Bollinger leaves Tristone
Bollinger leaves Tristone
FRESNO, CA " Loren Bollinger and Michael Jameson, founding partners of Tristone International LLC, here, have parted company, with Mr. Jameson continuing to operate as Tristone and Mr. Bollinger continuing business as Sun Crest-Bollinger International Inc., a company he formed nearly 12 years ago.
The parting was amicable, according to Mr. Bollinger. "I've known Mike for many, many years. We?re still friends."
Messrs. Bollinger and Jameson founded Tristone in the fall of 2003. Mr. Jameson had been involved in sales for the prior 14 years with Sierra Hills Marketing and its sister company, Chinchiolo Fruit Co.
Mr. Bollinger told The Produce News March 29 that the Sun Crest-Bollinger operation "has not changed? and that he will continue "to do the same thing I always did at Sun Crest even while I was at Tristone."
Sun Crest is a distributor, shipper, broker and exporter of various fruit items. In May 2004, the company opened a St. Louis office and hired Chuck Lucas, previously with Pro-Fruit Marketing Inc. in Paramus, NJ, as regional manager. That office will continue to operate, Mr. Bollinger said. Mr. Lucas "does Chilean fruit during the fall? as well as tree fruit, grapes and other fruits during the California season. "He has done real well, and we will continue that," probably adding cantaloupe this year.
?Sun Crest hasn?t changed its direction, and Tristone really hasn?t changed its direction either," he said.
Mr. Jameson told The Produce News that Tristone "will continue as it always has. It will just be me now. We will continue to be big in the California cherry deal. We will also be big in the apple deal out of California, blueberries in California, and Asian pears." The company also handles a full range of fruit from Chile both into the United States and into Asia, he said.
?The first thing we will be getting into will be our California cherry deal? as sales agent for Morada Produce Co. in Stockton, CA, he said. That deal will start around April 24. He expects around 300,000 to 350,000 cartons of cherries this year, coming from growers from Bakersfield and Arvin "up through the Hanford-Fresno-Reedley area? and into Stockton and Lodi. Morada has extensively revamped its packing facility this year, he said.
Gayle Smirnov, who was previously on sales at Tristone, has also left the company and is now on the sales desk at Z&S Distributing Co. Inc. in Fresno. She joined Z&S on March 16 and will be handling "all kinds of fruit items? but primarily California stone fruit and grapes, she said.
Ms. Smirnov had worked with Mr. Bollinger in years past at the Fresno office of Oakland, CA-based Growers Produce and was at Sun Valley Packing in Reedley just prior to joining Tristone.
The parting was amicable, according to Mr. Bollinger. "I've known Mike for many, many years. We?re still friends."
Messrs. Bollinger and Jameson founded Tristone in the fall of 2003. Mr. Jameson had been involved in sales for the prior 14 years with Sierra Hills Marketing and its sister company, Chinchiolo Fruit Co.
Mr. Bollinger told The Produce News March 29 that the Sun Crest-Bollinger operation "has not changed? and that he will continue "to do the same thing I always did at Sun Crest even while I was at Tristone."
Sun Crest is a distributor, shipper, broker and exporter of various fruit items. In May 2004, the company opened a St. Louis office and hired Chuck Lucas, previously with Pro-Fruit Marketing Inc. in Paramus, NJ, as regional manager. That office will continue to operate, Mr. Bollinger said. Mr. Lucas "does Chilean fruit during the fall? as well as tree fruit, grapes and other fruits during the California season. "He has done real well, and we will continue that," probably adding cantaloupe this year.
?Sun Crest hasn?t changed its direction, and Tristone really hasn?t changed its direction either," he said.
Mr. Jameson told The Produce News that Tristone "will continue as it always has. It will just be me now. We will continue to be big in the California cherry deal. We will also be big in the apple deal out of California, blueberries in California, and Asian pears." The company also handles a full range of fruit from Chile both into the United States and into Asia, he said.
?The first thing we will be getting into will be our California cherry deal? as sales agent for Morada Produce Co. in Stockton, CA, he said. That deal will start around April 24. He expects around 300,000 to 350,000 cartons of cherries this year, coming from growers from Bakersfield and Arvin "up through the Hanford-Fresno-Reedley area? and into Stockton and Lodi. Morada has extensively revamped its packing facility this year, he said.
Gayle Smirnov, who was previously on sales at Tristone, has also left the company and is now on the sales desk at Z&S Distributing Co. Inc. in Fresno. She joined Z&S on March 16 and will be handling "all kinds of fruit items? but primarily California stone fruit and grapes, she said.
Ms. Smirnov had worked with Mr. Bollinger in years past at the Fresno office of Oakland, CA-based Growers Produce and was at Sun Valley Packing in Reedley just prior to joining Tristone.
