Celebrating 60 YEARS OF SERVICE to the fresh produce and ......A small country with a fruitful...

Keeping the Ball RollingKevin Carroll connects childhood play with adult success

Interview with David PlouffeObama Campaign Manager and Grassroots Guru

Condoleezza RiceFormer Secretary of State explains how teaching

helps fulfill her passion for education

Celebrating 60 YEARS OF SERVICE to the fresh produce and floral industries!

contentsCelebrating 60 yearsProduce Marketing Association

1949 - 2009

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4A Letter from Bryan SilbermannPMA at 60: A Celebration of the Past and a Focus on the Future

When Casserole was King Rewind 60 years to consumer preferences in 1949

PMA Highlights Through the YearsA look back at 60 years of milestones

An Interview with David PlouffeObama Presidential Campaign Manager and Grassroots Guru

Kevin Carroll Keeps the Ball RollingTapping the transformative power of play

PMA’s Food Safety SymposiumNot just another session on food safety

Nurserymen’s Exchange and PMAA partnership where fl oral and produce go hand-in-hand

Meet Aunt Mid’sFrom backyard garden to successful business

The Mother Tree Stands for Innovation and PerseverenceThe birth of the citrus industry─and Sunkist Growers

Chile: A Success StoryA small country with a fruitful presence in the world

Condoleezza Rice: Life After the White HouseOpportunities to continue making a positive impact

Enhanced Produce TraceabilityThe time is ripe for a real-world, workable traceability solution

The National Fruit & Vegetable Research & Promotion Board Concept Answers to frequently asked questions

KPG Solutions is Committed to PMA MembersTake a look at the Presenting Sponsor of PMA’s Food Safety Symposia

Making Inroads in WashingtonFresh insight into how government is responding to some of our top concerns

How Do You Celebrate an Anniversary?Marking time with the same zeal that characterized PMA’s formative years

Highlights from PMA’s Foodservice Conference & Expo 2009A focus on new energy amid recession

Thank You, from the PMA Foundation for Industry TalentA listing of valued Capital Campaign Contributors

FIT Contributor Profi le: Pacifi c International Marketing A FRESH interview with President and CEO Tom Russell

FIT Contributor Profi le: Georgia-Pacifi cA recognized leader in customer-focused packaging solutions

Programs Designed to Reach the Brightest and BestAn overview of PMA’s Foundation for Industry Talent

Positive Changes Over PMA’s HistoryRefl ections from Duane Eaton, PMA’s Chief Administrative Offi cer

Welcome to AnaheimThings to see and do in this land of plentiful sunshine

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How do you defi ne sixty years? How do you defi ne an anniversary? What you learn, as you consider the milestone, is that it’s not about an organization—an entity—it’s really about the people, the personalities, the companies, the cultures, the inventions and innovations that comprise our rich heritage and history and have enabled us to reach this 60-year mark of service.

Sixty years ago, during a small meeting in New York, PMA, known then as the Produce Prepackaging Association, was formed. Much has changed in sixty years—a new home no longer costs US$7,000 or £1,900 (and the Euro didn’t exist); Communist regimes have fallen; new countries have formed; and innovations have revolutionized every corner of our fl at world. But one thing has remained constant—our unwavering dedication to the members of PMA—our unwavering commitment to the people who make up this remarkable industry; and our unwavering dedication to providing business solutions that will enable this great industry to grow and prosper, now and into the future.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Fresh magazine—a look at sixty years of industry faces and places as well as a look at the trends and issues impacting us now and moving forward—we themed this issue, A Celebration of the Past and a Focus on the Future.

Selecting highlights from throughout sixty years of history was not an easy task. There is an overabundance of memories from each year, so we were able to select just a few for this issue, including perspective from one of PMA’s founding members: Aunt Mid’s; PMA’s longest exhibitor for 54 years: Sunkist; one of PMA’s longest exhibitors outside of the U.S.: the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association, and one of PMA’s longest fl oral exhibitors: Nurserymen’s Exchange. All of these companies shared valuable insight into their relationships with PMA and experiences at Fresh Summit, some truly wonderful stories. And for those memories and photos that did not make it into this issue, we encourage you to log on to our PMA Facebook page to see more. More also, will appear during Fresh Summit.

On behalf of all those who were, and are, members of PMA, I wish to thank you for your support over the past 60 years and look forward with great anticipation, to the next 60 years of PMA service. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this dynamic industry.

As always we look forward to hearing from you—please send your questions or comments to [email protected] or post comments on our Facebook pages.

Sincerely,

Bryan E. Silbermann, CAEPresident & CEOProduce Marketing Association

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PMA AT 60 A CELEBRATION OF THE PASTAND A FOCUS ON THE FUTURE.

PMA’s fi rst headquarters in Newark, DE

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Rewind 60 year s to consumer preferences in 1949.When Casserole was King

In 1949 when PMA was created, the world was a very

different place. Consumers had a fraction of the choices we

have today, and produce didn’t exactly take center stage.

Casseroles, an economic staple of the mid-1900’s, contained

very little produce, save a few minced green peppers and

onions scattered about. Here are some sample meals of the

1940’s and 50’s from foodtimeline.org:

Dinner/Oven Liver loaf, mashed potatoes, buttered spinach, hearts of lettuce, French dressing, Melba toast, apple-cheese crisp,

cream, coffee.

Dinner/TimesavingQuick-seared hamburgers, sautéed bananas, buttered spinach, radish salad, French dressing, bread, applesauce, sponge cake, tea, milk.

1947 School Lunches“If you have a lunch room in your school, practice selecting

combinations of foods that are appetizing, inexpensive, and

nourishing. If you take lunch from home, it should be appetizing

and nourishing—not all jam sandwiches and cake. A well

balanced school lunch or picnic lunch includes at least one

thing chosen from the following:

Bread: brown, date, graham, nut, oatmeal, raisin, rye, white, or whole wheat.

Butter or butter substitute: at least on one slice of each sandwich.

Sandwich fillings: chopped eggs, cheese, peanut butter or other nuts ground to a paste; meat, sliced or chopped; jelly or marmalade; dried fruit paste made of chopped dates, figs, or raisins; fish. Each sandwich should be wrapped sep-arately in waxed paper.

Fruit: apples, grapes, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, bananas, tomatoes. Stewed fruit in small jars with tight-fitting covers may be carried safely.

Sweets: cookies, gingerbread, cake, candy.

Beverage: milk, a hot drink, or fruit juice. These may be

carried in a thermos bottle or tightly covered container.”

Fast-Forward to the Future: what will consumers look

for tomorrow?

According to Tony Gonzalez, PMA Manager, Information

Resource Center, the buying and preference patterns of

consumers recently have undergone unprecedented changes.

In his presentation, Managing Consumer Change, he cites

that consumer buying patterns are determined by two key

triggers: 1) the first global recession, and 2) the increasing

complexity of world societies, which has caused consumers

to return to the basics.

These variables have resulted in a new movement called

Ethical Consumerism, where people are turning inward and

thinking about their choices. “Food has become the new

social movement,” says Gonzalez, noting that farmers’ markets

in the U.S. have doubled in the last two years alone and

estimating that locally grown foods could turn into a $7 billion

business by 2011.

So how do we respond? “Tell your story,” says Gonzalez.

“Connect with socially conscious consumers. Promote your

commitment to the environment. Become less merchants

and more neighborhood partners. Make your store a destina-

tion, not just a food source.”

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1949

1950

On October 24, during the first National Conference on Prepackaging in New York, an organizing committee forms the Produce Prepackaging Association (PPA). Paul B. Dickman of Dickman Farms in Ruskin, Florida, is elected president.

Twelve nations organize the North American Treaty Organization (NATO); Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb; Chinese Communists win the country’s civil war; first election in new state of Israel—David Ben-Gurion becomes prime minister.

PPA’s first convention held in Columbus, Ohio. The association is formally incorporated.

North Korea invades the South, U.S enters the war; first modern credit card introduced; President Truman orders construction of the hydrogen bomb; first organ transplant; color TV introduced by RCA.

1954Convention in Washington, DC; Packaging Plant Sanitation Program initiated.

U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rules against school seg-regation; U.S. Navy launches Nautilus, first nuclear-powered submarine; report says cigarette smoking causes cancer; Disneyland opens in California; minimum wage increased to $1/hour.

1955Convention in Chicago, Illinois; Traffic Service Program initiated.

1956

Association changes its name to Produce Packaging Association; convention in Miami Beach, Florida.

Soviet Union invades Hungary to crush anti-Communist revolution; European Economic Community established; TV remote control

invented; Soviet satellite Sputnik launches the space age.

1966Convention in Chicago, Illinois. PPA calls for increased professionalism and training throughout the industry.

Six-Day War―Israel scores decisive victory over combined armies of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan; first successful heart transplant; first microwave oven introduced; three U.S. astronauts killed in flash fire accident; first Earth Day celebration; Soviet artificial satellite lands on the moon.

1967

1970

197

3Convention in Dallas, Texas: first seminar for home economics teachers.

President Nixon visits China and is re-elected with near-landslide in votes; terrorists kill two Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics; Watergate scandal breaks with arrest of five defendants related to break-in at Democratic Party headquarters in Washington; Vice President Agnew resigns after income-tax scandal.

Amendment to Constitution ratified, allowing 18-year-olds to vote; cigarette ads banned from television; Salvatore Allende, the first elected Marxist leader in the Americas, voted president of Chile; the Beatles break up.

1974PMA forms the Floral Marketing

Division for mass-market floral representation.

1971Convention in Chicago, Illinois: attendance tops 1,500.

1957

Highlights through the Years

Convention in New York, New York. PPA changes its name to Produce Packaging & Marketing Association (PPMA).

PPMA changes its name to Produce Marketing Association; forms three operating divisions—retailer, producer, and distributor.

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Marie Ebbecke, a partner in The Ebbecke’s, Inc., a fresh mushroom fi rm in Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania, is elected as fi rst woman to serve on board of directors.

Alaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th states; Castro becomes dictator of Cuba; popular TV quiz shows found to be fi xed.

Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; fi rst PPA management training seminar.

Bay of Pigs invasion fails; President Kennedy announces U.S. goal to reach the moon by end of decade; Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin is the fi rst human in space; Mickey Mantle becomes the highest paid baseball player with $75,000 contract; FDA approves sale of birth control pill; fi rst successful kidney transplant performed; fi rst communications satellite launched.

1961

1963

Convention in Chicago, Illinois; fi rst Pack-age-Rama exhibit; fi rst Information Center

established to assist members in requests for industry and association information.

President Kennedy assassinated in Dallas; Lee Harvey Oswald, the President’s killer, is shot to death two days

later; a year earlier (1962), President Kennedy is hailed in Berlin by hundreds of thousands; also in 1962, President

Kennedy defuses Cuban missile crisis in confrontation with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

President Nixon resigns as Articles of Impeachment are fi led in Congress; President Gerald Ford grants pardon to Nixon; India explodes a nuclear device; Margaret Thatcher becomes head of Conservative Party in Great Britain; U.S. and Soviet spacecraft link up in fi rst international manned space fl ight; Communist forces overrun South Vietnam.

1975Convention in Kansas City, Missouri tops 100 exhibit booths; nearly 200 attend fi rst fl oral seminar.

1978PMA reorganizes into three divisions – Retail, Foodservice. Floral; Association embarks on long-term strategic planning.

1958Robert L. Carey hired as fi rst full-time Executive Secretary. Association moves its offi ce from New York to Newark, Delaware.

First test-tube baby born in England; U.S. and China establish diplomatic relations; Shah of Iran forced into exile and U.S. Embassy staff in Tehran held hostage; Margaret Thatcher is elected Prime Minister of Great Britain; Mother Teresa wins Nobel Peace Prize.

1980Nutrition Task Force created; convention in Chicago, Illinois.

Failure of military mission to rescue embassy hostages in Iran; Ronald Reagan be-comes president; Republicans gain control of Senate; Soviet troops battle guerillas in Afghanistan; John Hinckley wounds President Reagan in assassination attempt.

1981Boston, Massachusetts convention attracts 4,000 participants, 250 exhibit booths. 19

82

PMA completes fi rst nutrition analysis for fresh commodities.

Great Britain drives invading Argentines from Falkland Islands in the Atlantic; Vietnam Veterans’ War Memorial dedicated in Washington, DC, bearing 58,000 names; Sandra Day O’Connor becomes fi rst female justice on Supreme Court; lethal injection used for the fi rst time for a death sentence; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day becomes national holiday.

Highlights through the Years

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1959

Convention in St. Louis, Missouri; Trade Practices Committee formed to investigate industry packaging malpractices, and recommend corrective action if needed.

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1983First Foodservice Conference in Monterey, California, with 50 in attendance.

1984PMA launches computerized Information Center.

1985At the San Francisco, California, convention attendance jumps to 7,500 from 5,000 in 1984; fi rst international

trade seminar attracts 285 attendees; Joe Brennan is fi rst foodservice repre-sentative to serve as PMA Chairman.

1988

1987Attendance tops 8,500 at Anaheim, California, convention;

PMA establishes Produce Electronic Identifi cation Board (PEIB) to administer standardized Price Look-Up (PLU) codes.

PMA joins with United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association to establish the Center for Produce Quality.

Philippine President Marcos fl ees after allegations of voting fraud; President Reagan announces fi rst trillion-dollar budget; Bill Gates becomes computer industry’s fi rst billionaire.

U.S. cruiser accidently shoots down Iranian airliner, killing 290; George Bush defeats Michael Dukakis in presidential election; Pan Am airliner explodes over Scotland from terrorist bomb, killing 270; thousands of pro-democracy students occupy Tiananmen Square in Beijing, police and troops fi re on demonstrators; U.S. invades Panama to oust Manuel Noriega; oil tanker spills 11 million gallons in Alaska.

1993

2001

Six weeks after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, and the Pentagon in Washington D.C., the industry comes together for Fresh Summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Muslim terrorists hijack four airliners, two are crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Passengers on the fourth force the hijackers to crash into an empty fi eld in Pennsylvania. Enron fi les for bankruptcy; AOL announces agree-ment to buy Time Warner for $162 billion, largest corporate merger in history.

Space shuttle Columbia crashes, all seven astronauts aboard are dead; U.S. launches war on Iraq, Saddam Hussein captured by U.S. troops on December 13, 2003; SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) spreads to 32 countries across the world; India and Pakistan reach cease-fi re on Kashmir; total costs of corporate scandals estimated at more than $5 trillion.

2004

PMA initiates the Pack Family/Career Pathways Program to attract young people into the industry; begins research on consumer attitudes and purchasing behavior related to produce and fl oral.

2005

Tsunami (following a 9.3 magnitude earthquake) strikes Thailand and surrounding Indian ocean countries, resulting in estimated 200,000 deaths; Ronald Reagan dies at his California home, a six day state funeral is scheduled; U.S.-led coalition occupying Iraq transfers sovereignty to an Iraqi interim government; the Boston Red Sox win the World Series for fi rst time since 1918.

20

PMA establishes a country representative in Mexico.

1989PMA board conveys president title to Bob Carey; PMA’s elected leader is re-titled as chairman.

Highlights through the Y

PMA Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition in Orlando, Florida, attracts more than 15,000 registrants and the exposition tops 2,000 booths.

2003

AIDS virus is discovered; Great Britain agrees to give China eventual control of Hong Kong; Mikhail Gorbachev becomes General Secretary of Soviet Union; Pete Rose breaks Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record in baseball.

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9

1993

First PMA Leadership Symposium; fi rst PMA Fresh Produce Academy.

1994International Advisory Council formed; fi rst simultaneous language translation at San Antonio, Texas, convention.

President Clinton re-elected as fi rst two-term Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt; TWA fl ight, bound from New York to Paris, explodes and crashes into the Atlantic shortly after takeoff, killing all 230 passengers and crew; Labour Party takes control of Great Britain after 20 years; Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister; Princess Diana killed in automobile accident in Paris; Timothy McVeigh sentenced to death for Okla-homa City bombing; NASA’s Pathfi nder module lands on Mars; fi rst announced cloning accomplished with Dolly, the sheep.

1995PMA joins the Internet age when www.pma.com is launched.

Arkansas governor Bill Clinton elected president; Americans with Disabilities Act signed into law; World Trade Center in New York bombed by Muslim terrorists; the “World Wide Web” started for home use; Carol Mosley Braun, Illinois, becomes the fi rst black woman elected to U.S. Senate; coup against Russian leader Boris Yeltsin fails in Moscow; U.S. federal budget passes $4 trillion.

1996

Bryan Silbermann succeeds Bob Carey as President; PMA sponsors its fi rst technology conference in Dallas.

2000aboutproduce.com PMA’s Consumer Web site launches; Ted Campbell is fi rst fl oral industry representative to serve as PMA chairman.

Cuban President Fidel Castro relinquishes power to his brother Raul, before undergoing surgery; Lebanon War begins in July 2006 when Israel invades in response to kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers and killing of three; Samuel Alito is sworn in as a Supreme Court justice.

2006

2007PMA takes a leadership role in responding to a large-

scale spinach-related food safety crisis that grips the industry; establishes the PMA Education Foundation, soon re-named the PMA Foundation for Industry Talent (PMA FIT); Janet Erickson serves as the fi rst female Chairman of the Board. PMA sets attendance record of over 18,000 at the Fresh Summit International Conven-tion & Exposition in San Diego, California.

PMA provides $1 million contribution to help establish the Center for Produce Safety at the University of California, Davis; creates the fi rst Country Councils for Australia-New Zealand and Mexico; organizes the fi rst Fresh Connections Conference in Australia-New Zealand; establishes a representative in Chile, and partners with Scholastic magazine and the Produce for Better Health Foundation to develop a program for third graders promoting eating fruits and vegetables.

2008Produce Traceability Initiative established in conjunction with United Fresh Produce Association (UFPA) and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA).

Michael Phelps wins 8 Gold Medals in 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China; Ingrid Betancourt and other hostages are rescued in Colombia; Lehman Brothers fi les for bankruptcy; Mumbai terrorist attacks kill over 195 people over four days; global economic crisis grips markets and consumers. Barack Obama becomes fi rst African-American to be elected President of the U.S.

2009PMA marks 60 years of service to the industry; Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition marks

60th anniversary. PMA completes the industry’s fi rst U.S. economic study showing how the industry’s

$554 billion impact is spread across all fi fty states and all U.S. Congressional districts; PMA Australia-New Zealand is established as PMA’s fi rst affi liate.

e Years

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...“The Chef Jeff Project,”

in which he takes the

opportunity to help others

turn their lives around

through the power of food—

much as he himself

was able to do.

FRESH: You’ve worked on several high-profi le campaigns

during your career. What was it about this one that made it

different in terms of how you organized and executed it?

DP: Two things… the candidate and the supporters.

We had a candidate who motivated millions of people and

supporters who did heroic things. That was the foundation

for our campaign.

FRESH: Did you know right away that this one would

be different?

DP: We assumed there would be some grassroots energy,

but didn’t know the scale of it. Everyone wants to hear

about the tools and technology we used, but none of that

matters unless you have a connection between the candi-

date and the people.

David Plouffe

Obama Presidential Campaign Manager and Grassroots Guru

FRESH Interview with

David Plouffe is the renowned communications strategist who fueled President Barack Obama’s meteoric rise and record-breaking fundraising. Under his leadership, the Obama campaign created an online brand loyalty program that is arguably the most successful grassroots move-ment in history. President Obama cited Plouffe as the unsung hero of the campaign.

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The Unsung Hero

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...“The Chef Jeff Project,”

in which he takes the

opportunity to help others

turn their lives around

through the power of food—

much as he himself

was able to do.

FRESH: Was there an event or a time in your life when

you knew this is what you had to do?

DP: I was involved in politics for over 20 years. My first

job was knocking on doors. I liked organizing people.

This is what politics was supposed to be. What fueled it

was the grassroots work. And what you can’t replicate

about this campaign is the inspiration that came from

the candidate, the X-factor.

FRESH: You’ve had some successful and some unsuc-

cessful campaigns for candidates. Did you have a clear

sense up front about which candidates would win and

which would lose?

DP: No. The external factors that you couldn’t control

would determine the outcome. The most important

indicator of the success of an election is if the candidate

knows why he is running for office. With Obama, he had

a steadiness that people found appealing. Whether they

agreed with him or not, they had a sense that he was the

same guy, day in, day out.

FRESH: Without stealing anything critical from your

upcoming discussion at Fresh Summit, can you describe

briefly how you strategize to engender brand loyalty in

this age of real-time super-connectivity?

DP: We did not believe Barack Obama was a brand.

We tried to bring loyalty to the cause. We tried to be

faithful, honest, to trust people, to be consistent and

clear about what was important. We also wanted to

communicate with people so they felt heard and listened

to, and believed in their role in the campaign.

FRESH: Can you describe how it felt to experience such

an historical election win and then two days later have a

baby daughter?

DP: The baby was actually due before the campaign, so

the timing worked out really well. It snapped me back to

reality very quickly; I didn’t have time to luxuriate in the

victory and that was a good thing. Those 3 a.m. feedings

will get you back to reality pretty fast.

FRESH: Could you please talk a little bit about your book,

The Audacity to Win? How did you chronicle your path

from the earliest days of the campaign? And when can

we expect to see your book?

DP: The book is due out in November. I’m really enjoying

it; it’s an important story to tell. My hope is that people

will understand the power of grassroots, how we put it

together, and the different tactics and methods we used

to put it together. It’s a nice story about people and an

important victory.

“We assumed there would be some grassroots energy,

but didn’t know the scale of it.”

During David Plouffe’s General Session entitledThe Art of the Possible: Online Branding Strategies

and Tactics, you’ll learn how your business can adopt the tactics employed by the

Obama campaign to attract and engage consumers. Mark your calendar for Sunday, October 4,

from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. during the Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposi-

11

Kevin Carroll’s passion for playing ball comes from a desperate effort to stay alive at the age of six.

Left alone in a trailer in Virginia for fi ve days by their nomadic, substance-addicted mother, Kevin, 6, and his brothers, 8 and 3, summoned the courage to ask a neighbor for help. What followed was an odyssey that took the boys 200 miles by bus to live out the rest of their child-hood with their aging grandparents near Philadelphia.

Down the street from his grandparents home, young Kevin found a park. It was there that he discovered sports and found a community of kids that welcomed him with no conditions. “All a six-year-old kid wants is to fi t in,” muses Carroll. “I fi gured that if a ball could create that kind of community, I might as well play it as much as I can.”

So he did. He played basketball, baseball, soccer, volley-ball, football—any kind of ball there was to play. And he never stopped. Eventually he went on to become an athletic trainer, teacher, activist, and author.

“I didn’t choose this work; it chose me,” he stresses, now moving on to our next topic about play. “I always sought out play that involved others. That’s what became the driving force for me.”

Keeping the ball rolling—Kevin Carroll taps the transformative power of play.

KevinCarroll

Hear how a fun and stimulating

work environment can result in

stronger, more successful companies

during Kevin Carroll’s General Session

entitled Bringing Fun and Passion to

Your Work, scheduled for Monday,

October 5, from 8:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

during the Fresh Summit International

Convention & Exposition.

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Carroll recognizes that a lot of things that happen during play as a child serve as magical lessons: how to solve problems, settle disputes, work together, and discover what you love to do. So he interviewed 33 well-known people whom he thought successfully blurred the line between work and play.

All of them were shocked when they made the connection between the work they do and the answer to Carroll’s question, “What was your favorite form of play as a child?” These stories form the basis of Carroll’s third book in the Red Rubber Ball series, The Red Rubber Ball at Work.

Kevin Carroll witnessed firsthand the transforming power of play. So it’s only natural that he would want to help spread that message to others who really need to hear it. Enter Sport for Social Change, the international, U.N.-endorsed initiative pioneered by CARE that uses the

power of sports to lift people out of poverty, one team at a time.

Carroll has been all over the globe, from Capetown to Copenhagen, Milbourne to Milan, and has seen lives, neighborhoods, and entire villages transformed by the summoning power of sports through this CARE initiative. By taking children and adults who exist on the fringes of society or in abject poverty, and teaching them how to play sports together as a team, the end result is life- changing, and—according to Carroll—a surefire way to change entire societies.

For Kevin Carroll, it all started with a bouncing ball. Join him at Fresh Summit where he’ll share more of his riveting story about how he’s managed to keep that ball from ever stopping.

13

While walking into the Food Safety Symposium at the Foodservice Conference & Expo in July, a reluctant attendee asked Dr. Bob Whitaker, Chief Science Officer at PMA, if this was “going to be just another boring food safety talk.” Whitaker chuckled and assured the man it wasn’t.

And by all counts, Whitaker was right. But why was this one different? You take a scientist (Whitaker) who is also a businessman—who understands the challenges facing all sides—and add to that an attorney who promises that everyone will become a target when an adulterated product enters the food stream, and you’ve got yourself the makings for an event that doesn’t even come close to dull.

“Is your company the next food safety headline?” was the question that shocked the room into listening. What followed was something unique. It was a gather-ing that focused not on the problems, or even on the science, but on the integration of shared strength to create solutions.

Building on the notion of a food safety culture, Whitaker, joined by Lorna Christie, PMA’s Chief Operating Officer, emphasized the importance of recognizing the new business rules and prioritizing a strategic plan. And guess what sits at the top of that list? You guessed it. Food Safety. “It’s simply part of the new business model, one of the cornerstones of prosperity,” muses Whitaker.

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PMA’S FOOD SAFETY SYMPOSIUM:NOT JUST ANOTHER SESSION ON FOOD SAFETY.

IS YOUR COMPANY THE NEXT FOOD SAFETY HEADLINE?

“Somewhere in our collective consciousness

we have to share the responsibility. We have to personalize

the impact of food safety.”Lorna Christie, PMA Chief Operating Officer

“The net takeaway,” said Christie, “is that there is a face behind every food safety decision you make.” She then proceeded to list names: a three-year-old, a grandmother, a teenager. Every name with a story, and every story with a tragic outcome, the fallout of a brutal foodborne illness. “Somewhere in our collective consciousness we have to share the responsibility,” she laments. “We have to personalize the impact of food safety.”

When the session ended, the reluctant attendee apol-ogized to Whitaker because, he said, “you were right; this one was different.”

15

A Food Safety roundtable workshop will be held at Fresh Summit on Friday, October 2,

from 2:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Check the schedule for additional sessions on topics related

to food safety. The next Food Safety Symposium will be held on October 14, 2009,

at Wegmans’ headquarters in Rochester, New York. Hear what leaders have to say

about the symposium at www.pmafoodsafety.com.

Presenting Sponsor: KPG Solutions, Inc.

When potted orchids sitting amidst blueberries and peaches beckon passing shoppers, is this a hint that floral décor may be-come a new part of eat-at-home consumer purchases?

Random sightings of interesting store displays are not precursors of a trend. However, what is obvious is the star power of produce—attracting customers. Astute supermarket merchan-disers are recognizing how to leverage new sales opportuni-ties by placing floral displays adjacent to fruits and vegetables, or positioning the displays inside the produce area as a colorful attraction.

“No question about it, floral and produce go together, and nowhere is there a more spec-tacular version of that match-up

than Fresh Summit,” observed Jack Pearlstein, president of Nurserymen’s Exchange, the show’s longest participating floral exhibitor for 33 years, beginning in 1976. “And, in each continuing year of our participation, not only do I see growth in both attendance and exhibits, but also more new exhibitors from around the world.” Of the 84 floral exhibitors in 2008, more than 20 were non-U.S.— ranging from China, Japan, and South Korea to Israel, Netherlands, Germany, and Spain, as well as from Cen-tral and South America—emphasizing the show’s growing international flavor and content.

“We remain committed to the show because ninety-five percent of our business relates to home décor, and buyers

are here from every retail channel,” Pearlstein said. “These annual contacts continue to be great learning experiences for us—to discuss and exchange ideas regarding consumer and category trends, to become aware of new demographics, and to hear first-hand about economic shifts and changes in specific markets.”

Nurserymen’s Exchange and PMA share somewhat the same longevity—with the Exchange as the elder, founded eight years earlier in 1941. “Today, our company is one of the largest wholesalers of indoor plants, tropical foliage, and decorative accessories targeted at the home décor/consumer goods market,” Pearlstein noted. “Our Bloomrite brand is nationally recognized by retailers covering all major channels, and our in-house design capabilities, state-of-the-art greenhouses, and breeder partners support sophisticated manufacturing and marketing programs for the creation and distribution of innovative home decorative live plant, flowering, and foliage products across the country.”

An interesting dimension to Nurserymen’s successful growth is what Pearlstein calls the underpinning of the enterprise— extensive facilities that operate in both California and Florida, including growing and manufacturing capabilities.

“I see PMA as our partner over the years—both of us committed to building the floral industry, and with PMA providing wonderful programs and the mechanism of Fresh Summit, to help stimulate members’ commercial success,” commented Pearlstein. “Together, we span 128 years of service and initiative—we are proud to be identified with PMA.”

Floral and produce go hand-in hand, like Nurserymen’s Exchange and PMA.

16

LONGEST FLORAL EXHIBITOR AT FRESH SUMMIT

How?How does a business start?

“In this case, there was a real Aunt

Mid,” recounts Philip Riggio, chairman

and CEO of Aunt Mid’s Produce Co.,

describing his fruit and vegetable

processing operation in Detroit.

“Actually, the woman’s name was

Mildred—referred to as Aunt Mid in

the neighborhood—and she grew

spinach in the back yard of her home

in this area,” Riggio recalled. “In

1948, Mildred began selling small

amounts to a start-up food pro-

cessing company. The owner was

so pleased with the quality of the

spinach, and the great response he

was getting from retail customers,

that he created the brand name and

renamed the company.”

When Riggio bought the company

in 1984, he decided to keep the

name because of what he terms was

“recognition of the quality value by

customers.” Today, more than 200

products carry the name of Aunt

Mid’s. “It’s a testimonial,” he says,

“to our continuing adherence to

exacting standards of quality, starting

with our growers and continuing right

through the process of our safety stan-

dards and packaging.”

From the beginning of his ownership

of the company, Riggio recognized

that growth and success demanded

more than knowing how to process

and package fruits and vegetables,

and knowing more than his imme-

diate circle of business activity in

Michigan and surrounding states.

“I attended my first PMA show in

1984, and discovered there was

nothing like it,” he recalls. “There

were exhibitors and visitors from

every part of the country—including

some from elsewhere in the world—

and from that year I never missed

a PMA.” For 25 consecutive years,

Riggio has been dedicated in his

attendance, in later years joined by

members of the company represent-

ing different functions and responsi-

bilities. “It’s a great learning experi-

ence—from the workshops to meeting

with exhibitors, plus the renewal of

friendships and benefiting from new

commercial opportunities.”

“When I see the extraordinary inno-

vations in consumer packaging of

fresh produce, I like to think that the

fresh spinach consumer package

in 1948, labeled Aunt Mid’s, was a

great contribution to that progress,”

Riggio commented. “That’s quite a

leap from a one-room start-up com-

pany to our sophisticated processing

lines and the science of food safety

and quality control.”

And, a new Riggio generation has

emerged during the 25 years—

three sons, all actively involved in

the company’s operations. “We have

grown and prospered right along

with PMA’s own growth and its excep-

tional service to the industry, and to its

members. We’re pleased to help cel-

ebrate this significant milestone and

we thank PMA for opening the world

of produce to us.”

From backyard gardensto successful business:

MEET

17

FOUNDING PMA MEMBER

Are you familiar with the navel orange Mother Tree?

By any standard, its claim to fame in American agriculture is astonishing.

Consider the facts: not only does the mother tree still continue to flourish 136 years after it was brought to America from Brazil, but most importantly, its buds have produced millions of other navel trees over the years. And, these descendants have made an extraordinary impact in two ways—by helping establish California’s multi-billion dollar citrus industry, and contributing to the birth of a world-class fresh produce company—Sunkist Growers.

The story began in 1873 when American missionaries in Brazil sent two orange navel trees to the city of Riverside in California. Local growers Eliza and Luther Tibetts acquired the trees and carefully nurtured them. Soon, the Tibetts were doing a great business in selling buds for $5 each to other growers. Popularity of the seedless, sweet oranges was immediate, and the cultivation of new navel groves began rapidly.

18

INNOVATIONAND PERSEVERANCE.

MOTHER TREE STANDS FOR

THE

Growing navel demand also sparked innovative think-ing about ways to reach out to greater numbers of consumers beyond California. Particularly effective were the railroads’ ice bunker cars to ship fresh fruit to populous eastern markets, assuring product fresh-ness and consumer appeal.

Twenty years after the arrival of the navels in California, their continuing popularity and consumer preference led to the beginning of an organized citrus industry in the state, and energized a group of growers to create the Sunkist cooperative -- ultimately leading to world-wide recognition of the brand name.

“That tree in Riverside is a distinct part of our history,” said Claire Smith, Director of Corporate Communications, Sunkist Growers. “And, when we look at the 60th anniversary of PMA and Sunkist’s continuous support as an exhibitor for 54 of those years, we see two organizations who have prosperedand grown together—interacting for more than a half century, each contributing strength and purpose to the other.”

“And the partnership has become stronger year after year,” Claire observed. “We’re into everything with PMA—from being an exhibitor and a supporter of industry initiatives to serving on committees and accepting leadership roles. Face-to-face involvement is our productive way of enjoying maximum value from our membership—and contributing our skills and talents to industry service.”

That vigorous approach in the company’s half-century involvement with PMA also is evident in the way it handles its business. Today, Sunkist is the longest continually-operating agricultural marketing coopera-tive in the world with thousands of growers in California and Arizona—most of whom are small family farmers. Now in its second century of global growth, Sunkist has created robust export and licensing programs with products in 50 countries on fi ve continents.

The roots of the mother tree have spread far.

FRESH SUMMIT EXHIBITOR FOR 54 YEARS

19

20999.indd 19 9/21/09 7:39:30 AM

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Booth 2478 at Fresh Summit 2009 in Anaheim

20

A small country with a fruitful presence in the world.

CH

ILE

Success stories describing how determination and perseverance can overcome obstacles to a goal are familiar in our life experiences. Even children learn early about those values in a popular story, The Little Engine That Could.

This universal urge to succeed also has found a place in Fresh Summit.

It’s the account of how a small produce trading organization, representing a small country, learned how to effectively use its presence in the 1981 PMA exposition to introduce its country’s products to the North American market—then building on that experience to create a thriving acceptance year after year. Next winter, when oranges and grape-fruits from Chile begin to show up for the first time in U.S. and Canadian supermarkets, their arrival will cap an extraordinary marketing initiative that delivers a wide array of Chilean fresh fruit to North American consumers.

Today, the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) remains the longest participating non-U.S. exhibi-tor in Fresh Summit.

“The compelling reason of our steady commit-ment for 28 years lies in our marketing strategy,” explains Tom Tjerandsen, CFFA’s Managing Director for North America. “We found that the PMA exposition in the fall provides us with the perfect opportunity to bring news of our product availability to the country’s top retailers—who use that information to plan their merchandising programs for the first quarter of the following year. We see the decision-makers in one place at one time, and we see them at a strategic time.”

CFFA’s initial determination and perseverance have not diminished. “We see the opportunities continue to grow,“ observed Tjerandsen. “In 1980, Chile accounted for 25 percent of all fresh fruit ex-ported from the southern hemisphere. Today, Chile is well above the 50 percent mark. And, the variety and volume of products coming to North America will have grown dramatically. This year, we will offer 72 different items—which translates to 125 million shipping boxes, half of which will be for grapes. The other leading products are apples, blueberries, nectarines, avocados, peaches, plums, pears, and cherries. This is a mix demonstrating Chile’s great agricultural capabilities.”

Chile’s continuing positive experience did not go unnoticed by other countries. In 2008, Fresh Summit attracted 67 non-U.S. exhibitors—a leap in growth that emphasized the show’s exceptional role as a showcase for products from around the world. And, 2,688 visitors from over 50 countries came to see the exhibits and benefit from exposure to new contacts, new ideas, and new commercial opportunities.

“We take pride in that we may have led the way for other countries to help establish PMA as an international forum,” said Tjerandsen. “That pride will be evident in our sponsorship this year of the opening welcome reception for all attending the show—a wonderful way to increase the awareness of Chilean fruit and increase the visibility of Chile’s agricultural prominence.”

21

LONGEST FRESH SUMMIT EXHIBITOR OUTSIDE OF THE U.S.

“Our kids deserve an opportunity not only to have a high quality education, but to have

access to opportunities and activities not available

in their schools.”

22

UUpon meeting Condoleezza Rice, she unseats you with her calming presence, her quiet confi dence, her humility. She is unabashedly happy to be back in private life, having returned to Stanford University, where she taught political science prior to becoming the 66th United States Secretary of State in the administra-tion of President George W. Bush. Dr. Rice has an impressive list of things on which she’d like to focus her energy—and her new-found time.

“Being at Stanford is like coming back home for me,” says Dr. Rice, who is teaching MBA and under-graduate courses beginning this fall. She is introducing a new course on decision simulation. The idea is to give students a real view of what it’s like to make a diffi cult decision, then have them role-play so they can see the complexities of that situation. They’ll learn what it’s like to be forced to make a decision with incomplete information, possibly resulting in unintended consequences.

Teaching helps fulfi ll Rice’s passion for education. She is particularly fervent about K-12 education, work-ing with schools in California and on the Peninsula, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, and with the Center for a New Gen-eration—an after-school academic enrichment program that Rice co-founded in 1991 (before she left for

the White House)—to maximize those years and give underprivileged kids a chance for an extra step toward success in life.

“Our kids deserve an opportunity not only to have a high quality education, but to have access to opportunities and activities not available in their schools where the budgets have been cut – things like music, which is both a great discipline and an enhancer of cognitive skills like math and language,” she notes.

When she allows herself some down-time, Rice plays the piano (she is an accomplished concert pianist), and works on her two upcoming books, one about foreign policy, and one about her parents. She notes that, without a doubt, her parents were the most infl uential force in helping her achieve such a high level of success. “They were both educators and great promoters of education, not just for me, but in the community. They were extraordinary ordinary people who gave me every opportunity to become successful.”

Another of Rice’s passions is women’s empowerment around the world. “When women are empowered, it makes for more decent societies,” says Rice. “It makes a difference in the economy, in the way boys are raised, in so many critical areas of society.” She delighted in the

victory of the fi rst Kuwaiti women who won their country’s election this past spring, and would like to see more women become foreign ministers, leaders and facilitators for the United Nations council resolution.

Dr. Rice works with One-Woman Initiative, an international women’s empowerment group that she helped launch in 2008, to fund organiza-tions that work to promote greater access for women within the Muslim world. Someone gave her a T-shirt that reads, “Half democracy is no democracy at all.”

Is there hope? “Yes,” she emphasizes. “Afghan women have rights they didn’t have ten years ago. And they will continue to have more rights. There will always be dark places in the world. We just have to keep put-ting a spotlight on the dark places so that people pay attention to them and work to change them.”

Life after the White House offers opportunities to continue making a positive impact.

CondoleezzaRice

Don’t miss One-On-One with Condoleezza Rice on Friday, October 2,

from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. during the PMA Fresh Summit International

Convention & Exposition.

23

20999.indd 23 9/21/09 7:39:30 AM

Congressional hearings. Public meetings. Consumer activism. A year ago, produce traceability was an arcane business standardization topic that interested only a few industry leaders. Today, produce traceability is headline news. It took too many high-profile foodborne illness out-breaks to bring on the spotlight—and addressing the topic squarely can help remove it.

The industry has maintained records on what product went where since the 1907 Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. The Bioterrorism Act of 2002 further required food companies to be able to trace product one step forward and one step back. So produce traceability is nothing new. In fact, PMA and Canadian Produce Marketing Association first issued guidance on standardizing produce traceability in 2002, recognizing the business efficiencies to be had from following standards set years before prepared foods and consumer packaged goods.

“What is new is today’s modern reality: we simply must be able to better safe-guard public health, and better protect our companies in the process,” says PMA traceability expert Gary Fleming. “Internal company traceability and paper record-keeping are no longer enough.”

“Key stakeholders—including the U.S. government and consumers—now expect and deserve more. Industry will also benefit, by being able to identify and swiftly locate implicated product, less-ening the impact of a recall situation on the implicated company and their entire industry. Consider it an insurance policy,”

suggests Fleming, “one you can’t afford to do without.”

In August 2008, the fifty-plus members of the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) steering committee unveiled a plan for providing a real-world, workable trace-ability solution. Once the PTI’s seven milestones are completed by 2012, the produce supply chain will have moved to chain-wide, electronic product traceability at the case level:

Milestones 1 and 2: obtain a company prefix from GS1, and assign Global Trade Item Numbers to every case configuration (first quarter 2009)

Milestone 3: communicate GTINs to buyers (third quarter 2009)

Milestone 4: provide human-readable labels on each case (third quarter 2010)

Milestone 5: provide machine-readable labels (third quarter 2010)

Milestone 6: read and store inbound case information (2011)

Milestone 7: read and store outbound case information (2012)

Central to the PTI Solution: handlers will augment their existing information systems to track a case’s GTIN and lot number—both by human-readable and also via barcodes to enable the automatic capture and storage of this information. Even after the physical case has shipped or been discarded, each handler will have an electronic record of when that particu-lar case entered and left its facility.

Enhancing the industry’s traceability capability is no easy task. But it has real

Enhanced

Right for the TimesProduce Traceability:

26

benefits, both for business and consumers. Most companies are already doing most of what’s called for by the PTI action plan. Help is available, from the PTI sponsoring associations, PMA, United Fresh Produce Association and Canadian Produce Marketing Association. For milestone-by-milestone tools and other resources, visit the PTI Web site at www.producetraceability.org. For more hands-on learning, participate in a PMA Fresh Connections traceability event, or visit the Produce Traceability Learning Center at Fresh Summit in October (see sidebar).

With the PTI, the industry is creating its own good news, and is leading by example. Those kinds of headlines everyone can live with—industry, the public health community, and our end consumers.

Enhancing the industry’s traceability

capacity is no easy task.

But it has real benefits,

both for business and consumers.

27

FAMOUS SOFTWAREEstablished in 1975, and based in one of the world’s leading agricultural centers, Famous Software provides world-class software solutions to the fresh produce industry. Its products provide real-time inventory management and sales functions, fully integrated EDI/e-commerce support, and robust financial accounting systems, with the flexibility to address the ongoing challenges that face the fresh produce industry.

With over 1,500 installations and more than 10,000 users, Famous Software is a leading provider of management information systems to the fresh produce industry. Its Windows Oracle-based products are utilized by medium to large perishables growers, packers, shippers, distributors, and wholesalers, as well as agricultural service providers and accounting professionals.

With a staff of top business and agribusiness school graduates, most of whom have hands-on industry experience, Famous Software’s enthusiastic, goal-oriented professionals

provide comprehensive business solutions and technical advice to diverse users.

In response to customer requests and as a result of changing industry requirements, Famous Software’s product offerings are developed and tested with cutting-edge technologies and are continuously evolving. Recent releases of its software have included support for govern-ment COOL requirements, RFID, Report Administration, Famous-to-Famous electronic transactions, and support for the PTI initiative.

Famous Software invests in continuing education of its customers and staff with a focus that extends beyond its products and services. Its library of white papers demonstrates its ability to tackle tough industry issues with a practical approach to solutions. Its website library includes recently published white papers on Traceability, COOL, PTI Q&A, H2A, RFID, and EDI/e-commerce integration. In addition to electronic and printed literature, Famous Software educates its customers utilizing release seminars, focus groups, webinars, and onsite consulting and training.

Want a hands-on traceability learning experience? Then plan now to visit the Produce Traceability Learning Center at PMA’s Fresh Summit International Convention and Exposition this October. Fresh Summit will be held October 2 - 5; the Traceability Learning Center will be open October 3 - 5.

Located on the trade show floor, the center offers an opportunity for Fresh Summit attendees to learn more about the PTI plan and milestones. The Produce Traceability Learning Center will also feature: a live workshop on PTI milestones, take-home literature, Question & Answers with leading retailers who have endorsed the initiative, office hours with traceability experts, and traceability solutions from leading industry suppliers, including the center’s Premier presenting company, Famous Software.

Produce Traceability Learning Center

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Celebrating 60 Years

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28

The proposed National Fruit & Vegetable Research & Promotion Board concept has generated a lot of debate. In an effort to address questions and concerns that have been raised about promotion programs, Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) contacted Dr. Harry Kaiser, Director of the Cornell Commodity Promotion and Research Program, and Professor of Marketing, for answers. Dr. Kaiser has conducted independent research on generic advertising programs for more than 20 years and has published hundreds of research articles about them.

Dr. Kaiser’s detailed responses to several questions and/or concerns raised about a fruit & vegetable promotion board can be found on the website www.fvcampaign.org. In summary, based on other research and his professional opinion:

• The median average for these types of programs is a 10-fold return on investment to the producer, or whoever pays

• Thebulkofthecostwouldbebornebytheconsumer

• While there would be a small increase in production due to enhanced consumer demand, the net result is a sustainable price increase due to the promotion program

According to Dr. Kaiser, there is no reason to believe a National Fruit & Vegetable Research & Promotion Board wouldn’t work for the entire fruit/vegetable category, although it is unlikely that each commodity would reap the same amount of benefit. In other words, the proposed generic promotion board would be expected to grow the overall fruit/vegetable category, but each individual commodity or business would need to continue to work to garner its portion of an expanded category.

PBH thanks Taylor Farms for providing necessary resources that allowed Dr Kaiser to address these questions.

Dr. Kaiser will be available for further questions as a panelist at the National Fruit & Vegetable Research & Promotion Board Town Hall at 9:35 a.m. Saturday, October 3, during PMA’s Fresh Summit in Anaheim.

In June, PBH e-mailed an electronic survey to growers, shippers, pro-cessors, and importers on the topic of the proposed National Fruit & Vegetable Research & Promotion Board. A summary of survey results, data tables, and the survey questions, along with more information about the National Fruit & Vegetable Research & Promotion Board concept, can be seen online at www.fvcampaign.org.

29

KPG Solutions has been providing

answers to the produce industry for

26 years. In that time, it has formed

close partnerships with PMA and its

members by providing consulting ser-

vices and scalable software solutions

to companies with a few employees,

to companies with thousands.

This summer, Ernesto Nardone, COO,

joined KPG after spending 22 years

at IBM, implementing worldwide

projects. “There are two key factors

that differentiate us from our competi-

tors. First, we built this system for the

fresh produce industry. Second, and

most importantly, with a single phone

call from a customer, we will tailor our

systems to our customers’ practices,

instead of the other way around.

We look at their existing business pro-

cesses and give them flexible solutions

that will work for their operations. ”

KPG Solutions, a PMA Gold Circle

member, chose to partner with PMA

because “PMA’s focus is to enable and

enrich its membership community in

the marketplace through education,

communication, advocacy, and net-

working,” says Nardone. “Our role

within that is communicating the

importance of food safety measures,

and to show other members how this

opportunity gives them greater control

and management of their business and

greater consumer confidence in their

product and in the industry overall.”

Why does a produce company need

KPG? “We understand the customers’

viewpoint, we know their business,”

says Nardone. “At times, our produce

customers call us to say, ‘How do we

handle this in our business, again?’

Many of our employees are from

the produce industry and we help

customers reduce costs, achieve

improved yields, and—yes—become

PTI (Produce Traceability Initiative)-

compliant through utilization our our

KiSS software and with our business

consulting practice.”

The ability to anticipate customer

needs doesn’t spring from being holed

up in an office. In addition to receiving

calls from customers where they may

make immediate changes to their

system on the spot for the benefit of

the client, KPG’s inspiration for new

product development comes, in large

part, from its own customers, in what

it terms the SilverMan Symposium.

KPG assembles key people from its

customer base, puts them together in

a room, and then brainstorms about

how the KiSS system is being used and

how it could become even more useful.

Then KPG builds enhancements or

functionality specifically from the

output of those meetings.

“Right now, we’re the only company

in the U.S. that can offer both trace-

ability and food safety management

software with seamless integration to

PTI compliant traceability systems,”

notes Nardone. He also points out that

KiSS was not created in response to

the food safety crises, but rather

generated as a proactive tactic that

demonstrates the company’s vision

and innovative spirit.

“Our product has been in use in

Europe for the last 15 years. It’s a

great time to be in this industry,” says

Nardone. “It’s a great time to be able

to help customers.”

KPG Solutions will be at Booth #1602 at Fresh Summit.

KPG Solutions offers flexible systems to meet and anticipate customer needs.

As the Presenting Sponsor of PMA’s Food Safety Symposia, KPG Solutions demonstrates its commitment to helping PMA members

adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing environment.

Making Inroads in

Lee Mannering, PMA Government Relations and Public Affairs Manager, offered FRESH Magazine some insight into how government is responding to some of our top concerns.

Washington

30

between the two bills. When both bodies pass the confer-ence report and President Obama signs such legislation, the work will shift to the FDA to promulgate rules to implement and enforce the new law.

The House bill includes provisions for produce safety regulations, mandatory traceability programs, mandatory recall authority for FDA, and more. The Senate will start its food safety debate with the bill offered by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL.)

PMA has been providing expertise from its staff and members to both chambers of Congress as this issue has moved forward and as a result we have seen significant improvements to this legislation. We have also had ongo-ing discussions with FDA on industry food safety practices, particularly traceability.

Is government any closer to establishing an inter-agency task force that will create a single food agency designed to bring all sides together?

While a single food safety agency continues to come up on Capitol Hill, the White House Inter-Agency Work Group on Food Safety (which consists of USDA and HHS) has not recommended a single food agency and this concept is not part of the House or Senate food safety bills.

In July, the work group announced policy initiatives to enhance our nation’s food safety system. Some of these initiatives have been made public already, with FDA’s announcement of commodity-specific food safety guidelines for leafy greens, tomatoes, and melons. Final regulations for these commodities are expected within two years.

Other Inter-Agency Work Group efforts include guidance on traceback for the entire food industry, with FDA to issue draft guidance before the end of 2009. Also, there will be improved communication between federal, state, and local food safety agencies, as well as improved capacity of states to investigate food safety outbreaks.

What is happening with the farm worker bills in Washington?

In mid-May, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Repre-sentatives Howard Berman (D-CA) and Adam Putnam (R-FL) introduced the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2009, also known as AgJOBS. When enacted, AgJOBS will overhaul the existing H-2A temporary agricultural worker program to make it more reliable and affordable. This is a long-term labor solution. To stabilize and provide transition time, AgJOBS allows the most experienced and valued farm workers a chance to earn legal status if they meet strict conditions including years of future agricultural work.

In early August, President Obama said that Congress would not be able to pass an immigration bill until next year, acknowledging that more pressing items on his agenda have crowded out the issue.

How is this administration impacting the industry’s ability to promote sustainability practices and/or greater consump-tion of fresh produce?

From establishing the White House Kitchen Garden to the USDA People’s Garden, it is clear that the Obama Admin-istration has a keen interest in sustainability, health, and nutrition. Earlier this year, PMA President Bryan Silbermann and PMA Chairman of the Board Dave Corsi of Wegmans visited White House domestic policy staff and USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan and discussed nutrition issues at length, including concrete ways to fulfill the administration’s stated goal of increasing fresh fruits and vegetables in the American diet. Plus, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack—whose agency is responsible for food stamps, school breakfast and lunch, and programs to help pregnant women and newborns—has promised to make a serious effort to market good eating habits.

PMA also discussed the industry’s sustainability efforts with officials at USDA, who are finalizing their Conservation Stewardship Program’s policies and procedures.

What advances, if any, have been made in the Durban and Costa-Putnam and Dingell bills?

In late July, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, moving one step closer to new food safety regulations for the country—including new rules for fresh produce. The Senate must next take up food safety legislation. No timetable has been set for that, though we expect consideration this fall. Once the Senate passes its version of this food safety bill, a joint House and Senate conference committee will resolve any differences

31

KATHY MEANSVP, GOV’T RELATIONS

BOB wHITAKERCHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER

32

How do you

Is it self-congratulation for the safe arrival at a destination—

a hurrah moment in pausing at another milestone?

Most of us will agree it’s a two part event: reflecting on

happenings and circumstances fixed in time, including

life’s what-ifs, and confidently looking ahead to new

opportunities and new challenges.

For PMA, the what-if is whether the association would exist

today if not for the sheer grit of board members who

provided life support for the struggling Produce Packaging

Association after its founding in 1949. The grimmest year—

also the turning point—was 1958 when the association was

forced to move from New York to Newark, Delaware, after

discovery of the theft of convention funds by a PPA staff

member. It was a particularly somber time, on the brink

of total failure, when a vacant store-front barber shop in

Newark became the new PPA office.

“A very bleak financial situation”—that was the assessment

of association board member Bob Bull, an agricultural

marketing professor at the University of Delaware. To help the

association re-establish itself, PPA’s president persuaded

the dean of the agriculture college to loan Bull for part-time

assistance. What proved to be Bull’s most decisive act, and

PPA’s salvation, was in recruiting his top graduate assistant

Robert L. Carey to take the job as Executive Secretary.

In 1959, with cautious optimism, Carey moved the office

to a rented house in Newark. “You just operate on a shoe

string,” he said. “That’s what we did.” The rest is history.

From its early emphasis on produce terminal relationships

and consumer pre-packaging, Carey guided the association

to a new awareness of the importance of marketing, includ-

ing the name change to Produce Marketing Association—

and the beginning of broadening its scope of member

participation to include floral and foodservice, and creating

a new level of involvement with the booming supermarket

industry. He developed a sound financial structure for

PMA, attracted professional managers to direct member

programs, encouraged learning about new technology

applications that would benefit members and the industry,

fostered cooperation with other associations and gov-

ernment agencies, helped create the original Five-A-Day

program to stimulate produce consumption, and launched

a campaign to attract more international exhibitors and

visitors to the annual convention.

Among the many tributes to his leadership, Carey was

honored by The Packer as The Produce Man For All Seasons.

At the time, an industry observer commented, “the tribute

should really read, The Produce Man For All Seasons… And

All Reasons”.

an anniversary?How do you

celebrate

While today’s challenges are clearly

different, the zeal that marked the

drives for innovation and change

in PMA’s formative years has

not diminished.

33

When Bob Carey arrived at retirement in 1996, after 38

years of service, his legacy was evident in PMA’s successful

programs, and in the stability and strength of the association

with its membership of 2,500. Prominent in his initiatives

was the beginning of PMA’s global outreach activity. In that

year, non-U.S. attendance at Fresh Summit jumped to nearly

1,500—with growing numbers of non-U.S. companies also

being attracted as exhibitors.

“It was a great leap forward,” recalled Nancy Tucker, Vice

President of Global Business Development. “It was the first

year that we topped the 1,000 mark.” Fourteen years later at

this year’s Fresh Summit, the leap in global outreach will be

measured not only by an international attendance that will

likely exceed 3,500, but, also by the unveiling of a dramatic

initiative for a stronger, more productive connection with in-

ternational members.

This new dimension envisions the creation of a truly global

PMA by building chapters in appropriate countries and re-

gional hubs. The first chapter that will function within this

initiative is PMA Australia - New Zealand—reflecting a long-

term, strong relationship with the produce industries in both

countries.

“The chapter strategy is built on the philosophy of sharing

PMA’s resources and capabilities with members elsewhere

in the world,” Tucker explained. “The objective is creation

of structures that directly serve local interests including

management of their own affairs and programs, through

their own leaders and boards of directors, and sustained by

their own financial support.”

The program also holds the promise of larger benefits. “That

will come in the sharing of ideas, information, programs, and

progress in both directions,” she said. “We can learn from

each other in the application of best practices on issues

common to both of us.” Future chapters will grow based on

local demand. One potential is in Mexico, where a Council of

local industry volunteers already exists and PMA visibility is

familiar through long-term Fresh Summit contacts plus es-

tablished, extensive cross-border commercial relationships.

“In looking ahead, we’re confident that PMA’s global dimen-

sion will continue to grow because our produce and floral in-

dustries will continue on their own global growth,” Tucker said.

“Consumers want the availability of fresh items year round,

which means that imports are necessary to compliment

the domestic growing seasons. In addition, imports allow

supermarkets to offer new and exotic products not grown in

this country, increasing the ‘wow’ factor in both the produce

department as well as on the restaurant plate. The global

market also is very important for many of our domestic grow-

ers, offering the opportunity to sell more of their products.”

While today’s challenges are clearly different, the zeal that

marked the drives for innovation and change in PMA’s

formative years has not diminished.

PMA President and CEO Bryan Silbermann emphasizes that

the commitment to deliver benefits to members and the

industry has grown in scope and content with a focus on the

key issues of food safety, traceability, and sustainability.

continued on next page

courage

character

community

34

”We’re also looking over the horizon, creating an exciting

new vehicle with chapters that will provide PMA support to

international members in directly serving their own local

interests,” he said. “The great value in international involve-

ment is learning from each other. That’s particularly true in

the role of Fresh Summit, in continuing to attract greater

numbers of international visitors and exhibitors.”

As chairman-elect of the Partnership for Food Safety

Education, a national program that unites industry,

government, and consumer organizations to teach safe

food handling, Silbermann brings a special perspective to

food safety and traceability. “Seemingly, the two issues

can move on a common track—linked together, in trying to

fi nd defi nitive answers to problems,” he said, noting PMA’s

fi nancial support of the new Center for Produce Safety

(CPS) at the University of California, Davis. “Through specifi c

research projects, the objective at CPS is to examine the

impact of such issues as water quality, composting,

and contamination. Discovery will lead to safer products.

These are practical applications, deliverables that can be of

enormous benefi t to our industry.”

Likewise, practical food safety applications also are a focus

for PMA members, through education programs offered

by Dr. Bob Whitaker, PMA’s Chief Science Offi cer. A key

communications vehicle is PMA’s audio blog, Ask Dr. Bob,

with a multi-part program titled, Building a Food Safety

Culture, discussing basic attributes of the culture, such as

responsibility and knowledge.

“Practical applications also should be at the heart of a

company’s sustainability program,” Silbermann empha-

sized. “Not only should we ask the broad question, is this

good for the environment, but more pointedly, will this

action also benefi t our company—in lowering costs and

helping us operate more effi ciently.” A company which

serves as a model for those goals is PMA member Gills

Onions in Oxnard, California, which turns onion waste

into energy. Its unique system which shreds and presses

tops, tails, and skins is expected to save $700,000

worth of electricity a year, and $400,000 a year in waste

disposal costs. PMA’s interest in sustainability effectiveness

also reaches out to consumers and farmers, through its

Packaging Council, which serves as a forum for discussing

retail packaging solutions and as a founding member of the

Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops, a multi-stakeholder

initiative to develop a system for measuring sustainable

performance throughout specialty crop supply chain.

After 60 years, have we arrived at a destination… with a

slight pause to celebrate… and to look ahead?

At the beginning of this year, Silbermann offered these

thoughts in a magazine article, relevant in this celebration:

“Our new strategic plan is to identify the association’s

direction in moving forward. We identifi ed three core values

that defi ne our members’ story: courage, character, and

community. Our new vision—to strengthen and lead the

global produce community—embraces and leverages an

expansive global collective to connect members to the

best this industry has to offer. Our new mission contains

the key elements of why PMA is in business: to connect,

inform, and deliver business solutions that enhance

members’ prosperity.”

20999.indd 34 9/21/09 7:39:33 AM

35

Author Allan K. Chalmers said, “Crises refine life. In them you discover what you are.” If the 2009 Foodservice Conference was any indication, Mr. Chalmers was dead on. This conference, held in July, boasted the highest attendance in seven years, even in the face of a recession. Even as companies are scaling back in the numbers they send to such events. Even as people wonder if they’ll have a job tomorrow.

The energy at this customary venue in Monterey was palpable and pervasive. The attendees were looking for solutions, and were met with a barrage of them: a one-of-a-kind Food Safety Sym-posium that addressed not only growers, but included all industry members. Results of a first-ever Think Tank—a cooperative effort among PMA, National Restaurant Association, and International Foodservice Distributors Asso-ciation—whose groundbreaking goal is to double consumption of produce in ten years.

But it wasn’t just feel-good talk. There were timelines for specif-ic actions, partnerships formed where each side brings its most useful product to the table. The Center for Produce Safety and Produce for Better Health Foundation are working together for a greater goal. Foodservice people are having lunch with growers. According to a close insider, one of the best parts of this dynamic conference was watching attendees and exhibitors work together to rise to the challenges at hand.

And all of this goes to show that, in a crisis, all bets are off. We have no choice but to collaborate to find real solutions. The 2009 Foodservice Conference & Expo is a glowing reminder of the amazing strides our industry can make when we take an honest look at a challenging situation and share each other’s wisdom.

F O O D S E R V I C E C O N F E R E N C E & E X P O 2 0 0 9 : N E W E N E RG Y A M I D R E C E S S I O N

If you missed the 2009 Foodservice Conference & Expo, catch the highlights at pma.com/foodservice.

Mark your calendar for the 2010 Foodservice Conference & Expo scheduled for July 30 − August 1, 2010, in Monterey, California!

Leadership Level: $500,000+ Produce Marketing Association

Executive Level: $250,000 - $499,999 Castellini Group of Companies

Georgia-Pacific

Jay and Ruth Pack Family Foundation

Mission Produce, Inc.

Pacific International Marketing

Paramount Farms

Taylor Farms, Inc.

Platinum Level: $150,000 - $249,999 The Oppenheimer Group

The Packer

Diamond Level: $100,000 - $149,999 CHEP

Driscoll’s

Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc.

Frontera Produce, Ltd.

Mann Packing Company, Inc.

Produce Business

Progressive Produce Corporation

Sunkist Growers

The Giumarra Companies

Gold Level: $50,000 - $99,999 C. H. Robinson Company Worldwide

Monterey Mushrooms, Inc.

Ocean Mist Farms

The Produce News

Silver Level: $25,000 - $49,999 Apio, Inc.

Ballantine Produce Co., Inc.

Church Brothers, LLC

Combs Produce

Curry & Company

DMA Solutions, Inc.

Family Tree Produce

Gills Onions

Growers Express, LLC

Kegel’s Produce

Keystone Fruit Marketing

Kwik Lok Corporation

Moonlight Companies

Potandon Produce

Sinclair Systems International, LLC

SYSCO/FreshPoint

Veg-Fresh Farms, LLC

Westlake Produce Company

Bronze Level: $10,000 - $24,999 Caito Foods, Inc.

Diversified Restaurant Systems

Family Tree Farms

Famous Software

MCL Fresh, Inc.

MIXTEC Group

The HMC Group Marketing, Inc.

Volm Companies, Inc.

Copper Level: $5,000 - $9,999 AgroFresh, Inc.

Charles E. Gilb Co.

Ciruli Brothers

Coast Produce Company

DLJ Produce, Inc.

Infiniti Décor/Marco Company

Peak of the Market

Sage Fruit Company

Sun Orchard Fruit Co., Inc.

Sweet Darling Sales, Inc.

Unifrutti of America, Inc.

Zumasys, Inc.

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORSAmbassador: $10,000+ Don and Sue Harris

Timothy and Lisa York

Thank youto our Valued Capital Campaign Contributors

CORPORATE CONTRIBUTORS

36

Contributor list as of August 31, 2009

Benefactor: $5,000 - $9,999 Tonya and Rick Antle

Margaret D’Arrigo-Martin

Lisa McNeece

Gina Nucci

Ken Silveira

Delegate: $2,500 - $4,999 Dr. Roberta Cook

Michelle and Dave Corsi

Jan and Duane DeLyser

Bob Di Piazza

Duane and Toni Eaton

Janet and Richard Erickson

Mr. and Mrs. David Figueroa

Bud and Jill Floyd

Peter Goulet

Steve Junqueiro

Dr. Ed and Anne McLaughlin

Mike O’Brien

Greg and Julie Reinauer

Dr. Ron and Cindy Seel

Bryan and Bonnie Silbermann

Dick Spezzano

Steve and Nicole Tursi

Friend: $500 - $2,499 Jim and Cindy Corby

Marty Craner

Matthew Enny

Gene and Anne Harris

Larry and Shelley McIntosh

Sally and Mikel Weber

Career Pathways Program

• 6th annual Pack Family/PMA Career Pathways Program

• 2nd annual FPFC Career Pathways• 1st annual NEPC Career Pathways

2nd annual Fresh Summit Career Fair

• Sponsored by Stemilt Growers to posthumously honor Stemilt founder and respected industry veteran Tom Mathison

• Increasing participation from 15 to 25 companies

Tip Murphy Scholarship for Leadership Excellence

• Funded by the Tip Murphy Legacy Fund

• Applications accepted through October 23 for 2010 scholarship

Best Practices Guides on www.pmafit.com

• Guide to Establishing a Corporate Scholarship

• Guide to Building a Student Internship Program

Upgraded job bank www.producejobsource.com

• International capabilities• Advertising opportunities• 64 registered job seekers• Internship placement

Thanks to the generosity of our visionary contributors, to date we’ve raised

$4,127,000! Our Capital Campaign is coming to a close after the Fresh Summit

International Convention & Exposition. In other words, you have just enough time

to become one of the visionary companies that supports our industry’s talent

initiative. Simply contact us at +1 (302) 738-7100 to fund our mission to attract,

develop, and retain talent for the produce industry.

Here are just some of our successes this year:

The PMA Foundation for Industry Talent

(PMA FIT) celebrates the continued progress

in our $5 million Capital Campaign.

37

38

Fresh: Give us a brief description of your company.

TR: Pacific International Marketing started in 1989 and is today one of the industry’s leading produce companies. We are involved in the growing, packing, shipping, and processing of more than 100 different commodities. Our company is an employee-owned company with 18 stockholders who are involved in all aspects of our business.

Fresh: Can you describe your company’s products and services a little further?

TR: We farm fruits and vegetables in Arizona, California, and Mexico, both organically and conventionally. We are also a processor, cooling company, and harvesting company, in addition to the farming. Basically, from seed to the consumer’s door, we can fulfill all those requirements.

Fresh: How has your company evolved through the years to meet changing demands?

TR: The produce business changes every day with new products, packag-ing, and changing desires. Because of our closely held nature, we are able to react very quickly; we have no bureaucracy to get in our way.

Fresh: what role has human capital played in getting your company where it is today?

TR: Human capital is everything to our business. Without people that you can trust a job to, allowing you to move to the next project, we could never have come this far.

Fresh: Do you think we are facing a people with talent shortage or simply a people shortage?

TR: People with talent, definitely. You can teach someone about the business, but you can’t teach them passion; that comes from within. I’m seeing that there are less people with a passion for produce.

Fresh: How do you see the impending talent shortage affecting our industry?

TR: It goes back to the last question. I’m not seeing the people with the passion for produce. With passion comes innovation and foresight, and that grows an industry.

Fresh: Does your company offer any type of training program(s)? If so, tell us about your program(s).

TR: Pacific International Marketing has, throughout the years, offered summer intern programs to both high school

and college students. These positions have covered all aspects of the produce industry from information technology to food safety to production. The program lasts approximately two months and offers the students an opportunity to get hands on experience in a field of the produce industry that interests them. Although the program is not available every year I believe it is beneficial to all those who are involved.

Fresh: How do you feel that your company’s contribution to PMA’s Foundation for Industry Talent will help your company deal with these challenges?

TR: The produce business is a con-stantly evolving entity. It’s imperative to the industry to support programs like FIT to ensure a proactive approach in finding and recruiting bright indi-viduals that will keep the produce in-dustry moving forward. It’s important to remember that support comes in many forms: time, guidance, monetary. We’re just doing what we can. If we sit on the sidelines and watch the best and the brightest recruited by other industries we have no one to blame but ourselves. By offering this contribution, we are investing not only in someone else’s future but also our own.

PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL

MARKETINGCONTRIBUTOR PROFILE

TOM RUSSELL

Tom Russell is President and CEO of Pacific International Marketing, which is the parent company of Dynasty Farms and Pure Pacific Organics. His duties involve future planning for the upcoming seasons and strategic planning. He has been in the produce business for 34 years and still finds each day a new challenge.

39

GEORGIA-PACIFIC

Fresh: Give us a brief description of your company. GP: Georgia-Pacific is one of the world’s leading manufac-turers of tissue, pulp, paper, packaging, building products, and related chemicals. We have approximately 300 manu-facturing facilities across North America, South America, and Europe, ranging from large pulp, paper, and tissue operations to gypsum plants, box plants, and building products complexes. Georgia-Pacific’s packaging business is a recognized leader in customer-focused packaging solutions. The company manufactures paper for a variety of end uses including multi-wall bags, folding cartons, cups, plates, and high graphic and traditional corrugated packaging with brands such as Signature Solutions®, Greenshield®, GP TOPS, and Color-Box®.

Fresh: Can you describe your company’s products and services a little further?GP: For years, Georgia-Pacific has been delivering total packaging solutions to the produce industry—solutions that meet the needs of produce growers, packers, shippers, and retailers. We are a single integrated source for all produce packaging needs including traditional corrugated boxes, bulk bins, display-ready containers, and reusable plastic containers.

Fresh: How has your company evolved through the years to meet changing demands?GP: Founded in 1927 as a wholesaler of hardwood lumber, Georgia-Pacific has grown through expansion and acquisi-tions to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of tissue, pulp, paper, packaging, building products, and related chemicals. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange from 1949 through 2005, when it was acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc., a privately owned company based in Wichita, Kansas. For us, vision is not a one-time statement of goals and aspirations, but a dynamic concept. We have a strong, rich heritage, excellent people, and great facilities. That foundation, together with our MBM® Guiding Principles, are and will continue to be the basis of our culture. Our customers and competitors don’t sit still, so neither can we.

Fresh: What role has human capital played in getting your company where it is today?GP: Georgia-Pacific’s culture of embracing different back-grounds, experiences, and thoughts is a core strength. GP leaders work to build into their business plans strategies for recruiting and retaining diverse team members, marketing to diverse consumers and customers, and gaining support from our diverse communities. More than ever before, a key driver of any company’s success is its ability to improve and innovate as the pace of change accelerates. This requires teams that include people from all backgrounds with diverse characteristics working together in a principled manner.

Fresh: How do you see the impending talent shortage affecting our industry?GP: Now, more Baby Boomers (aged 55 - 64) are working than ever before, not retiring! Should this trend increase, the impending workforce shortage will be delayed.

Fresh: Do you think we are facing a people with talent shortage or simply a people shortage?GP: In many companies, the only way to get more recognition and compensation is to work your way up the hierarchy to higher positions of leadership. Our approach is quite different: we compensate and recognize people according to the value they create. If you can create more value as an individual contributor than you can as a leader, avoid seek-ing roles and responsibilities that don’t fit your capability. Otherwise, you may move backward in terms of recognition and compensation.

Fresh: How do you feel that your company’s contribution to PMA’s Foundation for Industry Talent will help your company deal with this challenge?GP: Understanding the role of business in society is an impor-tant key to long-term business success. It is to create value in society—that is, to make people’s lives better. If you want to be in business for a long time, you want a true market that reflects whether you are creating value for people, improving the quality of people’s lives and correctly using resources. We feel that supporting the PMA’s Foundation for Industry Talent is part of our social responsibility.

CONTRIBUTOR PROFILE

40

In an increasingly complex job market PMA’s Foundation for Industry Talent (PMA FIT) is implementing innovative programs to attract, develop, and retain strong talent for our industry. With the generous contributions of supporters, the Foundation has made great strides in its effort to raise student awareness about the rewards and benefits of a career in the fresh produce industry. Developing and advancing new and seasoned industry leaders is also on the forefront for the Foundation as a way to ensure continued leadership for the produce industry.

Career PathwaysFirst introduced in 2003, the Pack Family/ PMA Career Pathways program is now annually hosting students from eight U.S. universities and four international univer-sities at Fresh Summit. This unique expe-rience includes customized educational workshops, a career path discussion panel, and opportunities for students to network with industry professionals. Each student is assigned an industry mentor to help him/her navigate the myriad of opportuni-ties available in the world of produce.

This year, the Foundation has also part-nered with the Fresh Produce & Floral Council (FPFC) in California and the New England Produce Council (NEPC) to invite local universities to participate in regional Career Pathways programs that mirror the customized educational experi-ence found at Fresh Summit’s program. The Foundation also hosted its fourth annual Nucci Scholarship for Culinary Innovation—a Career Pathways program that brings in top students from culinary schools to experience the world of produce through PMA’s Foodservice Conference & Exposition.

Since its inception 6 years ago, 211 students have participated in the Career Pathways program. Of these 211 students, 80 have since graduated and 44 graduates are already employed with PMA member companies.

PMA FIT Fresh Summit Career FairAs an extension of the Career Pathways program, PMA FIT introduced the Fresh Summit Career Fair in 2008 which pro-vides an exciting opportunity for the next generation of fresh produce leaders to interview with leading produce compa-nies while attending PMA’s Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition. Along with Pack Career Pathways, students from four local universities and additional students registered for Fresh Summit will have the opportunity to participate in the career fair and interview with partici-pating companies. The Career Fair takes place on Saturday and Sunday during Fresh Summit.

Live FIT 5K Run/walkThe Foundation’s first annual fundraising 5K will be held on Friday, October 2, 2009, at 7:00 a.m., and encourages participants to combine personal achievement with charitable contribution. You can register in advance at www.pmafit.com to run or walk in the 5K. Registration is capped at 250 participants, so onsite registration will only be available if space permits. Proceeds from the Live FIT 5K support program development guided by PMA FIT’s mission to attract, develop, and retain talent for the produce supply chain.

Fresh Perspective: women’s Leadership EventImmediately following the 5K, the Foun-dation will be hosting its third annual Fresh Perspective: Women’s Leadership Event. Fresh Perspective will be held on October 2 from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. at the Convention Center. The event falls under the Women’s Leadership Initiative and is designed to foster the development and advancement of women in the fresh produce industry by providing a forum for industry newcomers and veterans alike to connect, network, and learn. This year, attendees will have the opportunity to network with industry peers and Pack pro-gram participants over brunch, support the Foundation’s efforts by participating in a silent auction, and be inspired by special guest Condoleezza Rice during a Q&A session. Space for this exclusive event is limited to the first 225 registrants. Due to the growing interest in Fresh Perspective and the popularity of this year’s special guest, participation is limited to four rep-resentatives per company. There is no additional fee to attend; however, attendees must also be registered for Fresh Summit (booth worker badges are accepted at Fresh Perspective). To request an invita-tion, email [email protected]—however be prepared that the event may already be at capacity.

To register or find out more about these programs, visit pmafit.com.

PMA’s Foundation for Industry Talent has programs designed to reach the brightest and best.

Follow this year’s conference news

on Twitter via

#freshsummit!

If you’re planning to tweet

from the show yourself,

include this hashtag so that

others can follow you, too.

42

M e m o r i e s

are in great

abundance

for any per-

son marking

a long-term

relationship

with an or-

ganization.

“Yes, there are many wonderful

memories in 30 years,” said Duane

Eaton, PMA’s Chief Administrative

Officer. However, when asked to

identify the one single event that

clearly stands out from all the rest in

his three decades of association ser-

vice, he doesn’t hesitate. “It was the

1985 convention in San Francisco.”

“That year, our attendance jumped

50 percent over 1984—from 5,000 to

7,500—and we held our first interna-

tional trade seminar, which attracted

nearly 300 show attendees,” Duane

recalled. “Not only did we grow

dramatically, but that convention

was the precursor of our growth

ahead and the beginning of our new

global outreach, welcoming interna-

tional exhibitors and visitors.”

“Of course, my first year at PMA also

has a special significance,” Duane

said. “It was 1979, which I have always

regarded as a change year—not only

for me, but also for the beginning of

strategic planning by the association,

recognizing the supply chain concept.

Truly, we had embraced the word

marketing in our name.”

That beginning of a new era included

the creation of new Foodservice and

Retail Divisions, following the cre-

ation in 1975 of the Floral Marketing

Division. “The produce industry came

of age marketing-wise in the decade

of the 80’s,” was how PMA’s president

at the time described the changes.

“Our strategic focus was to zero in on

marketing to all areas of consump-

tion of fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Change and growth in any organiza-

tion not only are triggered by new

ideas and new objectives, but require

competent professionals to execute

the program. “PMA has emphasized

professional development in building

its staff,” Duane observed. “Con-

tinuing education opportunities not

only develop and sharpen skills

for more effective service to our

members, but also benefit staff

members in their own personal

growth and accomplishment.”

Today, nine staff members have

met rigid standards of the American

Society of Association Executives

(ASAE) in their recognition as

Certified Association Executives.

Also, four have met requirements as

Certified Meeting Professionals, four

in Exposition Management, and one

as a Human Resources Professional.

A parallel program in professional

development also is offered to staff

members through the U.S. Chamber

of Commerce. Twelve staff have

completed the chamber’s Institute

for Organization Management (IOM)

four-year program, and may use

the IOM designation. “And, we’re

pleased to have established our

own PMA initiative as well—a tuition

reimbursement program enabling

staff members to complete Associ-

ate, Bachelor, and Master degree

programs,” said Duane.

Has 30 years of exposure to health

benefits of fresh fruits and veg-

etables had any special impact

on Duane?

“Well, I’m happy to acknowledge that

I’m regarded in the office as the salad

guy—a walking testimonial to the

nutrition values of fresh produce.”

Positive Changes Over PMA’s History

43

FRESH Magazine is PMA’s quarterly, four-color publication targeted exclusively to the fresh produce and floral industries. Readers worldwide turn to FRESH issue after issue for provocative articles, insightful interviews, and the facts and forecasts they need to get ahead.

FRESH mails to more than 8,000 fresh produce and floral contacts, including more than 3,000 PMA members representing all segments of the supply chain—and all parts of the globe. With this kind of coverage, your advertising dollars can increase your market share and grow your business. And now, visibility is extended – FRESH is available online at www.pma.com.

To place your ad in front of industry leaders in the next issue of FRESH Magazine, contact Dot Siegfried, PMA’s Business Development Director, at +1 (302) 738-7100 or e-mail [email protected]. Don’t forget to ask about

“frequent advertiser rates” and take advantage of savings for the entire year!

fresh produce and floral industries. Readers worldwide turn to

PRODUCE TRACEABILITY INITIATIVE:

TRENDS TOWARD GREATER TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN FOUR GENERATIONS MEET AT THE WATER COOLER?

HOW AN UNPRECEDENTED ECONOMIC CLIMATE IS

IMPACTING CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

MANAGING MARKET DISRUPTIONSTurn Obstacles Into Opportunities

09FRESH_MAG_PSC.indd 1

3/31/2009 10:49:19 AM

FRESH Magazine is PRODUCE TRACEABILITY INITIATIVE:

TRENDS TOWARD GREATER TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN FOUR GENERATIONSFOUR GENERATIONSMEET AT THE WATER COOLER?

MEET AT THE WATER COOLER?

Creating a Culture of Food Safety

The importance of weaving food safety messages throughout

the fabric of the entire fresh produce industry

What’s HAPPENING

on THE HILL?

Why the time is rip

e to promote

fresh produce on Capitol Hill

WHITE

HOUSEthe

garden

Cultivating a garden on

the South Lawn signals

a national trend of a

return to basics.

Get to know Ted Allen

Wit and wisdom punctuate a lively

interview with Culinary Personality Ted Allen.

The Chef Jeff Project

How a celebrity chef harnesses the power of food

to help people transform their lives.

Visibility.

Coverage.

Results.

While you’re at Fresh Summit, you’ll want to plan your free time wisely, in order to take advantage of everything Anaheim has to offer. From dining to Disneyland, there’s plenty to do in this sunny So-Cal location. Visit the dedicated Fresh Summit site at www.anaheimoc.org/freshsummit for a complete listing of shopping, dining, entertainment, and events.

Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

There’s plenty of sunshine to go around in Anaheim.

• EnjoyNorthernItaliancuisineattheAnaheimWhite House (+1-714-772-1381).

• IndulgeinasteakdinneratJW’sSteakhouse (+1-714-750-8000), or Morton’s The Steakhouse (+1-714-621-0101).

• CelebrateCalifornia’swinecountrywithwine/cuisine pairings at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa, NapaRose(+1-714-781-DINE).

• TryaHawaiianFusionmealatRoy’sofNewportBeach (+1-949-640-7697).

• CatchsomefreshseafoodattheRustyPelican Restaurant (+1-949-642-3431).

DINING

ENTERTAINMENT• IfyouarriveFriday,you’llbeabletocatchthelastof

theSummerJazzSeriesconcertsattheHyattRegency NewportBeach(+1-949-729-6400).

• Gowhaleanddolphinwatchingaboardacatamaran that offers up-close views of these majestic creatures (+1-949-488-2828).

• TeeupatoneofthemanygolfcoursesinOrange County, California’s Golf Coast. Anaheim Hills Golf Course is nearby (+1-714-998-3041), and Monarch Beach Golf Links offers dramatic scenery (+1-949-240-8247). View the complete list at www.anaheimoc.org/freshsummit and click on golf courses.

• Don’tforgetthebeach!Whethersurfing,sailing, kayaking, or just walking by the water, simply head west and you’ll hit the beach.

• Visitamuseum.TrysouthernCal’snewest—Muzeo (+1-714-95-MUZEO).

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ANAHEIM/ORANGE COUNTY VISITOR & CONVENTION BUREAU

Welcomes

Fresh Summit Attendees

Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition Anaheim Convention Center

October 2-5, 2009

Come SeeWhat’s NewinAnaheim/OC!

Visit anaheimoc.org/freshsummit Show Your Badge & Save at participating

restaurants, attractions & much more!

photo by Chris Mayer

Discover the places that cater

to your tastes; visit

www.anaheimoc.org/freshsummit.

SHOPPING• VisittheShopsatAnaheimGardenWalk,

Orange County’s newest offering of shopping, dining, and entertainment (+1-714-635-7410).

• GetsomegooddealsatAnaheimIndoorMarketplace, featuring more than 200 stores with discounted, name brand merchandise (+1-714-999-0888).

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From field to fork and in between, PMA looks beyond the obstacles to see the unprecedented opportunities to offer you the connected solutions you need to succeed.

• Profitable networking opportunities with leaders throughout the supply chain• Access to PMA experts who connect trends to business strategy• Food safety solutions to protect your business and your customers

NOW IS THE TIME…

BECAUSE NOW MORE THAN EVER, A PMA MEMBERSHIP MATTERS MOSTTO YOUR BUSINESS’ BOTTOM LINE.

TO TAP INTO THE POWER OF

CONNECTED SOLUTIONS FOR A NEW ECONOMY

506 MERSEA RD. 5, LEAMINGTON, ON N8H 3V5 PHONE: 519.326.8643 TOLL FREE: 1.866.454.7696 highlinemushrooms.com

With strong roots in the past and a commitment to growth, Highline Mushrooms has developed a leading reputation for innovation and customer satisfaction.

Our growth is rooted in engaging and exciting our customers, and our fresh new look, evolving family of products and packaging, and increased health and culinary communication allow us to appeal to a growing range of needs and wants.

Highline is growing category sales. Always.

P R O D U C E M A R K E T I N G A S S O C I A T I O NP.O. Box 6036 | Newark, DE 19714-6036 USA

Address Service Requested

PMA’s Fresh magazine is printed entirely on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. FSC certification ensures that the paper used in this magazine contains fiber from well-managed and responsibly harvested forests that meet strict environmental and socioeconomic standards. PMA is proud to make this significant move to help our environment. The FSC logo on our magazine signals not only FSC certification but also PMA’s commitment to improving the environment.

Celebrating 60 YEARS OF SERVICE to the fresh produce and ......A small country with a fruitful...

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