Capt. Richard Phillips to keynote at FPFC South
Capt. Richard Phillips to keynote at FPFC South
In his book, A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs and Dangerous Days at Sea, Capt. Richard Phillips says having his ship hijacked by Somali pirates was the most terrifying situation he had experienced in his 35-year career as a Merchant Marine. He will speak about the incident, and the lessons he learned from it, when he delivers the keynote address for the Southern California Expo of the Fresh Produce & Floral Council July 15 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.
A capacity crowd of more than 250 exhibitors (40 percent representing floral), occupying 195 booth spaces on the show floor is expected, according to Carissa Mace, president of the council. Last year over 1,500 professionals from more than 100 companies attended the show. The Southern California expo is the biggest event of the year for the FPFC.
Capt. Richard PhillipsKeynote speaker Capt. Phillips was the center of an international drama in 2009 when Somali pirates held him hostage for five days during the first hijacking of a United States ship, the Maersk Alabama, in more than 200 years. His 2010 book about his experience, and his rescue, was made into the critically acclaimed 2013 movie, “Captain Phillips,” starring Tom Hanks.
People seem to connect with his story, Phillips told an interviewer with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and he enjoys the opportunity to talk about what he has learned from the life-changing event.
“My takeaway from it is we are all really stronger than we even realize as long as we don’t choose to give up or quit,” said Phillips in the interview, “If we strive and continue fighting as best we can, we can overcome a lot of the personal and professional problems that we do have.”
Also at the keynote breakfast, the 2014 FPFC Floral Achievement Award will be presented to the winner by the 2013 recipient, Harrison Higaki of Bay City Flower Co. The winner is chosen by a panel of past recipients to recognize an individual who has provided outstanding service and dedication to the floral industry.
Mace told The Produce News that another feature of the day would be a floral design contest where designers receive a “surprise package” of flowers to create their design. There will be two different categories of designers competing — those with four plus years of experience and those with three years or less.
Last year’s contest featured 35 designers from seven supermarket chains in a race against the clock. Winners were Patrick Olarita and Kimberly Itani of Bristol Farms.
