When the Southeast Produce Council convenes for its fall conference in Asheville, NC, Sept. 20, current President John Shuman of Shuman Produce in Reidsville, GA will be handing the reins to current Vice President Andrew Scott of General Produce in Atlanta. The changing of the guard will mark the first time in the history of the council that the president has previously held every spot in the organization’s hierarchy.

“Once I become president I will have held every position at the SEPC — board of directors, treasurer, secretary, vice president and then president,” Mr. Scott said. “I’ll be the Andrew Scott, vice president of General Produce.first person to hit them all. I just kind of moved up the ladder and after my two years as president are over with I’ll have served the longest term ever in the hierarchy, 10 years.”

Since the council is just in its 13th year, it is not surprising that Mr. Scott is the first to pull off that feat (Mr. Shuman served a year as a board member and two each as secretary, vice president and president). But it is testament to the growth and staying power of the council.

The council has captured the attention of like organizations across the U.S. with its remarkable success. Attendance at last spring’s Southern Exposure expo was a record 1,599 and this year’s fall conference will also set a new attendance record. The first meeting of the council 13 years ago drew six people.

The council has been equally successful attracting exhibitors to its spring expo. There is a waiting list for booths at Southern Exposure, though the number at the 2012 show was expanded from 200 to 240.

Financially, the council is on solid ground, so much so that it now has the opportunity to present first-rate speakers — the kind who cost big bucks — at its gatherings. University of North Carolina Head Basketball Coach Roy Williams will speak at the Fall Conference and the legendary Lou Holtz, the only college football coach to lead six different programs to bowl games and guide four different programs to final top 20 rankings (Holtz has also been a revered ESPN analyst since 2005) will be the keynote speaker at Southern Exposure in Spring 2013.

As recently as 2007 the council still had a cash bar at its events.

“Back in the day when we would have to sell drink tickets — it’s good those days are over with and we can have a nice big party for everybody and not worry about not having enough money,” Mr. Scott said. “It’s nice to be able to give back to all of our members and vendors and retailers.”

The council’s STEP-UPP Program, which identifies future leaders in the region for an intensive year-long training program, is thriving. And a scholarship program that awards promising students looking for a career in the produce industry now hands out thousands of dollars annually.

“Everybody who applied for a scholarship last year got one,” Mr. Scott said.

It is doubtful as word spreads that trend will continue. Nevertheless, the council’s trend of managed growth and value-returned to members will no doubt continue under Mr. Scott’s leadership.

The success of the council is directly attributable to “the people involved. A lot of it has to do with [Executive Director] Terry Vorhees and our past presidents really creating a foundation for this, people like Tom Page and John Shuman and at the very beginning Mark Hilton of Harris Teeter — to have somebody like Mark to be our president in our infancy was a really big deal — and it carried on with Larry Narwold and Al Finch and Rick Estess,” Mr. Scott said. “We’ve had some good presidents, no doubt about it. And the board of directors and the committees and the committee heads, they’ve all stepped up and they do this stuff for free. So it’s like one big Southeast produce family, it really is and our vision is to be the premier produce resource in the region and I think we live up to our vision and our mission statement.”

Mr. Scott said he has no intention of implementing major changes as council president. “First of all, I have had the benefit of watching each of the terrific presidents we’ve had over the last few years and I’ve learned from what they’ve done,” he said.

“Basically my goal is to maintain what we’re doing and manage growth, manage growth of Southern Exposure, which is going to be really hard to do because so many people want to participate but we can’t dilute the value. We’ve got an incredible waiting list even though we added 40 more booths last year. But we want to keep it that intimate setting for vendors and retailers and food service people. I think we’ll be spending more money on scholarships and other programs that give back to the membership. And I just want to keep up the strong financial state of the council. We’re very healthy financially. I’ll basically just be trying to maintain, really. It’s humbling and I don’t’ know what else to really say about it. I just want to try my best and work hard for the council.”

No one involves expects anything less from a man generally regarded as one of the hardest working people in the industry. Mr. Scott regularly gets to work before 6 a.m. and maintains a hectic pace, according to his peers.

“The SEPC will be in good hands with Andrew Scott,” said outgoing President John Shuman. “He is one of the hardest working people you could ever hope to meet.”

“I don’t know how he does it,” said former council President Al Finch of Florida Classic Growers in Lake Hamilton, FL. “He gets to work at 6 a.m., he makes time for his family and friends, he takes care of his clients — he gets by on about five hours of sleep a night somehow.”

Asked about his endurance, Mr. Scott laughed. “I think it’s just good genetics really,” he said.

“And my family, the support of my wife and three daughters. I work for them, to be honest,” he added. “Whether it’s volunteer work or work in general I just want to give a good reflection of my work ethic whether it’s at General Produce where I get a paycheck or SEPC where I don’t. I’ve always gone by the standard of treating people the way I’d like them to treat me and that applies to my personal life, too. It’s work hard, play hard! It really is.”

Mr. Scott said most of the leadership of the council has the same approach to work and living.

“It’s Southern hospitality, that Southern spirit everyone talks about, that really is in evidence in SEPC and it is part of why we’ve been so successful. We try to instill a high sense of professionalism and loyalty, which we do, support charitable causes, which we do — we’re living up to and living by our vision and our mission statement. I’d just like to try to carry that on. It’s a team effort, it really is, and we’re a great team. Trust, integrity and passion — that’s what we’re all about and that’s what we’re doing, building relationships that will sustain us the rest of our lives and live on beyond us.”