Tampa, FL (USA) – IFCO, the world’s leading provider of Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) for fresh food packaging, has named supply chain veteran, Rick Overholt as Vice President, Grower Sales, for its North American market. He succeeds Craig Kelly, who is retiring after 7 years in the IFCO SYSTEMS organization.
“I would like to congratulate Craig Kelly for a stellar career at IFCO and wish him well in his retirement,” said Candice Herndon, President of IFCO North America. During his 7 years with IFCO Craig was the “face of IFCO” with the grower community. His engagement on various committees within PMA and United Fresh have benefited both IFCO and the grower community. Craig has mentored a number of students interested in the agriculture industry during his involvement in the PMA Center for Growing Talent. He intends to stay involved in the produce industry where he has worked for over 20 years and developed many friendships along the way. “We at the company, along with our customers, have benefitted greatly from his leadership and knowledge, and he will greatly be missed by his colleagues,” continued Mrs. Herndon.
To ensure our continued support to our valued growers, Mr. Rick Overholt will succeed Craig Kelly in the role of VP Grower sales for North America. Prior to joining IFCO, Rick served in numerous sales leadership roles during his 22-year career at CHEP, most recently serving as National Sales Director – Produce. In that role he led all grower and shipper accounts in the U.S. and Central America, helping to deliver a consistent supply of fresh produce to U.S. retail and food service customers and their consumers.
“I am pleased to welcome Rick Overholt to the IFCO team,” said Candice Herndon, “He has worked closely with the grower community for many years and is an expert in shared and reusable assets and supply chain efficiency. We will benefit greatly from his experience and extensive relationships with the growers and retailers that trust IFCO RPCs to pack, ship, store and display fresh food.”
In his new role, Rick will focus on building and growing collaborative, long-term relationships with IFCO’s grower customers across North America, as well as leading the Grower Sales Team to consistently deliver value creation, sustainable growth and improved customer service and loyalty.
“I am thrilled to join IFCO,” said Mr. Overholt. “I have worked collaboratively with IFCO to develop efficient and sustainable packaging and supply chain solutions for growers and retailers for many years, and now it is exciting to do that directly as a member of the IFCO team.”
Rick reports directly to IFCO North America President, Candice Herndon, and is based in Morro Bay, California.
Craig Kelly will remain with IFCO until July 2, 2021.
About IFCO
IFCO is the leading global provider of reusable packaging solutions for fresh foods, serving customers in 50+ countries. IFCO operates a pool of over 314 million Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) globally, which are used for over 1.7 billion shipments of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, bread, and other items from suppliers to grocery retailers every year. IFCO RPCs ensure a better fresh food supply chain by protecting freshness and quality and lowering costs, food waste and environmental impact compared to single-use packaging. More: www.ifco.com
