Southern Valley Fruit & Vegetable Inc. in Norman Park, GA, has always been innovative. A recent expansion that has added 80,000 square feet of new state-of-the-art cooling space and another 3,000 feet of office space is the latest proof of that.

"Wonderful" brand almonds are making their debut at retail departments nationwide. The nutritious, California-grown nuts can be found in three varieties: roasted and salted, roasted with no salt and natural raw.

Wonderful almonds will be sold in seven-ounce bags in the produce section of grocery stores and 48-ounce bags in the grocery sections at club stores, such as Sam's Clubs.

Gentile Bros. Co., a longtime Cincinnati-based repacker and distributor, which serves retail, foodservice and processing customers throughout the Midwest, is under new ownership following the sale of certain assets of the company to a former employee.

Jeff Oaks, who had been vice president of sales at Gentile Bros. Co. prior to leaving in 2004, is now owner and president of the company following his purchase of certain assets from Glenn Bryant and Ed Sabin. Messrs. Bryant and Sabin remain as advisers at Gentile Bros., according to a published report in The Blue Book.

Joe Pezzini, chief operating officer Ocean Mist Farms, received the Valley of the World Ag Leader award from the National Steinbeck Center.

The award honors an individual whose work has broken new ground and/or who has added significantly to the industry while making a difference in the community in which they live.

The United Fresh Foundation is pleased to announce the 12 members of the 2012-13 United Fresh Produce Industry Leadership Program. Presented through the foundation's Center for Leadership Excellence and sponsored by a grant from DuPont Crop Protection, this program was launched in 1995 and has graduated more than 180 program participants.

The Produce Industry Leadership Program welcomes the following professionals to its 18th Class:

• Catherine Baggott, Earthbound Farms

• Helena Beckett, Tanimura & Antle

• Jamie Brannen, Gerrald's Vidalia Sweet Onions

A baker’s dozen agribusinesses in North Carolina are the 2012 beneficiaries of the North Carolina Value-Added Cost Share program, which has doled out more than $1 million since 2009 and will award $269,883 in this, its final year.

Funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, NCVACS provides an agricultural producer or processor with up to $50,000 to purchase new or used specialized equipment to start or grow a value-added operation. NCVACS is coordinated by North Carolina MarketReady, a program of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension.