When Tom Sakata died Dec. 14, he didn?t leave a void in the daily functioning of Los Gatos, CA-based broker-distributor Bay Area Produce Inc. But he did leave a void in the hearts of people he?d worked with through a roughly 25-year career with the company.

Summeripe Worldwide Inc. of Dinuba, CA, announced the addition of Simonian Fruit Co. of Fowler, CA to the Summeripe Alliance of tree fruit shippers.

Simonian is a multigenerational, diversified family-farming company with a long tradition of quality growing and involvement in the California tree fruit industry.

The beginning of the annual Chinese calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, and so the specific day is different each year. In 2005, it falls on Feb. 9.

The Chinese named each of the 12 years after an animal, based on a Buddha legend. This year is proclaimed the year of the rooster.

William Winsemann III has joined the National Watermelon Promotion Board as director of industry affairs, where he will be responsible for overseeing the operations of the industry affairs department.

Mr. Winsemann has 23 years of experience in business administration, logistics accounting and systems and data management, as well as in policy, trade, agriculture and government.

A two-year U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division investigation into the Eastern Mushroom Marketing Cooperative in Wayne, PA, was completed in mid-December. EMMC Executive Director Charles Matthews said that his group has discontinued its challenged foray into the real estate business, but otherwise received a clean bill of health.

Mr. Matthews said that the cooperative was investigated "from stem to stern? on an anti-trust allegation. Cooperative e-mails and records were analyzed; membership agreements and organization policies were scrutinized.

The long road out of bankruptcy appeared near an end for Sun World International Inc. in Bakersfield, CA, with the announcement that the company was scheduled to go on the auction block Jan. 13 with at least three bidders showing strong interest in acquiring the company.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported Wednesday, Jan. 12, that "an auction for the business, which generates $120 million in annual revenue, will be held Thursday [Jan. 13], subject to approval of a bankruptcy judge on Friday."