PRODUCE BUSINESS Honors The Leaders Of Tomorrow

PRODUCE BUSINESS Produce June 13, 2011

Boca Raton, FL – PRODUCE BUSINESS magazine, the leading monthly publication for the fresh produce industry, has published its Seventh Annual 40-Under-Forty issue, honoring 40 young leaders of the produce industry.

The coveted 40-under-Forty award is among the most prestigious honors in the produce industry. Of thousands of people who buy and sell produce, only a small percentage are singled out each year. Every winner must be nominated by a peer in the industry and the criteria for selecting the winner is based on the candidate’s leadership skills within his company, within the industry and within that person’s community.

This year’s winners are:

  • Nick Armano, 39, Sourcing Manager, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Eden Prairie, MN
  • Vince Ballesteros, 38, Director Of Sales, Church Brothers, Salinas, CA
  • Justin D. Bedwell, 33, President, Bari Produce LLC, Madera, CA
  • James Blowers, 40, Produce Sales Manager, West Coast Distributing Inc., Malden, MA
  • Nina Brooks, 29, Brand Manager, H. Brooks and Company, New Brighton, NY
  • Nibaldo J. Capote, 36, Executive Vice President, J&C Tropicals, Miami, FL
  • Anthony D’Amico, 33, President, To-Jo Mushrooms, Inc., Avondale, PA
  • Christopher Drew, 35, Production Manager, Ocean Mist Farms, Castroville, CA
  • Izak Du Toit, 34, Director Of Export Sales, Booth Ranches LLC, Orange Cove, CA
  • Jacquie Ediger, 36, Vice President, Pro Citrus Network Inc., Visalia, CA
  • Jennifer Fancher, 35, Category Development Manager, Driscoll’s, Watsonville, CA
  • Ryan R. Flaim, 30, Co-Owner, R&R Flaim Next Generation Produce LLC, Vineland, NJ
  • Rafael Goldberg, 30, CEO, Interrupcion* Fair Trade, Brooklyn, NY
  • Michael A. Gonzalez, 39, Sales Manager, Sysco / BSCC-Florida, Houston, Texas
  • Jessica Harris, 29, Marketing Specialist, Earthbound Farm, San Juan Bautista, CA
  • Colin Harvey, 40, Commercial Director — Hero Supermarket Group Indonesia, Dairy Farm International Trades as PT Hero Supermarkets, Jakarta, Indonesia
  • Jamie Hillegas, 34, Director of Trade Shows, Produce Marketing Association, Newark, DE
  • Jay Kettle, 34, General Manager, Highline Produce Ltd. Highline Mushrooms, Leamington, Ontario, Canada
  • Patrick Killiany, 38, Produce Category Manager, AholdUSA, Carlisle, PA
  • Deb Kreider, 39, Produce Category Manager, Ahold USA Retail, Carlisle, PA
  • Gretchen Kreidler, 38, Sales/Marketing/Public Relations, Rio Queen Citrus Inc., Mission, TX
  • Kelly C. Krutz, 37, Floral Category Manager/AHOLD USA Retail, AHOLD/USA, Carlisle, PA
  • Josh Leichter, 39, Vice President East Coast, Director Grape Category, The Oppenheimer Group, Coquitlam, British Colombia, Canada
  • Matthew Lyons, 38, Sales Manager, River Ranch Fresh Foods, Salinas, CA
  • Retna Malar, 33, Owner, All About Fresh Produce Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia
  • Nicholas F Mascari, 31, New Business Development, Indianapolis Fruit Co., Indianapolis, IN
  • Tanya Mason, 35, Vice President of Business Development, New Leaf Food Safety Solutions, Salinas, CA
  • Megan McKenna, 27, Marketing Manager, National Mango Board, Orlando, FL
  • Miriam S. Miller, 33, Senior Director, Membership, United Fresh Produce Association, Washington, DC
  • Jerry Moran, 30, Bush Berry Category Manager, California Giant, Inc., Watsonville, CA
  • Sean Nelsen, 34, Director Business Development and Food Service Sales, Manager Visalia Office, C.H. Robinson, Visalia, CA
  • Andrew J Pandol, 33, Safety Manager, Pandol Bros. Inc (PBI), Delano, CA
  • Doug Pearce, 33, President, Pier-C Produce Inc., Leamington, Ontario, Canada
  • Kyle M. Reeves, 33, Senior Produce Buyer, United Supermarkets LLC, Lubbock, TX
  • Cary Rubin, 38, Vice President, Rubin Bros Produce Corp., Bronx, NY
  • Julian Sarraino, 26, Sales and Marketing Manager, Fresh Taste, Toronto, ON
  • Andrew Schultz, 32, Vice President, Produce, DRS (Diversified Restaurant Systems), San Diego, CA
  • Kevin Steiner, 29, Marketing Director/Category Manager, Sage Fruit Company, Yakima, WA
  • Bryan Tate, 31, Corporate Category Buyer, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Kansas City, KS
  • Russ Tavlan, 39, President & CEO, Moonlight Companies, Reedley, CA

This marks the seventh year that PRODUCE BUSINESS has conducted the 40-under-Forty program, so there are now 280 young professionals who can proudly say they are among the elite produce industry leaders. Each winner receives a plaque from PRODUCE BUSINESS, a lapel pin and an invitation to receive industry recognition during the exclusive “Rising Star” reception at the Produce Marketing Association convention in Atlanta, where an induction ceremony is held and other illustrious leaders shake each winner’s hand to pay tribute to their accomplishments. The winners also automatically become a member of the PRODUCE BUSINESS 40-under-Forty Alumni Group. View the article here: www.producebusiness.com/ArticleReprints/40under40-6-11.pdf

For a copy of the June issue of PRODUCE BUSINESS, please contact Ken Whitacre, the magazine’s publisher and editorial director, at kwhitacre@phoenixmedianet.com or phone: 561-994-1118 ext. 101.

Source: PRODUCE BUSINESS