Columbia Marketing International, a Wenatchee, WA-based distributor of premium-quality apples, pears and cherries, has announced that Mike Wade, general manager of Columbia Fruit Packers, has been named this year?s Apple Citizen of the Year.

The award began in 1981; the recipient is chosen by a group of apple industry representatives.

PRO*ACT, a Monterey, CA-based leading fresh produce supplier to the foodservice industry, announced that it has appointed Steve Finberg vice president of sales and marketing.

He will assume these responsibilities from Brad Young, who recently stepped down to assume leadership of Incredible Fresh in Naples, FL, one of PRO*ACT?s 44 distribution companies.

The Produce Marketing Association announced that John Raudabaugh, vice president of systems implementation for Albertsons, will discuss the implementation and benefits of radio frequency identification technology and discuss his expectations of how the growth of this technology will affect members of the produce supply chain during PMA?s RFID Fresh Produce Academy & Expo on June 2 in Monterey, CA.

This event is scheduled in conjunction with the June 2-4 PMA Retail Produce Solutions Conference, also in Monterey.

Mauro Suazo has struggled to recover from Hurricane Mitch since the storm dumped up to four feet of rain on Honduras between Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, 1998. Always an active industry leader, Mr. Suazo has served as a consultant for Honduras' Department of Agriculture. He headed the Central American Melon Conference, hosted by Honduras, last summer.

Speaking with The Produce News April 5 about Honduras? status in post-Mitch redevelopment, and the progress of Honduran produce exports, Mr. Suazo provided a mixed review.

COLUMBIA, SC " Hugh Weathers, South Carolina?s commissioner of agriculture, announced that plans are coming together for relocating the Columbia State Farmers Market.

The market has been located on a 50-acre site here on Bluff Road since the fall of 1951. It ranks second in the nation behind the Atlanta market and seventh in the United States and Canada in the volume of produce handled.

Since 1901, The Blue Book has been considered the financial bible by members of the produce industry, who refer to it for comprehensive information regarding current and prospective clients and business partnerships.

In 1905, The Blue Book, published by the Produce Reporter Co. in Carol Stream, IL, implemented its Trading Membership designation as a way to recognize firms that have demonstrated themselves to be financially sound and in possession of an exceptional reputation for honest trading policies and payment practices.