“Lights, camera, action!” the Mark Viettes Daylily is ready for her close-up. The director watches from the back of the studio as the cameras roll. Joep Paternostre, sans beret, hears the cameras click as they take photos of Madame Daylily, who is not a Hollywood star, but a gorgeous yellow lily.

“We are thrilled with the turnout for the show thus far,” said Bob Callahan, show manager for the International Floriculture Expo, on May 20. “With four weeks to go before show time, the number of exhibits has already surpassed last year’s level,” he added, noting more than 200 exhibitors have signed up already and attendance is expected to reach 1,750.

“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will not themselves be realized.” That credo is attributed to Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, who transformed a desolate area on the city’s South Side into the White City for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, then made the nation’s first citywide plan for growth for Chicago in 1909.

Idaho Falls, ID-based Kingston Cos., the parent company of Kingston and Associates Marketing, promoted BILL TANNER to senior vice president of finance.

Mr. Tanner first joined Kingston in 2000 as assistant controller and has nearly 20 years of accounting, auditing, tax and business advisory experience.

“In the coming months, we plan to renovate our existing packaging room,” said Michael Layous, sales and marketing representative for The Garlic Co. headquartered in Bakersfield, CA. “We hope the upgrade will offer not only a more spacious working environment, but also enable us to handle a greater volume of output.”

Richard Cochran, president of Robt. T. Cochran & Co., told The Produce News that the company hired Guy Russo about three months ago.

“Guy is working in sales for us,” said Mr. Cochran. “He is an old-time fruit salesman who is a market veteran. He’s been in the business for several decades.”

The company occupies four and a half units at Hunts Point Terminal Market. It is now celebrating 120 years in business, and it has been on the terminal market since it opened in 1967.

Mr. Cochran’s great-grandfather, Robert, founded the company.