PMA Foundation Brings Taste Of Year-Round Talent Management Solutions To Fresh Summit

Newark, Del. — With Produce Marketing Association Foundation for Industry Talent (PMA Foundation) programs now extending beyond the U.S. to Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand and South Africa, members of the global fresh produce and floral industry attending this year’s Fresh Summit Convention & Expo will gain a world perspective on industry talent from a number of PMA Foundation programs and networking events. Fresh Summit 2015 convenes Oct. 23-25 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga.

Find your future talent at Fresh Summit

This year’s Fresh Summit will feature the Pack Family Career Pathways, the first program to attract leading university students to careers in the fresh produce and floral industry. Since that first collaboration between the Pack Family and PMA in 2004, more than 400 students have participated in Fresh Summit with the help of Pack Foundation scholarships. This year’s program will include 41 students from 13 universities in the U.S., Australia, Chile and South Africa. Career Pathways has since grown into a suite of seven student-attraction programs held in conjunction with major annual industry events in the U.S., Canada and Australia.

“We originally founded the Pack Family Foundation with a vision to give back to the fresh produce industry after the sale of our family’s fresh produce business,” said Jay Pack, former owner and CEO of Standard Fruit & Vegetable Co., Inc. “As industry business owners, we saw the need to articulate the fresh produce story to recruit college students as far back as the mid-1990s. That need has only grown as the world of produce has become, and will continue to grow, more complex.”

2015 Fresh Summit includes programming for women, young professionals

In addition to Pack Family Career Pathways, PMA Foundation will also host the following programs at this year’s Fresh Summit as part of the Industry Talent community. Attendees who are interested in learning how these opportunities are relevant to the challenges you face in today’s technology-driven global environment should take advantage of:

• Women’s Fresh Perspectives Leadership Breakfast: PowerHouse Performance Founder and CEO Jenny Evens – an author and on-air expert on resiliency, stress, performance, exercise physiology, nutrition and health – will speak about the importance of knowing your value on Friday morning, Oct. 23, 7-8:30 a.m. Sorry, this event is already sold out.
• Educational workshops powered by PMA Foundation: Three of Fresh Summit’s 14 workshops on Friday, Oct. 23 are specifically designed for the Industry Talent community: “How to Kick-Start Your Career”; “Top Talent: Motivate, Retain, and Effectively Communicate with Your Ideal Team”; and “Thinking like a Global CEO.”
• Young Professionals Reception: Young professionals under 35 years of age are invited to mix and mingle Friday, Oct. 23, 5-6:30 p.m. (ticket required).
• Industry Talent Reception: PMA Foundation will connect with industry members and share how they are impacting our industry by attracting, developing and retaining top talent while helping company’s address their talent challenges. Join PMA Foundation on Saturday evening, Oct. 24, 5:15-7:00 p.m.

5th Emerging Leaders Program graduates at Fresh Summit

Young professionals participating in the PMA Foundation Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) will complete a capstone course and graduate at Fresh Summit. The program combines classroom work, team simulations, webinars and personal coaching to train rising stars. It was designed and is delivered in partnership with Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, combining their global management training expertise with the PMA Foundation’s industry expertise. The 2015 ELP class includes 36 young professionals from across the industry supply chain and from around the world.

“Professional development like workshops, seminars, and e-learning provide a great avenue for our early talent to learn critical skills,” said Traci Ramsey, global human resource director, vegetables, for Monsanto, this year’s ELP premier sponsor. “With retirements in this industry on the rise, companies are focused on development of talent pipelines and stronger succession plans that will offer strong leaders the ability to advance quickly.”

5K provides critical support

PMA Foundation will also host the 5K Race for Talent at Fresh Summit, which will begin Saturday morning, Oct. 24, at 7:00 a.m. Proceeds provide crucial support for the development and execution of the PMA Foundation’s mission. Space is limited to 1,000 participants. Interested runners can register onsite Thursday and Friday at Registration Hall.

PMA Foundation’s work is funded by contributions from visionary industry leaders who give their money, their time and often both. To learn more about PMA Foundation for Industry Talent, visit the PMA/PMA Foundation Center in booth #1404 or visit www.pmafoundation.com.

For more information and to register for Fresh Summit, visit www.freshsummit.com. Register on-site at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta beginning Thursday, Oct. 22 at 8:00 a.m.

About PMA Foundation for Industry Talent (PMA Foundation)

Created in 2005 as a charitable organization, the PMA Foundation for Industry Talent is growing the produce and floral industry’s future by delivering education programs and networking events that attract, develop and retain top talent to secure a strong workforce for the global produce and floral industry. The PMA Foundation offers individuals in every stage of their career, and companies across the supply chain, a variety of solutions for development along the entire “career continuum.” To view the PMA Foundation’s full portfolio of opportunities that help individuals from entrance into the industry, all the way through a senior leadership position, please visit pmafoundation.com.

About Produce Marketing Association (PMA)

Produce Marketing Association is the leading trade association representing companies from every segment of the global produce and floral supply chain. PMA helps members grow by providing connections that expand business opportunities and increase sales and consumption. For more information, visit www.pma.com.

Source: Produce Marketing Association (PMA)