Walmart announced a landmark $6.5 billion investment over the next five years as the company plans to further accelerate growth in Canada. The company plans to build dozens of new stores across the country, beginning with five new Supercentres in Ontario and Alberta by 2027.

Bob Huskey, who joined Costco in 1994 as an 18-year-old cart pusher, is an example of how the company’s culture and philosophy develops leaders from the ground up.

In fact, Huskey noted that as he evaluates employees for promotion into leadership roles, one of the traits he looks for first is that candidates “embrace and live our culture.”

The Costco Wholesale vice president of produce follows the mandate that came from Costco co-founder Jim Sinegal, “Culture isn’t the most important thing, it’s the only thing.”

Naturipe Farms is ramping up its Sweet Selections blackberries, offering retailers a premium blackberry option with unparalleled flavor and consistent quality. Grown in Mexico, Sweet Selections blackberries are packed with the exceptional sweetness and large, vibrant berries of the proprietary “Fenomenal” variety, developed through Naturipe’s renowned breeding program.

Pacific Trellis Fruit has named Shelby Obert its new marketing manager. She brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role, having spent the past five years in the fresh produce industry. Most recently, Obert served as senior marketing manager at a prominent fresh produce consulting agency, where she led impactful brand campaigns and managed direct customer and consumer strategies for clients throughout the produce value chain.

Costco is well-known for its limited SKUs with about 95 specific products populating the produce section of the average warehouse, but that doesn’t mean it is a stagnant list.

Kent Kuwata has spent all his professional career in the retail produce industry, primarily on the West Coast, a long, long way from the Millen, GA, headquarters of the Southeast Produce Council.