field, you have tohave broad shoulders. As a younger generationtakes on more responsibilities and positions inthe industry, we are also seeing the acceptance ofmore and more women in the industry, givingme more motivation to succeed.”

Many people in the industry have helped herclimb the ladder of success. “They gave me achance to work in the industry, gave me recogni-tion, believed in me and helped build my reputa-tion. These people had confidence in me and inmy work ethics and took the time to show methe ropes. They continue to be a valuableresource. Many are past co-workers, and manyare customers, growers and fellow industrysalespeople. The people who have helped methroughout my years in the industry continue tobe a part of my life. And like me, they are all inthis industry, because it’s a way of life — not justa job.”

Michelle Story, 35Account ExecutiveTanimura & Antle Fresh FoodsSalinas CA

Story spent four years with Tanimura & Antleas a regional sales manager in Texas and recentlyreturned to California as the account executivefor T&A’s largest retail customer, Wal-Mart. T&Areceived Wal-Mart’s Western Veg Supplier of theyear award and more than doubled its annualsales. This position has given her several oppor-tunities with Wal-Mart leadership, including aposition on Wal-Mart’s Produce Supplier TaskForce.

She participated and graduated from theUFFVA Leadership Program in 2000 and hasparticipated on its leadership selection commit-tee. She is involved in several industry commit-tees and supports various community activities.

Michelle Story

Specifically, she continues to give back to heralma mater, Cal Poly, by hosting company tours,guest speaking and recruiting students.

The opportunities of a fast-paced, complexindustry challenge her everyday.“I feel fortunateto be working on such a large account and coor-dinating so many different company and indus-try initiatives in support of the business,” sheexplains.“Anticipating our customers’ needs andfacilitating strategic plans to achieve them pre-sents daily challenges as well as rewards.”

Working with so many talented people whobelieve in what they do is a great inspiration.

She hopes to elevate her position within T&Aand the produce industry by developing herbusiness management and analytical skills.“Additionally, I plan to focus on my team’s devel-opment and future leadership opportunities.”

She has been fortunate to work beside sever-al industry leaders.“The Tanimura & Antle fam-ilies have shown me passion and commitmentto growing high-quality vegetables. Their enthu-siasm and dedication toward the business andtheir employees are inspiring. They have provid-ed me a dependable environment to work andgrow. As a female in a predominantly maleindustry, I have had the opportunity to experi-ence firsthand support and encouragement fromhighly knowledgeable and motivated females,ultimately resulting in lasting relationships. Icontinue to look for opportunities to offer thesame support to young women entering theindustry.”

Greg Verdelli, 28Procurement ManagerVerdelli Farms Inc.Harrisburg, PA

Verdelli’s accomplishments, mostly in thetechnology field, have helped take Verdelli Farmsinto a new era. He created an interactive Web sitecurrent with Verdelli’s product line of over 200items and upgraded the entire network infra-structure to create major office efficiencies.

He is implementing an extensive inventorytracking system, enabling tracking of productfrom the field it was cut in to the customer it wassold to with a few clicks of a mouse. “It will beable to provide more accurate production num-bers than anybody in this industry could haveever imagined,” he claims. “So far, I have beensuccessful in the majority of this project and amlooking to finalizing it this [past] May.”

He has also experienced procurement suc-cess, playing a major role in reducing costs on

Greg Verdelli

raw product and production.“It can be very dif-ficult at times to research and identify new qual-ity vendors who will actually perform to Verdel-li’s high-quality standards and also provide acompetitive price in the marketplace. It can alsobe difficult to find transportation meeting deliv-ery deadlines unheard of anywhere else. Oncethe product arrives, I try to come up with newideas to process it more efficiently.”

The produce industry has offered him morechallenges than he ever imagined including foodsafety, machine efficiency and server stability.“While growing up in a family producing fresh-cut salads for a living, I have had the opportuni-ty to face challenges in various areas of the busi-ness, but I gained inspiration from these chal-lenges to make both the product and companybetter.”

Verdelli’s biggest challenge to date has beenforecasting customer needs and product avail-ability. “This is a challenge nobody will ever beable to completely solve. The short product life ofproduce makes this challenge much more diffi-cult than any other industry. With the marketbeing its usual crazy self, it is often tough to pre-dict customers’ needs. This challenge inspires meto continue improving my forecasting skills. Mygoal is to one day understand the market wellenough people ask me where my crystal ball ishiding. This is how a challenge can inspire you tomake you and everyone around you better.”

He wants to make his family’s business thebest value-added produce supplier in the coun-try and beyond. “When I say the best, I don’tnecessarily mean the most profitable. Rather I’mlooking for the company with the best productquality, customer service and price. I am inter-ested in keeping the cost of produce down andthe quality high. With the never-ending chal-lenges our industry faces, the cost of productconstantly rises. I want to ensure even the peoplewith the smallest means will be able to eat fresh,high-quality produce year-round.”

His mentors are his father and grandfather.“They have both showed me the hard work anddedication it takes to be successful in the pro-duce industry. In this industry, there are no holi-days. There are no bank hours. The only way totruly be successful is to be committed and dedi-cated everyday, no matter the circumstances.From an early age, I watched my grandfatherunofficially retire, yet to this day, he still arrivesto work every morning and helps out the best hecan. My father taught me almost everything Iknow about this business and this industry. I amfortunate enough to work with him everydayand watch him put his own words into practice.”

Becky Wilson, 37Assistant Vice PresidentTom Lange Company, Inc.Springfield, IL

Starting with Tom Lange as a receptionist atage 21, Wilson has worked her way up to assis-tant vice president of administration. Herresponsibilities include PACA issues and dis-putes, evaluation of credit for shippers and cus-tomers, and convention coordination. She also

has many responsibilities related to the 25 satel-lite offices.

Her primary responsibility is marketing ini-tiatives and public relations. She also acts as acounselor to senior management and a corpo-rate liaison between almost 30 offices in theUnited States and Canada. In addition to herintegral role in daily business operations, she isthe chairperson for the Tom Lange CharitableFoundation, which supports children’s charities.

“As a female in a predominately male organi-zation I am not deterred,” she notes.“I have dili-gently mastered several areas and movedthrough the ranks of the organization, setting nolimits for myself.”

Her industry accomplishments include beingpart of the UFFVA Leadership Program class 12and being active in education with United Freshand PMA. She is actively involved with ProjectFresh Start in Illinois, working toward addingthe state to the USDA Fresh Fruit and VegetableSnack Program. “Throughout my community, Iam actively involved in the Parent-EducatorOrganization and Parent Corps, which educateschildren on the dangers of drugs and alcohol.”

She is married and the proud mother ofthree children.“One day I hope they understandthe demands of this business. It is hard to have adriven person like myself in one’s life. I find Ipush myself harder so I can make them proud.”

She aspires to become the first female to holda seat on the Tom Lange board of directors. “Iwant my predecessors to be assured they haveleft the company in good hands. They will be ahard act to follow, but I am up for the challenge.Tom Lange Company was built on the philosophyof delivering produce fast, fresh, friendly andfairly priced. Our company is 47 years old andstill going strong. I hope my continued educa-tion, involvement and objectivity will make mean effective leader, safely guarding the future.”

She looks to continue working closely withUnited Fresh and PMA. “I won’t be happy untilevery school district throughout the country hasimplemented the Fresh Fruit and VegetableSnack Program. John Alm, the former presidentand chief operating officer of Coca-Cola Enter-prises, stated, ‘The school system is where youbuild brand loyalty.’ Our industry is missing theboat if we can’t build our brand loyalty.”

Wilson considers Phil Gumpert, president/CEO of Tom Lange, a mentor.“I am so blessed tobe able to witness the passion and drive of thisman. On a daily basis, he continues to reinvent

Becky Wilson

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himself and our company. He commands therespect of his peers and employees while contin-uing to hold his integrity in the highest regard.”

She has learned a great deal from the veteransales force of Tom Lange. “I have been with thiscompany for 16 years and I have a band of broth-ers who day after day sell produce against allodds. I feel God placed each one of them in mylife to learn a lesson. After losing my father a fewyears ago to cancer, this band of brothers hasbeen of utmost importance in my life’s journey.”

Gustavo Yentzen Wilson, 36General ManagerYentzen ConsultingLas Condes, Santiago, Chile

Yentzen Wilson has a degree in businessadministration engineering from Adolfo IbañezUniversity, where he specialized in marketingand consumer behavior. He has worked for com-panies like 3M, CSAV (Chilean shipping compa-ny) and San Pedro winery. In 2001, the ChileanExporters Association (ASOEX), which isresponsible for the Chilean fruit global imageproject, appointed him senior marketing manag-er. In 2006, he started his own business, YentzenConsulting (YC), in Santiago, where he focuseson representing and aiding foreign entities thatwant to do business in the Chilean and LatinAmerican produce markets. He also assists inpositioning Chilean companies in North Ameri-can markets. YC is dedicated to providing valuethrough marketing ideas and plans, searching forsynergies and economies of scale. In its first yearof operations, YC assisted and represented inter-national trade associations, including PMA, CACand several trade publications.

Between 2001 and 2006, Yentzen developedand implemented the Chilean fresh fruit indus-try marketing campaign in the United States,Europe, and Latin America. It included a televi-sion campaign, press relations strategy andhighly successful “Chilean Fruit, Wine andSalmon” cross-promotion and point-of-saleactivities. For five years, he was responsible forcoordinating activities related to the “Experi-ence the Flavors of Chile” event at the Chileanbooth at PMA’s Fresh Summit.

In 2003, he expanded his marketing activi-ties into Latin America by launching campaignsin Mexico and Colombia. In 2004, he participat-ed in the launching of the 5-A-Day campaign inChile. In 2005, Gustavo became the first LatinAmerican representative in the UFFVA Leader-ship Program. In December 2006, YC started

Gustavo Yentzen Wilson

representing PMA in Chile and Peru.Yentzen came from the wine industry.“It was

an industry I loved in part because of the glam-our involved,” he states. “As I started working inthe produce industry, I realized it had the sameglamour, but I also found other dimensions. Idiscovered an industry revolving around anddepending on its people. There is a sense of com-munity involving all its participants around theworld, no matter the position in the company orrole played in the distribution chain. I found anindustry sincerely caring about the final con-sumer and campaigns encouraging children andpeople to eat more healthfully, not only for theeconomic aspect of it but also with the convic-tion of generating good for society as a whole. Isaw dedication in growers, shippers, wholesalersand retailers. Moreover, I encountered an indus-try welcoming new people, especially young peo-ple, to share its new ideas. And I found an indus-try passionate about produce, but more impor-tantly passionate about life itself.”

He appreciates having met a great number ofpeople who have taught him many things. “Ialways try to learn from the people I meet andwho surround me. I take as a souvenir the verybest of each one, not only professionally but alsoon a human level. These fellow produce peoplehave helped me to be a better professional and abetter person. For this, I consider myself a veryblessed person.”

Denise Young, 32Sales ManagerHMC MarketingKingsburg, CA

Having grown up in the San Joaquin Valley,Young has been involved in the community andagriculture her entire life. As a young girl, shespent her summers working with the family’slocal table grape business, Pitts Family Farms.After she graduated from college, she made herway out of the packing shed and into the mar-keting department of HMC. “Over the years Iworked my way up from quality control to salesassistant to sales manager,”she explains.

She has worked on numerous pilot programsthat affected the industry. She has been at theforefront to improve working relations betweenfriendly competitors in the marketing arena. Shehas been a part of the research and task teamsdeveloping new product lines and has assistedin developing marketing strategies for brandrecognition, improved consumer satisfaction,increased repeat consumer purchases and

Denise Young

increased retail sales.“Mostly, I feel I have assist-ed in setting a precedent for hard work and dili-gence based on the respect for a job well doneand the perseverance of improving the quality ofour industry.”

With six years of sales and marketing experi-ence, Young manages accounts with over $20million in sales and oversees marketing of twomillion boxes of table grapes.

Most of her inspiration is from her familywho has farmed table grapes since 1945. “Myuncle, Gary Pitts, has always proved hard work, ajob well done and a little risk-taking can proveitself worthwhile in the long run.” She alsoattributes a lot of inspiration to her husbandClint Young.

“I also wouldn’t be where I am today if itweren’t for my employer, Harold McClarty. Hehas always set forth a strong work ethic andtaken the time and patience to guide my career.The motivation I receive on a daily basis fromHarold and the encouraging work environmenthe has established have allowed for me to takeon many challenges within the industry andlook at them as an opportunity to not only suc-ceed but also make a difference.”

Most of her mentors demonstrate a passionfor their work and concern to improve theindustry as a whole. “Over the years I have real-ized there are so many people in our industrywho truly care about what they do — I couldn’timagine them doing anything else. The more Iwork firsthand with some of the diligent peopleof this business, the more confident I feel aboutwhat it is I do every day.”

She has been married for seven years, has twolittle boys and is happy to spend as much time aspossible playing baseball and soccer and watch-ing NASCAR. She enjoys attending church andvolunteering on the advisory board for her col-lege sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, through Cal-ifornia University, Fresno. She is also involved inWomen For Agriculture and works to support thelocal Valley Children’s Hospital. pb

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Call for 2008 Nominees!40 Under Forty is an annual feature of

PRODUCE BUSINESS magazine. If you wouldlike to nominate a young leader for next

year’s edition, please visitwww.producebusiness.comor fax your nomination to

561-994-1610.Next year’s nominees must be under the

age of 40 as of January 1, 2008 (born after January 1, 1968).

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