The United Fresh Produce Association (United Fresh) has announced the slate of new officers and directors nominated to serve on the organisation’s Board of Directors as of 20 April.
Steffanie Smith, CEO of River Point Farms LLC, Hermiston, will take over as chairman of the board, while Reggie Griffin, corporate vice-president of Produce & Floral Merchandising & Procurement at The Kroger Company, is nominated as chairman-elect.
Current chairman, Jim Lemke, Senior Vice President, C. H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc., will move to the position of Immediate Past Chairman, and remain on the Board and the Executive Committee.
Mike Cavallero, President, North America Tropical Fresh Fruit, Dole Food Company, will continue to serve in an ongoing term as Secretary-Treasurer.
The following industry leaders have been nominated to serve as new members of the United Fresh Board for a two-year term beginning April 2010:
· Will Steele, President and CEO, Frontera Produce LTD, Edinburg, TX, is nominated to serve as Vice Chairman of the Grower-Shipper Board.
· Ron Carkoski, President and CEO, Four Seasons Produce, Inc., Ephrata, PA, is nominated to serve as Vice Chairman of the Wholesaler-Distributor Board.
· Randy Scott, Category Manager, Food Lion LLC, is nominated to serve as Vice Chairman of the Retail-Foodservice Board.
· Walter Ram, Vice President Food Safety, The Giumarra Companies, Nogales, AZ, is nominated to serve as Chairman of the Food Safety & Technology Council, on which he presently serves as Vice Chairman.
· Paddy Callaghan, Chairman, Nature’s Best Ltd., Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland.
· Emily Fragoso, Marketing Manager, Coast Produce Company, Los Angeles, CA.
· Dan’l Mackey Almy, President and Managing Partner, DMA Solutions, Inc., Irving, TX.
· Roger Pepperl, Marketing Director, Stemilt Growers Inc., Wenatchee, WA.
· Bruce Peterson, President, Peterson Insights, Inc., Bentonville, AR.
· Ivan Tarriba, Owner-Director, Farmer’s Best International LLC, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico.
· Greg Wohlleb, Vice President, Processor Division Packaging of North America, Bunzl Distribution, Inc., Louisville, KY.
Current Board members nominated to new positions of service leading market segment boards are:
· Chairman, Grower-Shipper Board – Fred Williamson, Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce.
· Chairman, Wholesaler-Distributor Board – Brendan Comito, Capital City Fruit Company, Inc.
· Chairman, Retail-Foodservice Board – Mitch Smith, McDonald’s Corporation.
The following officers of Market Segment Boards and Councils will continue service on the Board:
· Chairman, Fresh-Cut Processor Board – Ron Midyett, Apio Inc.
· Vice Chairman, Fresh-Cut Processor Board – Jan Berk, San Miguel Produce.
· Global Advisory Council Chairman – David Barney, Bakkavor.
· Supply Chain Logistics Council Chairman – David Dever, Pandol Brothers Inc.
· Nutrition & Health Council Chairman – Ashley Rawl, Walter P. Rawl & Sons, Inc.
· Government Relations Council – Barry Bedwell, California Grape & Tree Fruit League.
The following current At-Large Board Members will continue service on the Board:
Mike Celani, Ready Pac Produce; John Chrosniak, DuPont Crop Protection; Tony DiMare, DiMare Company; Charles Hall, Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association; Roger Harkrider, H-E-B; Brent Harrison, Al Harrison Co. Distributors; Ana Hooper, Darden Restaurants; Brian Kocher, Chiquita Brands International; Lorri Koster, Mann Packing Company; David Krause, Paramount Citrus Association; Mike Martin, Rio Queen, Inc.; Phil Muir, Muir Copper Canyon Farms; Mark Murai, California Strawberry Commission; Doug Riley, Hy-Vee, Inc.; John Smith, Bayer Crop Science; Rick Urschel, Urschel Laboratories; Geoff White, Safeway, Inc.; and Jackson Woodward, Horton Fruit Company.
“In total, the slate of nominees for our consolidated Board of Directors, together with our returning Board members and new officers, makes this a tremendously diverse and skilled set of leaders to represent our entire industry and guide our association in the year ahead,” said Board Development Committee Chairman Tom Lovelace.
Board members concluding service at the April meeting include:
· Tom Lovelace, McEntire Produce, who served as Chairman of the Board in 2008-2009, and this past year as Immediate Past Chairman.
· Al Vangelos, Sun World International LLC, who served as Chairman of the Grower-Shipper Board.
· Matthew D’Arrigo, D’Arrigo Brothers Company of New York, who served as Chairman of the Wholesaler-Distributor Board.
· Dr. Barry Eisenberg, River Ranch Fresh Foods, who served as Chairman of the Food Safety & Technology Council.
Also concluding service are at-large Board members Nelia Alamo, Gills Onions; Peter John Condakes, Peter Condakes Co.; Pete Donlon, Earthbound Farm; Robin Poynton, One Harvest; Alan Temple, B&W Quality Growers; and Alessandro Turatti, Turatti.
“I’d like to personally thank those leaders who are concluding their service at this meeting,” said United Fresh President Tom Stenzel. “They have contributed greatly to our industry’s success in so many ways, and we appreciate the time and resources they have given to serve our industry.”
“I’d also like to thank Tom Lovelace and Board Development Committee members Fred Williamson, Jan Berk, Brendan Comito, Mitch Smith, Mike Cavallero, Steffanie Smith and Jim Lemke for their work this year in nominating an outstanding individual in Reggie Griffin to serve as Chairman-Elect, as well as a slate of great new Board members.
'We recognise that the strength of our association comes from strong representation of our membership across the total supply chain, bringing together an exceptional group of industry leaders to serve our industry.”
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