Index Fresh Announces New Hires
April 13, 2016 | 5 min to read
Joseph “Mark” Buhl named Index Fresh Director of Sales and International Business Development
Riverside, CA—Grower-?owned packing, marketing, and shipping company Index Fresh has recently named Joseph “Mark” Buhl as Director of International Sales Business Development.
Mark represents the third generation of his family to work in agriculture, with his grandfather, Rex Pursell, serving as president of the Strathmore Sunkist Co-?op, an alternate on the Sunkist Board, and the President of the Association of California Water Agencies. It was his grandfather who encouraged Mark to study Chinese in college
abroad, which impacted his life in several distinct ways.
During his time at university in China, Mark gained language skills and work experience that have become a major professional asset. There he held an internship with the local Archers Daniel Midland group and worked with many Chinese farming operations in many varied fields.
Mark began his career with an international trading company whose main focus was exports to Europe and the UK. There they built a program of stone fruit, apples, cherries, grapes, and vegetables, for the major importers and supermarkets. After several years, the company faced adversity with the death of the owner and Mark set out on his own with an export and consulting company. There, he focused on consulting for international food chains, packaging companies, logistic organizations, and global retailers to find and implement efficiencies in their supply chains.
After crossing paths with Index Fresh President & CEO, Dana Thomas, and VP of Sales & Marketing Todd Elder, professionally several years ago on a project for Sam’s Club, Mark grew increasingly interested in the company.
“I was always very impressed by the Index Fresh team, and the direction they were going,” said Mark. “When I stumbled across an opening for director of export, I contacted them immediately.”
In his new role at Index Fresh, Mark faces some unique challenges. One of which is simply raising awareness globally about avocados.
“There are lots of people all over the world who know nothing about avocados, their health benefits, or even that they exist,” said Mark. To illustrate his point, Mark noted that when he told his friends in Chengdu, China about his new position, he had to describe the fruit he would be helping to sell.
Mark relishes the challenge, viewing every market around the world that is currently unfamiliar with avocados as just a new sales opportunity. The way Mark sees it, the world is chock full of potential new avocado lovers.
Index Fresh welcomes Bobby Fingerlin to sales team
Index Fresh is excited to announce the addition of Bobby Fingerlin to its sales team. Bobby is a California native with a strong sales background.
“I started researching Index Fresh several months before I was hired,” said Bobby, who was impressed by the strength and history of the company. “Index Fresh is established in the industry since 1914 with strong roots, and they’re only growing stronger. I’m excited to be a part of that growth.”
Coming to Index Fresh after years of working in sales, Bobby was immediately excited to align himself with a commodity that is taking the world by storm. “The challenge is to always keep things moving.”
“Bobby’s thirst for knowledge was evident weeks before he started. I couldn’t answer enough questions to satisfy him,” said John Dmytriw, Director of Sales and Marketing. “He wanted to be up to speed on day one.”
Bobby’s enthusiasm made an impression on John Dmytriw even before he stepped foot in the office for his interview. “Most applicants don’t follow up their resume with a phone call, unfortunately,” said John. Bobby, on the other hand, demonstrated his strong desire to be a part of the Index Fresh team right away by taking that initial step, and then taking the initiative to maintain that engagement with Index Fresh.
“In our industry, persistence is key,” said Mr. Dmytriw.
Building relationships come naturally to Bobby. For him, the most challenging, interpersonal aspects of sales can also be the most rewarding. “Starting a new relationship can be tough. And building that relationship takes a lot of work and a lot of time,” said Bobby. “But for me, it’s exciting and rewarding.”
“At Index Fresh, we believe in providing value to our clients,” said John. “And we believe Bobby’s value lies in his ability to be transparent with our clients. I have no doubt that Bobby will be one of our industry’s finest leaders in years to come.”
Index Fresh hires Evangelina Kaudze as Food Safety & Compliance Manager
Index Fresh is pleased to welcome Evangelina Kaudze to the team as Food Safety and Compliance Manager. In her new role, Evangelina is responsible for developing and updating policies and procedures for food safety, and ensuring that every company with which Index Fresh partners meets Index Fresh’s social responsibility standards.
The Riverside native joins Index Fresh with almost a decade of produce experience. Over the course of her career she has worked in multiple areas, from export sales to production. As soon as she began working in food safety and compliance, however, she knew that she had found her passion.
Having a strong understanding of all aspects of the business gives Evangelina a unique insight into the industry, and makes building relationships among clients and colleagues that much easier.
Index Fresh Director of Production Luis Avila is excited to have Evangelina on board. “Her 10 years of food safety experience will be a huge asset to Index Fresh, our growers and packers,” said Luis. “She has helped growers achieve food safety certifications as well as improve the food safety standards in the packing houses she has worked in.”
Evangelina is equally excited to join the team. “The commitment to food safety that Index Fresh has demonstrated is astounding. The support and recourses I have available will make for a successful journey,” said Evangelina, who was drawn to Index Fresh by their strong commitment to food safety.
Seeing Index Fresh’s already-?high standards as an excellent foundation, Evangelina looks forward to raising the company’s profile as a leader in food safety. “I want Index Fresh to be as well known for doing as much for food safety in the industry as we are known for what we do for growers.”
Source: Index Fresh