“We enjoy being a part of the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market and participating in the show as exhibitors that are part of a group,” said Tom Kovacevich, president of TMK Produce. “This is the only show where we exhibit as a group and that gives us an opportunity to not only network with the communities we buy and sell to but also with each other as merchants. 

“In fact, most of the merchants on the wholesale produce market trade with each other. PWPM, as a group of merchants, inventory tens of thousands of pallets, as well as thousands of items in stock, and since we do work together our combined offerings make shopping at PWPM an unparalleled experience. Cooperation is our secret sauce.”

Kovacevich said that keeping attune to the economy and the produce industry is paramount to the success of his company. He added that it is important to showcase that knowledge and experience o attendees at the show. 

“Turn on CNBC and every day there is always a lot of discussion of the future of business, particularly how AI and robotics will be incorporated into processes that improve efficiency and reducing costs,” he said. “While we agree these effects are coming to business, much of what we do is so physical that we are likely a decade away from direct benefits to our operations. That said, we are very excited to see the ways AI and robotics are benefiting the farming community and we anticipate larger retailers to increasingly incorporate AI into everything they do from buying to merchandising and logistics.”

Building and sustaining relationships with customers has always played a major role in the company’s success and its ongoing attempts to keep growing the business. Kovacevich made it extremely clear that he has no intention of moving away from that strategy. 

“We are grateful to be in a business that serves small business,” he said. “Where we have relationships with the buyers and many times the owner is the buyer. We believe in a world of ever-increasing depersonalization that the relationships our business are built on will become even more valuable. We like the idea of being the last people still hustling a great deal for a weekend sizzler.”

Kovacevich says that TMK Produce has been in business in the City of Brotherly Love since 1984. His father, Tom Kovacevich Jr. and George Manos, the company’s current CEO, partnered up that year as brokers. In 1986, an opportunity arose to get into the wholesale business when Harvey Schannauer, who was running the fruit department at Eckert’s Produce, asked Manos and his dad to buy the three units he was running. 

Kovacevich said that TMK has had a solid year and continues to build on its success of connecting with buyers looking for an advantage in a much more competitive retail landscape. 

“Retailers use produce as a differentiator and this is where we can help them, enabling them to offer better quality at a better price which then plays a role in their customer retention and sales growth,” he noted. “On our end, the best way to grow sales is to have the team focused on improving the customer experience, so this is our main goal.”