In this month’s profile on the Produce Marketing Association, the US trade association for fruit and vegetables, PMA analyses the success of the inaugural Pack Family/PMA Career Pathways Fund programme at October’s Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition.
In addition to the record-setting attendance and sold-out Exposition at PMA’s recent Fresh Summit 2004 International Convention & Exposition in Anaheim, California, the association also launched the Pack Family/PMA Career Pathways Fund, a new programme aimed at developing future leaders for the fruit and vegetable industry.
Twenty-four food and agricultural marketing students and their faculty advisors from six colleges learned about the numerous career options the produce industry offers through special meetings with PMA leaders and mentors; participating in the educational programme; and touring the Fresh Summit Exposition. As a result of this new initiative, participants’ perspectives on the fresh produce industry were positively influenced.
Fresh Summit changed the opinion Texas A&M student Brandon Hollas had of the produce industry. “I had always thought that the produce industry was commodity-based. My view was an apple is an apple, an avocado an avocado, and the company who grew them did not really matter. PMA and Fresh Summit completely changed my view of the industry,” Hollas said.
He described how, by meeting apple producers from Australia and New Zealand, he was able to better understand international production and how those countries fit within the global supply chain to meet consumer demand in the US when apples aren’t being produced domestically.
“It is amazing how much can be learned from a short trip to Fresh Summit,” Hollas noted. “The people in the produce industry are friendly and willing to talk to you about their business as long as you’re brave enough to ask them questions. The management of these businesses was truly excited about visiting with the students involved in the Career Pathways Fund.”
University of California Davis student Julie Reimers explained that she learned a lot about the produce industry during her time in Anaheim. “I had no idea the wide variety of opportunities available in the industry, and I hope to be able to work in this industry in the future. This was an invaluable experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my career,” she said.
Participating colleges in the Pack Family/PMA Career Pathways Fund were Cornell University, the University of California at Davis, Michigan State University, Texas A&M, California Polytechnic State University, and St. Joseph’s University.
Dr Roberta Cook, marketing economist for the department of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California Davis, noted that Fresh Summit “really opened the students’ eyes to the tremendous career opportunities in the fresh produce industry. They were surprised by both the sense of family and the professionalism that pervade the industry. They felt that a career in fresh produce would be challenging and rewarding as well as fun.”
Cook added that the UC Davis students all expressed an interest in following up with the contacts they made, and were anxious to pursue internships to gain some of the hands-on experience emphasised by the mentors.
Larry Zink, industry relations/outreach coordinator for the department of agricultural economics at Michigan State University, described the value of participating in the Pack Family/PMA Career Pathways Fund. “It was wonderful to see leaders in the fresh produce industry, especially Jay and Ruthie Pack, take a genuine interest in tomorrow’s leaders and embrace the students as family,” Zink said.
“These types of programmes give students a great look at the opportunities present in their futures. My students are still raving about their Fresh Summit experience.”
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