OPMA's 10th annual awards gala recognizes greatness north of the border
OPMA's 10th annual awards gala recognizes greatness north of the border
The Ontario Produce Marketing Association held its annual gala dinner and awards ceremony Nov. 12 at the DoubleTree International Plaza Hotel in Toronto.
Almost 400 people attended the event and were treated to an evening of fun, food and excitement, as well as industry tributes during the group's 10th annual awards ceremony.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement award to Gerard (Whitey) Van Alebeek of Bradford & District Produce Ltd. Steve Stewart, a long time associate of Mr. Van Alebeek, presented the award.
Mr. Van Alebeek's career started at the age of 14 when he began working in the vegetable fields in the Bradford, ON, area. Since that time, he has held a number of roles, and he has been an important contributor to the success of the vegetable industry in the Holland Marsh. His knowledge, dedication to the vegetable industry and long service were recognized recently when he was appointed to the role of general manager of Bradford & District Produce Ltd.
Produce Person of the Year was awarded to Cory Clack-Streef of Faye Clack Communications Inc. Ms. Clack-Streef was recognized for her selfless efforts to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf Coast of the United States this fall. In the aftermath of the storm, she realized that many of her long-time produce industry friends and co-workers in the southern United States had lost everything due to the storm. Ms. Clack-Streef organized "Project Re-Leaf" to rally the Canadian produce industry behind their American friends. The project raised over $20,000, which is being used to help the victims of the hurricane piece their lives back together.
An Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to Jeffrey Honey of the Ontario Produce Marketing Association, whose tireless work has made the OPMA the go-to source for alternative inspection services in Ontario and the premiere resource for training produce receivers in Canada. Mr. Honey, who is bilingual, has also produced a range of technical fact sheets in both French and English for use by receivers across Canada. He is widely recognized as the pre-eminent authority on produce inspection within the Canadian industry, and he has been a major factor in raising the level of knowledge on receiving docks across Canada.
The night also featured a tribute to the memory of the late Mary FitzGerald, a longtime employee of Chiquita Fresh North America who spent her entire 40-year career in the company in a variety of roles across Canada and the United States. In addition to her commitment to Chiquita, Ms. FitzGerald was a strong advocate for the Canadian produce industry through her involvement with industry organizations such as the Ontario Produce Marketing Association and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association. As recently as May, she served as the conference chair for the CPMA's annual convention in Toronto.
Other highlights of the evening included presentations of $10,000 donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario and the Canadian Cancer Society from proceeds collected from OPMA's Grower/Retailer "5 to 10 a day" promotion program. The Canadian Produce Marketing Association's chairman of the board, Rick Wallis of the Oppenheimer Group in Vancouver, BC, was also an honored guest at the event.
The presentation of donations and awards was followed by the immensely popular and expanded casino, caricaturist, fortunetellers and dancing. Casino prizes worth over $5,000 were awarded at midnight.
Almost 400 people attended the event and were treated to an evening of fun, food and excitement, as well as industry tributes during the group's 10th annual awards ceremony.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement award to Gerard (Whitey) Van Alebeek of Bradford & District Produce Ltd. Steve Stewart, a long time associate of Mr. Van Alebeek, presented the award.
Mr. Van Alebeek's career started at the age of 14 when he began working in the vegetable fields in the Bradford, ON, area. Since that time, he has held a number of roles, and he has been an important contributor to the success of the vegetable industry in the Holland Marsh. His knowledge, dedication to the vegetable industry and long service were recognized recently when he was appointed to the role of general manager of Bradford & District Produce Ltd.
Produce Person of the Year was awarded to Cory Clack-Streef of Faye Clack Communications Inc. Ms. Clack-Streef was recognized for her selfless efforts to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf Coast of the United States this fall. In the aftermath of the storm, she realized that many of her long-time produce industry friends and co-workers in the southern United States had lost everything due to the storm. Ms. Clack-Streef organized "Project Re-Leaf" to rally the Canadian produce industry behind their American friends. The project raised over $20,000, which is being used to help the victims of the hurricane piece their lives back together.
An Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to Jeffrey Honey of the Ontario Produce Marketing Association, whose tireless work has made the OPMA the go-to source for alternative inspection services in Ontario and the premiere resource for training produce receivers in Canada. Mr. Honey, who is bilingual, has also produced a range of technical fact sheets in both French and English for use by receivers across Canada. He is widely recognized as the pre-eminent authority on produce inspection within the Canadian industry, and he has been a major factor in raising the level of knowledge on receiving docks across Canada.
The night also featured a tribute to the memory of the late Mary FitzGerald, a longtime employee of Chiquita Fresh North America who spent her entire 40-year career in the company in a variety of roles across Canada and the United States. In addition to her commitment to Chiquita, Ms. FitzGerald was a strong advocate for the Canadian produce industry through her involvement with industry organizations such as the Ontario Produce Marketing Association and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association. As recently as May, she served as the conference chair for the CPMA's annual convention in Toronto.
Other highlights of the evening included presentations of $10,000 donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario and the Canadian Cancer Society from proceeds collected from OPMA's Grower/Retailer "5 to 10 a day" promotion program. The Canadian Produce Marketing Association's chairman of the board, Rick Wallis of the Oppenheimer Group in Vancouver, BC, was also an honored guest at the event.
The presentation of donations and awards was followed by the immensely popular and expanded casino, caricaturist, fortunetellers and dancing. Casino prizes worth over $5,000 were awarded at midnight.
