The Kroger Co. announced the retirement of Steve McKinney, senior vice president of retail divisions, effective Aug. 7. McKinney will be succeeded by Valerie Jabbar, currently group vice president of center store merchandising.

McKinney began his career with Kroger in 1981 as a clerk for Florida Choice Supermarkets, a former Kroger banner. While there, he advanced to store manager, buyer and field representative before moving to Fry's Food Stores, where he held several leadership positions before being named vice president of operations in 1998.

DAUMAR is pleased to announce the appointment of Ivan Corvillo as its North American chief executive officer. Corvillo was unanimously voted into office by the Board of Directors, as a strategic leader to carry DAUMAR’s North American companies into the future.

DAUMAR is a leading supplier of packaging materials and packaging machinery to the fresh produce industry. DAUMAR recently opened a new state-of-the-art factory in Huntersville, NC and is planning to open a second U.S.-based factory in the very near future.

Michigan blueberry grower Shelly Hartmann has been named chair of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. Hartmann, who co-owns True Blue Farms with her husband Dennis, succeeds Chris Barnhill of North Carolina. 

Bard Valley Natural Delights® announces the expansion of its team with two new hires and two internal promotions which will support the ongoing growth of the Medjool date category and Natural Delights brand.

Alex Aguilera was promoted from production scheduler to international sales & marketing coordinator and Alan Asbury was promoted from regional business manager of the Midwest to senior business manager of the Midwest & East Coast regions.

The Board of Directors of Peak of the Market is pleased to announce the appointment of Pamela Kolochuk as their new chief executive officer. Kolochuk joined Peak of the Market in 2017 as chief financial officer and succeeds outgoing CEO Larry McIntosh. She assumed responsibilities on July 9.

“Potandon welcomes Darin to his role as CFO of our company," said Mel Davenport, CEO of Potandon Produce. "Darin will be a key part of our Senior Management team as we move Potandon towards an even more significant role in the fresh produce sector.  We are excited to have someone of his talent level joining our company.”