L&M founder to be honored with inaugural SPC award
L&M founder to be honored with inaugural SPC award
The Southeast Produce Council has chosen Joe McGee, a 50-year veteran of the fresh produce industry and founder of L&M Cos. in Raleigh, NC, to be the inaugural recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award will be presented Saturday, Feb. 23 at the council's annual conference and trade show, known as Southern Exposure 2008, set for Feb. 21-23 at the Caribe Royale Resort & Conference Center in Orlando, FL. The Produce News, a co-sponsor of the new award, will make the presentation during the keynote lunch.
Born in 1935, Mr. McGee spent his early childhood on his mother's small family farm in Johnston County, NC. He worked at his father's wholesale company while still in high school, graduated from high school in 1954 and earned a bachelor of science degree from Florida State University in 1959. It was at FSU that he met Linda Lee Carroll, whom he married in 1960. They have two children, both of whom work for the company. Michael was born in 1964 and is now vice president of production and grower development; Lee Anne was born in 1966 and is now director of marketing.
Mr. McGee founded L&M in 1964 with Bob Logan, who left after a year. It has grown since that time to encompass a number of entities that it likes to call the L&M Family of Cos.
In 1971, Mr. McGee started CRTS Inc., a tractor-trailer dealership, in 1973 he ventured into farming, in 1974 he founded Carolina Trailer Rentals Inc. (which was sold in 1996), and in 1977 L&M Transportation Services was incorporated. He expanded the farming ventures over the years up and down the East Coast, formalizing the ventures in 1983 as L&M Farms Inc. In 1993, Commonwealth Trailer began operating. Ag Warehouse Packing was formalized as its own business in 1998, and most recently, in 2007, L&M Mexico was formed.
Tom Page, vice president of the Southeast Produce Council, described Mr. McGee as "a pretty low-key guy" who likes to "work with the growers." Asked why the council selected Mr. McGee as its honoree, Mr. Page replied, "It's really the leadership that he puts forth."
Mr. Page, who is East Coast/import procurement manager at Supervalu Inc., also cited the emphasis that L&M puts on the future, pointing to the many young people who work there. "In my travels, and I'm around looking at a lot of different farms," said Mr. Page, "I keep meeting these young guys, right out of college, and Joe's put them to work. Sharp, sharp, sharp young people. And the first place they go to work is on the farms. Talk about a guy who is absolutely putting himself in a position to move forward!"
And as for the honoree himself, Mr. Page elaborated on the low-key aspect of Mr. McGee. "He's a real hands-on guy," said Mr. Page. "He doesn't like the limelight. This award is not something he would seek. He's just a real down- to-earth guy."
The award will be presented Saturday, Feb. 23 at the council's annual conference and trade show, known as Southern Exposure 2008, set for Feb. 21-23 at the Caribe Royale Resort & Conference Center in Orlando, FL. The Produce News, a co-sponsor of the new award, will make the presentation during the keynote lunch.
Born in 1935, Mr. McGee spent his early childhood on his mother's small family farm in Johnston County, NC. He worked at his father's wholesale company while still in high school, graduated from high school in 1954 and earned a bachelor of science degree from Florida State University in 1959. It was at FSU that he met Linda Lee Carroll, whom he married in 1960. They have two children, both of whom work for the company. Michael was born in 1964 and is now vice president of production and grower development; Lee Anne was born in 1966 and is now director of marketing.
Mr. McGee founded L&M in 1964 with Bob Logan, who left after a year. It has grown since that time to encompass a number of entities that it likes to call the L&M Family of Cos.
In 1971, Mr. McGee started CRTS Inc., a tractor-trailer dealership, in 1973 he ventured into farming, in 1974 he founded Carolina Trailer Rentals Inc. (which was sold in 1996), and in 1977 L&M Transportation Services was incorporated. He expanded the farming ventures over the years up and down the East Coast, formalizing the ventures in 1983 as L&M Farms Inc. In 1993, Commonwealth Trailer began operating. Ag Warehouse Packing was formalized as its own business in 1998, and most recently, in 2007, L&M Mexico was formed.
Tom Page, vice president of the Southeast Produce Council, described Mr. McGee as "a pretty low-key guy" who likes to "work with the growers." Asked why the council selected Mr. McGee as its honoree, Mr. Page replied, "It's really the leadership that he puts forth."
Mr. Page, who is East Coast/import procurement manager at Supervalu Inc., also cited the emphasis that L&M puts on the future, pointing to the many young people who work there. "In my travels, and I'm around looking at a lot of different farms," said Mr. Page, "I keep meeting these young guys, right out of college, and Joe's put them to work. Sharp, sharp, sharp young people. And the first place they go to work is on the farms. Talk about a guy who is absolutely putting himself in a position to move forward!"
And as for the honoree himself, Mr. Page elaborated on the low-key aspect of Mr. McGee. "He's a real hands-on guy," said Mr. Page. "He doesn't like the limelight. This award is not something he would seek. He's just a real down- to-earth guy."
