PASADENA, CA -- The Mixtec Group has announced that industry veteran Leonard Batti has joined the firm as managing and senior partner for its newly opened Monterey/Salinas office.

Chris Nelson, president chief executive officer of the company, said that opening a recruiting office in the heart of the largest growing area has been something he's always wanted to do.

PHILADELPHIA -- The general manager of the Philadelphia Regional Produce Market believes that the market could still move to a site adjacent to its current location, but it could take four years or more for Sysco to move its existing warehousing operation from that to another location.

With the rapid escalation of construction costs, the then-affordable new Philadelphia market size would not be as large as the existing facility, which was built by the city in 1959. For that reason, the next-door plan has been abandoned.

Bartolotta Inc. is looking to give a boost to a traditionally slow time in the produce industry with a new contest set to begin in early January.

The contest rules are simple: every truckload of produce purchased between Jan. 7 and Feb. 1 by a new or existing customer of the company will earn that customer one entry in a drawing for a trip to Cancun, Mexico.

Growers in the southeastern United States were scrambling Jan. 1 to put into action any plan possible to protect their crops from a weather forecast advising that temperatures could drop to below freezing and last from several hours to as many as 72 hours.

Fortunately, the cold front that blew as far south as Key West was considerably less damaging than predicted.

As the old saying goes, "Time flies when you're having fun." Well, get ready for another exciting fun ride on the produce roller coaster, complete with more speed, opportunities and responsibilities than ever before.

Another year has come and gone in the produce business. Did you make it over most of the tough hurdles this past year? No doubt 2008 will bring with it more changes and challenges. Some may be accomplished with ease, while others may be stressful and burdensome. What are your wishes and resolutions for the new year ahead?