After more than 50 years of growth and prosperity General Produce Inc. of Atlanta, GA, is not sitting still. The company began as a purveyor of bananas and has since grown to become one of the Southeast’s larger distributors of produce from apples to zucchini with its own fleet of more than 100 trucks providing overnight delivery to 11 Southeastern states.

“You can’t stop trying to improve — while you’re sleeping at night somebody else is plotting and scheming how to get ahead of you so you’ve got to stay up with it,” said Executive Vice President Randy Lineberger.

For the first time in seven years, John Shuman of Shuman Produce, Inc. in Reidsville, GA, one of the nation’s larger providers of sweet onions via its “RealSweet” brand, will actually get a chance to enjoy the Southeast Produce Council Southern Exposure trade show, scheduled for Feb. 28-March2 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL.

Duda Farm Fresh Foods Inc., headquartered in Oviedo, FL, will exhibit at the 2013 Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure Retail & Foodservice Conference & Expo on Feb. 28-March 2 at the Caribe Royale Resort & Conference Center in Orlando, FL.

Sweet Onion Trading Co., headquartered in Melbourne, FL, has been a member of the Southeast Produce Council since 2003, and has been exhibiting at the Southern Exposure Retail & Foodservice Conference & Expo since 2005.

Barry Rogers, chief executive officer and president, told The Produce News that besides himself, Kelly Connell, sales manager for the company will be representing Sweet Onion Trading at booth number 217 at the Southern Exposure expo.

Dave Nelson, vice president of sales for Datepac LLC, headquartered in Yuma, AZ, said that the company has exhibited at the Southern Exposure Retail & Foodservice Conference & Expo every year for the past five years.

“And we have been members for five years,” said Mr. Nelson. “I will be at our booth, number 211, this year at the expo in Orlando, FL, along with Jim Bates, Datepac’s regional sales manager, to greet customers and prospective customers.”

Rainier Fruit Co., headquartered in Yakima, WA, will sample its new, exciting apple variety, Lady Alice, at this year’s Southeast Produce Council Southern Exposure trade show. “Production has increased since its introduction just a few years ago as its appeal with consumers has taken off,” Director of Marketing Suzanne Wolter told The Produce News Feb. 11. “Lady Alice is one of two exclusive varieties offered by Rainier that brings additional dollars into the apple category. The variety launched in early February and will be available through the end of April.