HURRICANE KATRINA UPDATE: Gulfport banana facilities out of touch
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.
HURRICANE KATRINA UPDATE: 'Our biggest concern right now is the people,' said Doles Marta Maitles
"I'm really concerned about some people down there. Our biggest concern right now is the people who live down there," Dole's Marta Maitles said in the early afternoon of Aug. 30.
Ms. Maitles, who is director of communications for Dole Fresh Fruit Co. in Westlake Village, CA, was speaking of Gulfport, MS, which took the brunt of the force of Hurricane Katrina and where Dole maintains a large facility to receive fruit imported from Latin America. National news reports at the time indicated that there were at least 55 deaths in Mississippi in the hurricane's wake.
Director of marketing leaves Splendid
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.
Anderson named president and COO of Pro Mach
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.
HAB establishes proactive diversity policy
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.
HURRICANE KATRINA UPDATE: Storm damages southern Florida floral nurseries and avocado crop
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.
Pride Packing taps Oppenheimer as marketing partner
Capitalizing on a strong stone fruit market and looking ahead to future opportunities, The Oppenheimer Group and Pride Packing Co. have joined forces.
The recently announced alliance with the Wapato, WA-based Pride represents Vancouver, BC-based Oppenheimer's first full-scale venture into domestic stone fruit marketing.
U.S. apple crop a bit smaller than in 2004
CHICAGO At the U.S. Apple Association 2005 Apple Crop Outlook & Marketing Conference, held here at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago Aug. 18-19, James R. Cranney Jr., vice president of the hosting group, told the audience of apple marketers that the total U.S. apple crop this season will be down 6 percent over 2004 and should total about 234.2 million bushels, which is, however, 3 percent above the five-year average.
Rice Fruit and Wal-Mart team up again for huge peach displays
August in Pennsylvania can only mean one thing: sweet, juicy and delicious tree-ripened peaches.
Wal-Mart and Rice Fruit Co. in Gardners, PA, teamed up for the second year in a row to recognize Pennsylvania's peach industry with a giant display of Pennsylvania peaches in both the Carlisle, PA, and Chambersburg, PA, supercenters.
The peach displays go hand-in-hand with Wal-Marts Store of the Community effort, which places products that customers want to buy in the stores meaning more local produce, like the Pennsylvania-grown peaches featured in this promotion.
Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission awards $3,000 to recipe contest winners
The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission in Baton Rouge, LA, and Louisiana Cookin' magazine have concluded the first Sweet Rewards Recipe Contest for canned sweet potatoes, naming four first-place winning recipes and one grand-prize winner. Over 400 entries from 38 states nationwide were narrowed down to 10 recipes in four categories: soups, sides, desserts, and breads and breakfast. These 10 dishes were then prepared for judging by students in the Culinary Arts program at Delgado Community College in New Orleans.