For the past 21 years, one member of the Delaware River port community is selected every spring by a jury of his or her peers to receive the prestigious Spirit of the Port Award. This year was notable on several fronts. Barbara Hunter, director of imported commodities for Western Fumigation, is the first woman to receive the honor, and it happened on the historic day -- April 18 -- that the crew of the Maersk Alabama took back their ship from pirates off the coast of Somalia. It was most fitting because The Seamen's Church Institute, which sponsors the award and annual event, is dedicated to

Following a November 2008 appointment by former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer, Roger Christensen, a Center, CO, potato grower, was formally seated as a board member on the U.S. Potato Board during the board's annual meeting in Denver. The March 10-13 gathering, which was the board's 37th annual, saw representatives from the nation's potato-growing states seated and new leadership elected. Mr. Christensen was quoted as saying that he credited his father-in-law, third-generation farmer Lynn Kopfman, for his introduction to farming and the potato industry. For more than a decade, Mr

Like many in the retail business, Heather Shavey's career at Costco grew from loyalty and opportunity rather than a predetermined plan. Born in Portland, OR, she spent part of her youth in different climates as job opportunities moved the family from the Northwest to California to Minnesota to Florida. But by high school, her family had resettled in the Seattle area, and Ms. Shavey was ensconced in high school life when she applied for a job at a local Costco in 1984, only one year after the clubstore chain was founded. "I worked in the seventh Costco that was opened," she said. "I was looking

"With the ever-declining economy" and the financial struggles that many consumers are experiencing due to unemployment or other factors, the Idaho Potato Commission in Eagle, ID, is putting a strong focus on the value potatoes offer consumers in the retail produce department, according to Seth Pemsler, the commission's vice president of retail. "What we are trying to do is work with retailers to better help them meet the new customers' needs, which is a focus on value," Mr. Pemsler said. When consumers go into retail stores, they are now "searching for values" and looking for ways to stretch

Two Nogales, AZ-based produce distributors and one wholesaler- consolidator with a Nogales presence were honored for their commitment to produce quality at a dinner in Nogales Wednesday, April 15, sponsored by the Mexico Calidad Suprema program. Companies honored at the dinner were two shipper-distributors, a broker- consolidator and a retail chain. The shipper-distributors were Los Angeles-based Giumarra, which has a Nogales division, and Nogales-based Farmer's Best. The shipper-consolidator was Bay Area Produce Inc., which is headquartered in San Jose, CA, and has a division in Nogales. The

HARTFORD, CT -- The Connecticut Department of Agriculture has exciting news for early birds who thrive on locating outstanding Connecticut-grown products at great prices while their neighbors are still fast asleep: it is planning a new farmers market facility at the Hartford regional market. The Connecticut Regional Produce Market, known informally as the Hartford regional market, is the largest perishable food distribution facility between Boston and New York. It is operated by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture as a self-sustaining, non-profit venture funded through operational fees