In the short term and "from a customer perspective," there will be "no change? in Sun World International?s operations following Black Diamond Capital Management LLC acquiring it, according to Christopher Kipley, a partner at Black Diamond. Longer term, such changes as there may be "are largely going to be driven? by people who have been working at Sun World for years and who "know [the company] best," he said. However, Sun World President and CEO Tim Shaheen and CFO Ray Speer will be leaving the company after a designated transition period, and an executive search firm will be begin to

Naples, FL-based Incredible Fresh, which bought and sold a full line of fruits and vegetables including imported specialty items, has sold its produce and dairy lines to a partnership made up of three separate partners. The three partners " each with a one-third stake in the new company " are Naples-based Brad Young, who had been vice president of sales and marketing for Monterey, CA-based Pro*Act LLC; Atlanta-based Royal Food Service; and Richmond, VA-based Produce Source Partners Virginia. They have named their company Incredible Fresh Produce & Dairy Co., and will remain a distributor for

?The season to date has been absolutely terrible," said Joe Bernardi of Bernardi & Associates Inc. in Nogales, AZ, who echoed the sentiments of most of the other Nogales brokers and distributors who were interviewed by The Produce News during the latter half of February. Unusually heavy rain in many growing areas in Mexico has created supply and quality challenges in tomatoes and most other commodities. Market prices for many items have been dragging bottom for much of the season, even when supplies were shorter than normal. But with the passing of winter and the approach of spring, marketers

Lara Grossman, who held the position of value-added product manager for Spreckels, CA-based grower and shipper Tanimura & Antle Inc. before switching to Ready Pac Produce Inc. in August 2004, has returned to T&A as its new director of marketing. Ms. Grossman, 36, had worked for T&A from August 2002 until being assigned last summer to become marketing product manager for Irwindale, CA-based Ready Pac when Ready Pac acquired Salad Time, T&A?s packaged salad line. The deal strengthened Ready Pac?s position as a premier processor of fresh-cut produce and enabled T&A to focus on its core business

The Fresh Produce & Floral Council?s March 8 Expo is going to feature Public Broadcasting Service reporter Huell Howser as its keynote speaker, and he, in turn, will feature the Expo on an upcoming segment of his popular "California?s Gold? television show. Mr. Howser was a guest speaker at an FPFC luncheon in 2004, at which time he proposed doing a segment on the Expo in his show. His "California?s Gold? program regularly travels throughout California highlighting people, places and events in the Golden State. He has featured some California growing regions in the past, but this will be the

Minneapolis-based C.H. Robinson Worldwide, which started modestly as a produce company in 1905, has evolved over the past 100 years into one of North America?s larger third-party logistics companies. C.H. Robinson has operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe and Asia. Most of its revenues come from providing truck, rail, ocean and air transportation throughout the world. However, sourcing and information services also are important components of the company?s overall business. In 1905, Charles Robinson partnered with the Nash brothers, and C.H. Robinson Co. became