Lipman Hires Industry Veteran Steve Williams To Lead Customer Service-Focused Retail Effort

Immokalee, Fla. – Lipman, North America's largest open field tomato grower, recently hired Steve Williams, a produce industry veteran with nearly 35 years of experience, to lead a new, customer service-oriented retail initiative. He will focus on creating and enhancing relationships with customers by providing targeted services with solution-driven results.

Prior to joining Lipman, Williams served as the director of fresh merchandising for Sweetbay Supermarkets. Throughout his career, he's held various management-level positions with Sweetbay and Kash 'n Karry (before they sold to Sweetbay), where he started as a produce manager in 1980.

"Steve provides us with valuable insight into the supermarket industry, which in turn, allows us to modify and enhance existing products and services to best complement the needs of our retail customers," said Darren Micelle, chief operating officer of Lipman. "We know that grocers are looking for more than just a product and price …. and his expertise will help us become even better business partners."

A former board member of the Southeast Produce Council, Williams was named National Produce Retailer of the Year (2008) and Florida Retailer of the Year (2009).

About Lipman

Based in Immokalee, Fla., Lipman is the largest field open tomato grower in North America, providing dependable year-round fresh produce through an integrated network of research & development, farming, processing, and repacking. Farms in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, California and Mexico – totaling tens of thousands of acres – allow Lipman to grow and ship fresh produce 365 days a year. For more information, visit www.LipmanProduce.com.

Source: Lipman