With a stroke of luck, Turbana Corp. in Coral Gables, FL, in recent months moved its Gulf Coast banana-receiving port from Gulfport, MS, to Freeport, TX.

According to national news reports, Gulfport took the worst hit from Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 29. Meanwhile, in Freeport, "We didn't have problems with the hurricane, business wise," said Juan Alarcon, Turbana's chief executive officer.

Stephen Kaczor announced Aug. 18 that he has left his position as director of marketing for Burlingame, CA-based Splendid Products, a shipper of citrus and a distributor of tropical fruit such as mangos and limes.

The company handles a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Cincinnati-based Pro Mach Inc., a leading integrated packaging solutions provider for customers worldwide, has announced the appointment of Mark W. Anderson as president and chief operating officer.

Mr. Anderson will lead operations of Pro Mach's three business units: primary packaging, end-of-line packaging, and identification and tracking. He brings extensive management, marketing and engineering experience in the manufacturing industry to Pro Mach. Mr. Anderson, whose appointment is effective immediately, reports to John W. Paxton Sr., Pro Mach chairman and CEO.

The Hass Avocado Board in Irvine, CA, which conducts generic avocado marketing for foreign and domestic suppliers, has approved a proactive diversity policy to assure that the composition of the board reflects the demographics of the avocado industry while supporting the board's diversity goals.

Charles H. Bronson, Florida's commissioner of agriculture, will visit the Homestead area of southern Florida Tuesday, Aug. 30, to view the damage that Hurricane Katrina wreaked on the states nursery industry.

"The strong winds, heavy rain and loss of power have combined to wallop our nursery industry in south Florida," said Commissioner Bronson. We will do all that we can to assist our growers.