Nicole Palumbo had plans other than to join her family business when she graduated from the University of Miami in 2013 with a bachelor of science degree, double majoring in public relations and sports administration.

Today, at age 24, she is happily working for the business and her father, Joe Palumbo, founder of Top Banana, located at Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx, NY.

The company, founded in 1996, occupies units 413 to 420 on row D.Nicole Palumbo fishing while on vacation in Key Largo. Her father remains the chief executive officer of the company, and her mother, Lisa, is the co-owner.

“During college I worked in the public relations’ field as an event coordinator for both social and corporate events,” said Palumbo. “I originally planned to pursue a career in public relations as an event coordinator, but I decided I wanted to work with my father, who is the most hardworking, dedicated person I know, and is the greatest inspiration in my life.”

Her title is business development executive, but she is learning about all aspects of the business. For now, she is working in administration in receivables and payables.

“I approached my parents with the thought of joining the family business in May 2014,” said Palumbo.

“Until that point, I was focused on my studies at college, and only a casual observer of the produce industry. But I felt the timing was right to explore a new challenge. My parents left the decision to me, and in a way I felt compelled to give our family business a try.”

Her parents were very happy and excited about their oldest child deciding to join the family business. She started with the firm last August and immediately fell in love with the industry and the people.

“Everyone here has been totally supportive and amazing to me,” she said.The Palumbo family; Nicole, Marla, mother Lisa, father Joe, Briana and Thomas.

The Palumbo family is a tightly knit kinship. Palumbo’s siblings, Thomas, age 23, Brianna, age 19 and Marla, age 16, most enjoy the family time they all share together.

“My brother and sisters have all worked in the family business during summers in the past,” said Palumbo. “Thomas is currently in grad school. He also wants to follow in our father’s footsteps, and he plans to join the business as soon as he graduates.

“I have great respect and admiration for all of the multi -generational aspect of the businesses located at the Hunts Point Market, ours included,” she added.

A major sport’s fan, and a strong alumni of the University of Miami, Palumbo’s passion and heart is with all of the university’s sports’ teams, including the Miami Hurricanes football team.

She is also a major fan of the New York Knicks (NBA) and a fan of the New York Mets (MLB).

“My dad shares my passion for the Mets, making it all more the fun,” said Palumbo.

She also loves to read and especially enjoys self-improvement, psychology and humor books.

“My favorite all-time book is Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl, where he describes his psychotherapeutic method which involved identifying a purpose in life to feel positive about, and then immersively imagining that outcome,” said Palumbo. “This book moved me in many ways.”

Palumbo enjoys outdoor recreation, such as fishing and water sports, finding these activities relaxing and calming, but she also finds the opportunity to learn every aspect of the family business from the ground up very appealing.

“My time spent thus far working with the magnificently talented team at Top Banana has been extremely rewarding,” she said.

On the future of the produce industry, and with the thought of providing the best consumer experience possible, she believes that food safety and technology will both play significant roles in shaping it going forward.

“Consumers need to feel confident that regulators will provide the needed oversight to suppliers in an effort to ensure that the food we eat meets any and all quality standards,” she stressed.

“Technology continues to influence businesses of all types, and I believe the produce industry is part of that group,” she added.

She also believes that the Hunts Point market will look a lot different within the next decade as investments are made in infrastructure, thus giving businesses that make those investments a potential edge over their competitors.

“The market also provides a great humanitarian service, as its members work diligently to provide the fresh fruits and vegetables that feed millions within the tri-state region and well beyond,” she said. “I suspect that effort will remain a constant over time.”

While she acknowledges she has a lot to learn in the near term, her longer-term aspiration is to one day in the future be part of the corporate management team, working alongside her siblings, at Top Banana and make a substantive contribution to the overall success of the organization.

“It’s important to acknowledge the hard work and effort of the great team here at Top Banana,” she stressed. “They are a dedicated group that remains focused on delivering the optimal client experience to all those that we are blessed to be able to serve.”

Palumbo’s favorite quote is from her favorite book. In it Frankl writes, “Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge.”

“He ends this passage by saying ‘Then you will live to see that in the long-run — in the long-run, I say! — success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it,’” added Palumbo.