The Maryland Wholesale Produce Market is operated by the Maryland Food Center Authority. Today, 25 tenants hold space in the MWPM, Rose M. Harrell, director of facilities for the MFCA told The Produce News. Harrell added that space goes quickly when it becomes available at the market.

“We are directed by a 12-member executive board that is appointed by the Governor of Maryland,” Harrell explained. “The Food Center, which is located in Jessup on an approximate 400-acre site, is home to some major companies, such as SYSCO Food Services of Baltimore, Del Monte, Pete Pappas, G. Cefalu & Bros., Lancaster Foods, Baldor Specialty Produce’s D.C. facility, T.A. Baltimore South, Merchants Terminal, BTS Distribution Centers, Terminal Corporation and the Maryland Wholesale Produce and Seafood Markets.”

She added that the new tenants are California Foods Inc., Jay Dee Produce, a broker, and TMC Produce.

Harrell explained that the MWPM opened its doors in the mid-1970s as what was at the time a cutting-edge food market. The MFCA, its board of directors and the tenants all take keeping the facility updated very seriously. Major projects are always in the works and others are in the planning stages. Harrell said that in the past year, the MFCA has finalized the security camera project and completed a $1.2 million dollar dock canopy painting and replacement project.

“The dock canopy project was a major project, but was necessary,” said Harrell. “With owning and operating two wholesale markets, the MFCA has to understand and monitor regulations affecting both the produce and seafood industries. The dock canopy project was needed to bring it up to the condition that will meet audit requirements and to help clean up the market.”

The project, which was performed in phases to allow staggering of the dock closures to minimize each tenant’s loss of dock usage, was completed while tenants continued their operations. 

“Certainly the dock closures affected operations by forcing tenants to condense their operations into smaller areas as well as precluding intra-market activity in certain areas of the market,” added Harrell. “We were able to coordinate tenant usage of other areas of the dock while the area at their unit[s] was closed. Although tenant leasable space was affected for various periods of time during the project, no rent abatements were needed. Rent abatement would have put a significant impact on MFCA’s income thus reducing the funds for future improvement projects in the market.”

During the process, product was stored and handled adjacent to the project work areas, which meant extra precautions and protections had to be implemented to keep product from becoming contaminated by dirt, sand, rust and paint. During the project several tenants were in the final stages for their Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point, or HACCP, and Food Safety Modernization Act, commonly referred to as FSMA, audit certifications. This had a major impact on how the project was managed as work could not be done within the area of the tenants while they were having their inspections.

Efficient project management enabled the MFCA to resolve issues and complaints quickly with resolutions that reduced the impact on tenant operations and kept additional project costs at a minimum. Harrell noted that tenants are never happy when a project is taken on in the Market where their business operations may be impacted, but with their involvement in the project their perception of how MFCA handles major projects was changed.

“The access systems, along with security cameras monitoring the docks and parking areas provide the market grounds and facility with different levels of security,” said Harrell.