SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Stephen Barnard, president of Mission Produce Inc. in Oxnard, CA, was elected to serve as chairman of the board of Western Growers Association for the coming year at the group's annual convention, held Nov. 11-14, here.

With a team of experienced personnel and a seasoned natural disaster plan in place, SUPERVALU and its independent retail operations successfully weathered the challenges posed by Hurricane Sandy as she made a devastating landfall at the end of October.

The national grocery and pharmacy company is headquartered in Eden Prairie, MN. “We have a great team who were ready to respond,” SUPERVALU National Media Manager Mike Siemienas told The Produce News Nov. 6. “There’s some luck in that as well.”

Gourmet Trading Co., a leading supplier of fresh asparagus in North America, is offering its peeled white asparagus as a seasonal item for the holidays.

The Los Angeles-based company introduced the bagged and pre-peeled white asparagus pack to the asparagus category back in February.

As Northeasterners dealt with Hurricane Sandy’s destruction and the nor’easter that added to the killer storm’s effects, shippers in the nation’s Northwest expressed their concern and well-wishes.

Scott Marboe, marketing director at Wenatchee, WA-based Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers, said, “Our hearts and best wishes obviously go out to all of the people who have been affected by Sandy — what an event.”

In order to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy, a one-day donation drive has been scheduled by organizers from private and public sector port businesses and agencies throughout the New Jersey-Pennsylvania-Delaware region.

The collection time is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17. The efforts will support several New Jersey charitable and relief organizations, including the Salvation Army and the United Way of Monmouth County.

Traci Adams, vice president and general manager for Safeway corporate floral in Pleasanton, CA, was named 2012 Floral Marketer of the Year during the Oct. 27 Floral Networking Reception held during the PMA Fresh Summit in Anaheim, CA. The award, in its 32nd year, recognizes an outstanding floral professional who has served the mass-market floral industry with dedication and distinction.