Tom Bellamore, the president of the California Avocado Commission, has had a diverse career and life that took him from the Garden State of New Jersey to the harsh climate of the far reaches of Alaska before he began calling sunny and mild Southern California home.

In earlier days, small neighborhood grocery stores were situated on every corner while supermarkets were expanding rapidly. Competition wasn’t so fierce then and the little family-owned neighborhood stores, which focused on offering good service, never marketed themselves in newspaper ads or by any other means except word of mouth.

Craig Carlson, a former produce retail executive who has worked for some of the top chains in the country during his 30-year career, announced the formation of his new firm, Carlson Produce Consulting.

Carlson told The Produce News he had been thinking about forming his own consultancy for a while and the timing now seemed right.

The California Avocado Commission recently promoted June as California Avocado Month through comprehensive public relations outreach and partnerships with noted chefs in 11 markets across the country.

As the middle child in a family of five children, 27-year-old Kevin Vines learned at an early age what it takes to stand out in a crowd.

“Growing up in a big family made it very easy for me to talk to people and also get my point across when it is needed,” said the Redlands, CA, native. “It also molded me into the worker I am today and taught me that you cannot get anywhere in life without hard work and determination.”

The recent announcement by Walmart that its produce suppliers have to be compliant with the Produce Traceability Initiative by the end of the year should give the concept the impetus it needs to become the industry standard sooner rather than later. At least that is the view of several industry observers who are well versed on the subject.