PMA Floral Council meets the industry in Miami, unveils new floral pavilion for Fresh Summit
MIAMI — A delegation from the Produce Marketing Association’s Floral Council met here Nov. 8 with about 50 floral industry executives seeking members to join this new arm of the PMA exclusively dedicated to floral.
TPIE show to draw 6,000 to Fort Lauderdale Jan. 23-25
The 2013 Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition is expected to draw more than 6,000 industry professionals to sunny Fort Lauderdale, FL, Jan. 23-25 for the show’s 40th anniversary. The 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall will showcase lush tropical plants and foliage and palm trees soaring 28 feet to the ceiling.
WF&FSA conference sets record, touts next generation of leaders
MIAMI — The Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association’s annual Floral Distribution Conference, held here Oct. 24-26, drew close to 800 attendees, breaking a record going back nearly a quarter-century. It also had a sold-out exhibit area with 96 table-top displays, two fully booked airport tours, and a full house in its host hotel, the Doral Trump Resort.
Floral sales are making a comeback
Floral is coming back. Almost five years after the Great Recession officially began, a quarter of floral retailers say sales have bounced back, and nearly half of those retailers said their sales now exceed pre-recession numbers. The results are from a survey recently conducted by the Society of American Florists based on responses from more than 300 retail florists.
Registration now open for United Fresh 2013 in San Diego
Early registration opened Dec. 3 for United Fresh 2013 in San Diego, The United Fresh Produce Association’s annual convention and expo serving all segments of the produce industry. This year’s theme, “Discover Fresh Horizons,” underscores the many opportunities for education, innovation and sales growth in fresh produce at the United Fresh show May 14-16.
Reidsville, GA’s Shuman Produce ups its ante in Peruvian sweet onion deal with sweet results
Sometimes the produce game is about calculated risk. John Shuman, president of Shuman Produce Inc. in Reidsville, GA, took one of those leaps of faith when he decided to increase his Peruvian acreage earlier this year in advance of the season. The result has been a powerful performance in light of reduced Peruvian yields that has put the Georgia sweet onion provider in a very sweet position indeed.
The Perishable Specialist dedicated to clearance of produce
“A customs broker who is completely dedicated to fruits and vegetables serves the importer best because every ounce of effort is concentrated within the produce industry,” said Ana Ramos, partner with her husband, Frank Ramos, in The Perishable Specialist Inc., located in Miami. “We are the epitome of streamlined process, and solely dedicated to fruits and vegetables, which represent 99.9 percent of our day-to-day business. We are more efficient because we are true perishable specialists.”
USDA appoints members to NMB, 2013 officers elected
On Nov. 30, Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack appointed five members to serve on the National Mango Board. During the board's November meeting, 2012 board members elected officers to serve in various leadership roles for 2013, as well as approve new marketing, research and industry relations programs for the upcoming year.
Social Venture Network honors Earthbound Farm founders
Myra and Drew Goodman, founders of Earthbound Farm, an organic industry leader, were recently inducted into the Social Venture Network’s hall of fame as Environmental Evangelists, with three other contemporary luminaries in the category. The honor was officially announced at a Nov. 13 ceremony at Gotham Hall in New York City.
The Social Venture Network hall of fame honorees are examples of what the national nonprofit calls the “most innovative and influential leaders of the socially responsible business movement.”
Southern California port strike continues to hamper some imports and exports
Some fruit and vegetables are being held up at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles as longshoremen at 10 of the 14 container terminals in those side-by-side ports are refusing to cross picket lines set up by a related clerical union that is on strike.