VIP dinner kicks off Southern Exposure 2025
ORLANDO, FL — The Southeast Produce Council held its annual VIP dinner Wednesday evening, March 5, at the Orlando World Center Marriott, just prior to the opening of the 2025 Southern Exposure conference and trade show, here. A new feature this year was a scavenger hunt, which preceded the dinner.
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 Good Seeds MENtor Program, the opening gala, the keynote luncheon and the expo.
Delynn and Mark Daniels of the Idaho Potato Commission.
Ken Perry and Theresa Nolan of The Nolan Network.
Raina Nelson of Westfalia Fruit U.S. with Candy and Steve Pinkston, a member of the SEPC Board of Governors.
John Shuman of Shuman Farms and a member of the SEPC Board of Governors with Rick Stein of FMI.
Kent and Vicki Kuwata of Smart & Final with Michael Casazza of Freshsource.
Bobby Creel of L&M Cos. and chairman of the SEPC Board of Governors with Michael Casazza of Freshsource.
Mike Roberts of Harps Food Stores, Faye Westfall of the Southeast Produce Council and Gary Baker of MDI.
Kristin Yerecic Scott of Yerecic Label and chair of the SEPC board of directors with Maclaren Oglesby of Sbrocco International.
Mark Hilton, a former president (now chairman) of the SEPC board of directors; Stephanie Hilton of Lange Cos. Inc.; and Jane Narwold of Sutherland’s Foodservice Inc.
Sloan Lott of Bland Farms and vice chair of the SEPC board of directors, Molly Edenfield Farrow of the Southeast Produce Council and Gary Baker of MDI and secretary of the SEPC board of directors.
Matthew Moon of Class Produce with Blair Greenhill, Andrew Scott and Neal Kasloff of Nickey Gregory Co.
David Wilson of SEPC, Andrew Scott of Nickey Gregory Co. and Frank Swanson, retired from U.S. Foods.
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.
