Even though the chill of winter is still in our midst, it shouldn't prevent us from looking ahead to the spring and summer selling opportunities. Let's break away from the doom and gloom of a teetering economy and take a positive approach to devise ways to generate some massive produce sales in the coming months. Generally speaking, produce is the perfect business in that people have to eat. And where there are people, there is money. Every stone we turn over should have money under it just waiting to be earned. Consumers will be in desperate need of a mood change after the winter. As soon as

Bob Wilkins, chief executive officer of GPOD of Idaho, has called it a day after some 35 years with the company. Mr. Wilkins left his daily duties at the end of 2007, but the partner in the fresh-pack shipper has a five-year agreement to serve as a consultant. GPOD of Idaho packs and ships Russet Burbank variety potatoes. Mr. Wilkins said he plans to spend more time with his wife, DeAnne, and his children and grandchildren, and to spend more time hunting, fishing and golfing. "I'm on to a new chapter in my life," Mr. Wilkins said. "In the last 10 years I became more involved in the industry

California's leafy greens industry has made "huge strides" in the past year, and the California Leafy Greens Handler Marketing Agreement's first status report bears that out, according to LGMA Chief Executive Officer Scott Horsfall. The agreement's first status report comes just seven months since government inspectors began conducting mandatory food-safety audits for LGMA members. The report details all audit findings from July through December 2007 as well as other actions undertaken since this unprecedented food-safety program was established. "The most important news, of course, is that

New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine has proposed a state budget that would cut spending by $500 million, reduce the workforce by about 3,000 people and close three departments, including the one that is most visible to the fresh produce industry: the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. The governor, who outlined his proposals in a speech to the New Jersey Legislature Tuesday, Feb. 26, also proposed closing the state departments of Commerce and Personnel, as well as cutting expenses for services such as hospitals and colleges. However, the outcome of those proposals is far from certain. As Al

Produce industry veteran James (Jimmy) Burnette has joined the sales team at JC Tropicals in Homestead, FL, bringing 30 years of experience to the grower-shipper-wholesaler. Mr. Burnette, who officially came on board Feb. 22, will head the company's mango department. "Jimmy's primary responsibility is to lead our mango division and also to participate in the day-to-day sales process with the rest of our sales team on our complete line of product. He is our mango guy," said Adrian Capote, JC Tropicals' vice president of sales. The company has had a mango program for about 10 years, he noted.

ORLANDO, FL -- More people than ever before attended the Southeast Produce Council's fifth annual conference and expo, smashing the previous mark by perhaps 200 or more, according to SPC Executive Director Terry Vorhees. The exact numbers are not complete, but "at least 800 people" and perhaps as many as 900 attended the conference, dubbed Southern Exposure 2008, which took place Feb. 21-23, here, according to Mr. Vorhees. "The attendance has certainly grown each year," he told The Produce News Wednesday, Feb. 27, "and it could go to 1,000 next year" for the sixth annual conference in Tampa