VIP dinner kicks off Southern Exposure 2024
TAMPA, FL — The Southeast Produce Council held its annual VIP dinner Wednesday evening, March 6, at Ulele, just prior to the opening of the 2024 Southern Exposure conference and trade show, here.
A full schedule of events was planned for Southern Exposure over the next three days, including the annual Tom Page Golf Classic (named for Tom Page, one of the founders of the council), the Future Generations Celebration Dinner, two educational workshops, the Southern Roots luncheon for women in produce, the new Good Seeds MENtor Program, the opening gala, the keynote luncheon and the expo.
Tim Graas of Associated Wholesale Grocers, Mike Roberts of Harps Food Stores Inc. and Brandon Parker of Shuman Farms.
Andrew Scott and Nickey Gregory of Nickey Gregory Co., Mark Shuman of Shuman Farms and Victoria Shuman of the Paul Anderson Youth Home.
Blair Greenhill and Scott Chapman of Nickey Gregory Co.
David Wilson of U.S. Foods with Jeff Tant of Performance Food Group.
Theresa Nolan and Ken Perry of Produce Buzz.
Gary Baker of Merchants Distributors Inc. with Raina Nelson of Westfalia Fruit Marketing USA.
Mike Tipton of Schnuck Markets Inc., Sloan Lott of Bland Farms and Ross Williams of Titan Farms.
John Shuman of Shuman Farms with Dave Yeager of Schmieding Produce.
Faye Westfall, a former chairman of the SEPC board of directors, with Frank Swanson, an SEPC lifetime member.
Candy and Steve Pinkston, an SEPC lifetime member.
Julia and Rick Estess of RPE LLC.
Jeffrey and Karen Cady of Northeast Shared Services.
Ginny and Garry Bergstrom, retired from Publix.
Gordon Hochberg
About Gordon M. Hochberg | 
Gordon M. Hochberg was born in New York City, and grew up in Westchester County, NY. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from Lafayette College in 1973.
He started his career at The Produce News in the late 1970s, and has been with the publication ever since.
He served on the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Agricultural Society from 2012 to 2018. He currently serves on the Southeast Produce Council’s Board of Governors.
He enjoys music, theater and reading (American and ancient history are his favorites). And he’s been a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees since attending his first game in the late 1950s. He and his wife, Kathi, have been married since 1974.
