Peter Goulet, a past chair of the Produce Marketing Association and long-time member and contributor to the fresh produce community, died March 24 at the age of 64.

Mr. Goulet was a food industry veteran for 47 years. He started in-store at Hannaford Bros and worked his way to corporate as director of produce merchandising. In 2006, he founded Pinnacle Sales and Marketing, which he ran for 15 years before retiring in 2020.

Following an extensive national search, Mike Stigers will take over as Wakefern Food Corp.'s president, effective June 1.

Current president Joe Sheridan, who announced his retirement last year, will remain with the company through the end of the calendar year to ensure a successful transition. Sheridan’s departure caps off a successful 47-year career with the cooperative, including the past 11 years as president.

The Southeast Produce Council opened the application window for its newest scholarship program: SEPC Fresh Chefs. The second annual opportunity for this innovative program is now open to any full-time college or secondary education student pursuing a degree in culinary arts or restaurant management.

BOSTON—The New England Produce Council held its annual dinner dance gala Saturday, March 25 at the InterContinental Boston hotel. The event had a casino night theme, with games and decor setting the mood. A record number of attendees showed up early and packed the cocktail reception before the evening shifted to the ballroom for dinner and dancing — and a late-night snack station.

Freshcourt has more than a quarter century of experience packing and processing fresh avocados from Mexico and the company continues to grow annually. In March, the Coral Gables, FL-based company went to Anaheim, CA, to take part in Natural Products Expo West 2023.

“Freshcourt was thrilled to exhibit at this year’s show,” said Eduardo Garcia Chamorro, creative marketing director for the company. “Because our focus always has been on all-natural, preservative-free products, we are very proud to be associated with such an important show that always promote health and wellness.”

Now in its seventh year, Nogales, AZ-based iDeal HarBest experienced a record year in 2022 and is poised for further growth with plans to add to its product line.

“We had a record year last year, and we started with a bang this year, so that has been very exciting for us,” said Manny Fajardo, a partner in the business, who leads the company’s sales and marketing efforts. “In fact, our sales in January 2023 alone exceeded our entire first year in business in 2017.”