United Fresh's immediate Past Chairman, Brian W. Kocher, President and CEO, Castellini Company LLC, Newport, KY, has announced the slate of new officers and directors nominated to serve on the United Fresh Produce Association Board of Directors, effective at its April 26, 2017 meeting in Hilton Head, SC.
Ascending to Chairman of the Board is Susan Reimer-Sifford, Director, Produce & Bakery Purchasing & Distribution for Darden, in Orlando, FL. Susan is responsible for oversight of procurement, distribution and quality assurance of all fruit and vegetable items for Darden's popular concepts such as Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, The Capital Grille, Eddie V’s and Yard House restaurants.
Nominated as Chairman-Elect is Cindy Jewell, Vice President of Marketing, California Giant Berry Farms, Watsonville, CA. Cindy is responsible for strategic planning and developing and executing all marketing and communications programs for California Giant. A key component of her work includes a social media platform and image campaign tied to inbound marketing engagement with consumers and building brand loyalty. She leads the company’s issues management and serves as the company spokesperson with consumers and the media.
Nominated as Secretary-Treasurer is Danny Dumas, Vice President N.A. Sales & Product Management, Del Monte Fresh Produce, N.A., Inc., Coral Gables, FL. Danny was born and raised in Canada where he studied in both English and French.
Current United Fresh Chairman of the Board, Tony Freytag, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, for Crunch Pak, in Cashmere, WA, will move to the position of Immediate Past Chairman and remain on the Board and the Executive Committee.
The following industry leaders have been nominated to serve as new members of the United Fresh Board for a two-year term beginning April 2017:
- Jeff Cady is Director of Produce & Floral for Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo, NY
- Jerry Callahan is Group Vice President, Produce and Floral for Albertsons Companies in Boise, ID
- Michael Castagnetto, Vice President, Global Sourcing for Robinson Fresh in Eden Prairie, MN
- Chris Ciruli, Chief Operations Officer, Ciruli Brothers, LLC, Tubac, AZ
- Michael Cochran, Merchandise Manager, Produce for Walmart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, AR
- Mark Girardin, President, North Bay Produce, Inc., Traverse City, MI
- Christian Harris, Vice President Fresh Produce, US Foods in Rosemont, IL
- Jim Hay, North America Regional Business Director, DuPont Crop Protection, Wilmington, DE
- Brian Jenny, Vice President/GM - Value Added Fresh, Naturipe Farms, LLC, Sugar Hill, GA
- Drew McDonald, VP Quality, Food Safety, & Regulatory, Church Brothers Farms, Salinas, CA
- Phil Muir, President & CEO, Muir Copper Canyon Farms, Salt Lake City, UT
- Mark Munger, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, 4Earth Farms, Los Angeles, CA
- Raina Nelson, Vice President of Sales for Renaissance Food Group, Oldsmar, FL
- Mayda Sotomayor-Kirk, CEO, Seald Sweet International/Greenyard USA, Vero Beach, FL
The following At-Large Board Members will continue their service on the Board: Brian Antle, Tanimura & Antle; Mark Campion, Taylor Farms, Inc.; Bret Erickson, ScanTech Sciences; Sarah Frey-Talley, Frey Farms, LLC; Rudi Groppe, Heinzen Manufacturing International; Steve Jarzombek, Roundy's Supermarkets, Inc.; Douglas Kling, Village Farms International, Inc.; Mark Klompien, United Potato Growers of America; Bob Mast, CMI Orchards; Paul Mastronardi, Mastronardi Produce, Ltd.; John McGuire, Lineage Logistics; David McInerney, FreshDirect, LLC; Ken Moynihan, Compac; Michael Muzyk, Baldor Specialty Foods, Inc.; Mike Orf, Hy-Vee, Inc.; Howard Roeder, Sunnyside Farms, A Safeway Group Company; Brent Scattini, Mission Produce, Inc. and Mario Steta, Driscoll's.
“Our organization thrives on the strength and diversity of the leadership on the United Fresh Board of Directors,” said President & CEO Tom Stenzel. “This slate of new Board members, along with those returning to the Board, will provide a strong representation and leadership of our industry.”
“I’d like to extend a personal thanks to all of the Board members who are concluding their service at this upcoming meeting, including our Immediate Past Chairman Brian Kocher who provided exceptional leadership to our organization during his many years of service,” said Stenzel. “With an industry as diverse and complex as ours, we are grateful to the dedicated members of our Board who have helped navigate the challenges in our industry and further advance our organization. We appreciate the time and service they have dedicated to United and the industry.
“I’d also like to personally thank Brian and Board Development Committee members Brian Kocher, Tony Freytag, Susan Reimer-Sifford, Lisa Strube, John Jackson, Jackie Caplan Wiggins, Shannon Arias and Brent Scattini for their work this year in nominating an impressive slate of officers and Board members. Their job was to help develop a strong and representative leadership on the Board for the coming years to drive our association forward, and I commend them for developing this strong slate of industry leaders,” Stenzel said.
Contact:
Mary Coppola
Tel: 202-303-3425