Green Tree International hires Mike Prather, opens eastern office
Green Tree International hires Mike Prather, opens eastern office
Cary Crum, director of sales and marketing at Green Tree International Inc. in Visalia, CA, has announced that Mike Prather, formerly senior category manager of produce for southeastern retailer Bruno?s Inc., has joined Green Tree as director of business development, a newly created position.
Mr. Prather will be based in Helena, AL, where Green Tree will open an office in late March.
According to a company press release, Mr. Prather?s "focus will be on developing and supporting our business relationships with existing customers and expanding the business with new opportunities."
Mr. Prather "brings a wealth of knowledge " both in retail and produce " to our program that we are excited to add to our company," the release stated. "Mike will be working with our customers to better understand their individual needs and putting together integrated programs to support those needs."
Green Tree International is a new produce marketing company that was started in January by Cary Crum, former sales manager of D.J. Forry Co. in Reedley, CA, in partnership with John Rast, owner of Rast Produce Co. Inc. in Visalia, CA. The company plans to focus initially on developing marketing contracts with table grape growers in California and on building a year-round table grape program that includes imported product, according to Mr. Crum.
Mr. Prather told The Produce News that during his 16 years with Bruno?s, he worked his way up from produce clerk to assistant produce manager to produce manager to assistant store manager to store manager. "Then I was tapped to be a buyer for the produce division for Bruno?s, then head buyer, then category manager, then senior category manager."
In the latter capacity, he oversaw category management of fresh produce operations for more than 180 stores.
?I've known Cary for quite some time," since his days at Sun World, Mr. Prather said. "I recently left Bruno?s, and he and I were talking one day and discussing business and how we?d like to see things done as far as how a company should be run, and he and his partner decided they wanted me to join their company. So I decided to make the switch and go from the retail side to the selling side."
Much of his time will be spent meeting with customers "trying to get their needs taken care of, finding out what it is they want, being a liaison on this side of the big river to help facilitate Cary?s business over here. And if they need me for anything west of the Mississippi, I?ll take care of that, too."
Mr. Prather said that his extensive retail experience will enable him "to help retailers with their merchandising plans," to help them with category management, and also to work with commissions "to make sure that each one of the retail groups that we work with can get the maximum benefit? from the programs that are available to them.
?I worked extensively with all the commissions during my tenure at Bruno?s," he said.
Among other things, Mr. Prather will "be involved in developing a comprehensive food-safety and quality-assurance program to amplify the company?s customer service program," according to Mr. Crum.
Mr. Prather?s expertise will enable him "to look at the product on the [retail] shelf and in the warehouse, to look at the arrivals, and to work with the receivers to better understand what their expectations are. That will give us the specifications that we need to meet those needs," Mr. Crum said.
Messrs. Crum and Rast are also partners in a sister company, Sierra Agricultural Transport Inc. From growing, shipping and brokering to transportation, "we can put the whole thing together? for customers, Mr. Crum said. "Our concept is for Mike to be able to sit down with small to mid-level retailers? and develop programs for them in which "we can utilize and we can leverage our whole family of companies? to better meet customers? needs.
?We?ll have our grower products that we represent, and we?ll also do some procurement," he said, and the transportation service will enable Green Tree to offer customers "a guaranteed supply of trucks."
Mr. Prather will be based in Helena, AL, where Green Tree will open an office in late March.
According to a company press release, Mr. Prather?s "focus will be on developing and supporting our business relationships with existing customers and expanding the business with new opportunities."
Mr. Prather "brings a wealth of knowledge " both in retail and produce " to our program that we are excited to add to our company," the release stated. "Mike will be working with our customers to better understand their individual needs and putting together integrated programs to support those needs."
Green Tree International is a new produce marketing company that was started in January by Cary Crum, former sales manager of D.J. Forry Co. in Reedley, CA, in partnership with John Rast, owner of Rast Produce Co. Inc. in Visalia, CA. The company plans to focus initially on developing marketing contracts with table grape growers in California and on building a year-round table grape program that includes imported product, according to Mr. Crum.
Mr. Prather told The Produce News that during his 16 years with Bruno?s, he worked his way up from produce clerk to assistant produce manager to produce manager to assistant store manager to store manager. "Then I was tapped to be a buyer for the produce division for Bruno?s, then head buyer, then category manager, then senior category manager."
In the latter capacity, he oversaw category management of fresh produce operations for more than 180 stores.
?I've known Cary for quite some time," since his days at Sun World, Mr. Prather said. "I recently left Bruno?s, and he and I were talking one day and discussing business and how we?d like to see things done as far as how a company should be run, and he and his partner decided they wanted me to join their company. So I decided to make the switch and go from the retail side to the selling side."
Much of his time will be spent meeting with customers "trying to get their needs taken care of, finding out what it is they want, being a liaison on this side of the big river to help facilitate Cary?s business over here. And if they need me for anything west of the Mississippi, I?ll take care of that, too."
Mr. Prather said that his extensive retail experience will enable him "to help retailers with their merchandising plans," to help them with category management, and also to work with commissions "to make sure that each one of the retail groups that we work with can get the maximum benefit? from the programs that are available to them.
?I worked extensively with all the commissions during my tenure at Bruno?s," he said.
Among other things, Mr. Prather will "be involved in developing a comprehensive food-safety and quality-assurance program to amplify the company?s customer service program," according to Mr. Crum.
Mr. Prather?s expertise will enable him "to look at the product on the [retail] shelf and in the warehouse, to look at the arrivals, and to work with the receivers to better understand what their expectations are. That will give us the specifications that we need to meet those needs," Mr. Crum said.
Messrs. Crum and Rast are also partners in a sister company, Sierra Agricultural Transport Inc. From growing, shipping and brokering to transportation, "we can put the whole thing together? for customers, Mr. Crum said. "Our concept is for Mike to be able to sit down with small to mid-level retailers? and develop programs for them in which "we can utilize and we can leverage our whole family of companies? to better meet customers? needs.
?We?ll have our grower products that we represent, and we?ll also do some procurement," he said, and the transportation service will enable Green Tree to offer customers "a guaranteed supply of trucks."
