As we are reminded by faded photos or from stories handed down from one generation to the next, the fresh produce industry was quite different a mere three-and-a-half decades ago.
Over the past 35 years, there were a few trailblazers who led the hard work of an entire industry–yielding remarkable advancements in the areas of produce retailing, foodservice visibility, product development, packaging, technology, ag-science, food safety, mechanization, transportation and more. Today, we are fortunate to stand on their shoulders.
If not for the vision, energy, sacrifice, and perseverance of these women and men, our industry simply wouldn’t be the same today. These individuals are (or were) supreme innovators whose life’s work championed industry change with profound and sustained impact. These people are the fresh produce industry vanguards.
As PRODUCE BUSINESS reflects on the occasion of its 35th anniversary this October, what better way to celebrate than by recognizing The 35 Vanguards who have inspired many of the stories that have filled the pages of more than 400 monthly editions of PRODUCE BUSINESS?
We invite you—our readers and fellow industry members—to provide your nomination(s) of who you think should be in this list of the 35 industry Vanguards. Honorees will be selected based on their accomplishments, demonstrated industry leadership and industry contributions.
To nominate someone, please click this link, which will lead you to an nomination form on ProduceBusiness.com. The more information we learn about the candidate, the better we can ascertain his or her merits in deciding who will be amongst The 35 Vanguards of the Industry.
We recognize it will NOT be an easy task to make this decision, so please help us learn as much as possible about your candidate’s contribution to our industry’s growth.
The recipients of the Vanguard Awards will be announced in the October, 2020 PMA issue of PRODUCE BUSINESS. Thank you very much for your nomination.
Sincerely,
Ken Whitacre,
Publisher and Editorial Director
PRODUCE BUSINESS Magazine
