“We have been exhibiting at the New York Produce Show since its beginning,” Kurt Zuhlke, Jr., president and chief executive officer Kurt Zuhlke & Associates, headquartered in Bangor, PA, told The Produce News. “The quality of the attendees at this show is a lot more of the decision makers, especially for smaller companies whose decision makers can’t attend the national shows.”

The show is being held at Pier 94, Dec. 10-12. Kurt Zuhlke & Associates will be exhibiting at Booth No. 609.

“I think the timing is very good,” said Zuhlke. “It’s a perfect time for people to gather and share the beautiful holiday spirit that New York City provides. In the past two years, I feel the New York Produce Show was too close to the PMA Fresh Summit, which put a lot of pressure on produce professionals who have to work both shows. But it’s far enough away from the December holidays to not interfere with those events.”

He noted that there are 180 million produce professionals between Philadelphia and Boston. Regions that include several major cities are often referred to as supercities or megalopolis. Zuhlke said they’re also known as “Bos-Wash” areas.

He admits that Manhattan is an expensive place to stay, but he has his own take on that issue.

“Just think about the travel, room and board expenses that we spent in New Orleans for the PMA Fresh Summit, which is not that much less expensive than New York,” he noted. “The expenses for the New York show are about the same amount of money, but you get to work more closely with your customers and perspective customers. The response from professionals is a much richer experience at these regional shows.

“I attended a packaging show in Las Vegas recently, and I spent the same amount of money as I did at the PMA Fresh Summit, and I still didn’t have the right kind of draw that benefits my business like the regional shows do.”

Zuhlke also likes the Pier 94 venue, which allows the entire show to be on one floor. This is an additional improvement over when the show was held at the Hilton Hotel, and exhibitors were on separate floors.

“It was obvious that it need a new venue because the show is growing large very fast,” said Zuhlke. “There was no choice but to move it to a bigger location, and they may have to move it to an even larger location in the future. In addition to being a key show for people in the East, it’s also successful because people — even from other areas of the country — love to go to New York City.”

Kurt Zuhlke & Associates will be featuring its new two- and three-compartment clamshells. Zuhlke said they are perfect for items like berries, nuts, tomatoes and many other items.

“You can have a blueberry and a raspberry in one package, for example,” he said. “Or you can put three types of nuts into the three-part clamshell. A red grape and yellow grape tomato combination is a perfect pair for the new two-part clamshell.”

The company continues to add more employees to its office staff, and is always looking for design and Internet experts. The growing company is currently looking for another facility near its existing facility for expansion purposes.

Kurt Zuhlke & Associates was founded over 55 years ago by Kurt Zuhlke Sr. He and his wife, Frieda, grew the company to being a leader in the produce packaging industry.

Kurt Zuhlke Jr., and his wife, Cindy, continue to grow and expand the company, and they have become dedicated to Earth-friendly ideas, such as the use of PET [Polyethylene terephthalate], which its entire line is comprised of today.

“We were the first company to use this recycle blend of materials in our packaging,” said Zuhlke. “Our company is on the cutting edge of sustainability, and the first to ‘go green.’”