Riverside, C.A. — John Grether, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Index Fresh, a worldwide marketer of avocados, has announced that the Board is embarking on a search for a new Chief Executive Officer. Its longtime CEO, Dana Thomas, has informed the Board that he intends to retire in 2020.
Mr. Grether praised the leadership of Dana Thomas over the nearly 24 years he has been its CEO. “Dana joined Index as its CEO in 1996 when it was a cooperative, successfully led it through a conversion to a for-profit enterprise and managed the business as its stock has steadily increased in value.” Mr. Grether also noted that Mr. Thomas has been instrumental in assembling an outstanding staff and executive team, providing Index’s California growers with excellent returns, delivering consistently strong dividends to shareholders, developing partnerships with the country’s leading retail and food service providers, significantly growing the company’s market share, maintaining the highest ethical standards in the industry, and positioning Index Fresh as an industry leader.
Index Fresh owns and manages packing houses in Bloomington, Calif. and Pharr, Texas and sources fruit from its California grower-base, as well as from Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Index Fresh markets Hass and GEM avocados throughout the United States and Canada, and to select markets in Asia. Index Fresh has engaged Jeff Hodge and Neil Sims of Boyden to manage the search.
###
ABOUT INDEX FRESH
Index Fresh is a global marketer of avocados, sourcing from all major growing regions around the world, including California, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Colombia. Through its dedication to quality, consistency, and innovation, Index Fresh continues to be a leader in the industry. Over the years the company has earned its reputation for quality and integrity with an unwavering commitment to honesty, hard work, and providing outstanding results to their partners — growers and trade alike. Headquartered in California, the company has facilities spread across Texas, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, Colorado, and Illinois. Index Fresh started operations at its packing, bagging, and ripening facility in Pharr, TX, in 2018.
