Jim Matiasevich, co-founder and president of Fullerton, CA’s Veg-Land Sales Inc. and its subsidiaries, died Jan. 28 due to complication from pneumonia. He was 76.

Mr. Matiasevich was raised in Watsonville, CA, where he was born May 8, 1946, as the youngest of three boys. He was an All City fullback at Watsonville High School, played for two years at nearby Cabrillo Junior College and then moved on to the University of Montana, also to play football. He stayed in Montana only one year before moving back to Watsonville to begin his produce career in the frozen foods division of JJ Crosetti

IMG Citrus added Giorgio Peirano to its leadership team. Originally from Chile, Peirano spent much of his career in Europe and South America as an exporter of citrus and other produce, including kiwifruit, onions and avocados. In addition to his 20 years of experience, he holds a degree in agronomic engineering and a master's in business administration. Peirano will focus on strategic partnerships and supply chain integration for IMG Citrus from grower relationships to business development.

The leadership team at IMG Citrus includes the heads of growing, packing, sales, imports and technology

Freshouse, based in Salisbury, NC, has hired Teri Miller as business analyst and customer development specialist.

Miller brings 16 years of experience in the produce industry, specializing in category management and procurement. She has worked primarily on the retailer side, both at Food Lion and The Fresh Market, forming relationships with leading produce companies and growers.

Miller’s in-depth knowledge of the produce industry from a retailer perspective will support the Freshouse sales team with product launches, pricing and new business initiatives for both the Fresh from the Start

Healthy Family Project has named Rebecca Waxman social media manager and the newest addition to the cause marketing organization’s digital marketing team. Waxman will lead Healthy Family Project’s social media strategy and implementation under Tracy Shaw, senior digital marketing manager.

Waxman comes to Healthy Family Project with eight years of experience in social media marketing and a background in child and family studies. In addition to Waxman’s hiring, Shaw has been promoted to senior digital marketing manager and Andrea Wiggins promoted to marketing coordinator.

“The digital

With significant growth and expansion at the forefront of the company’s strategic plan, Pure Flavor added produce industry veteran Joe Sbrocchi to the company’s leadership team as senior vice president of business development and strategy. Sbrocchi brings an impressive history of successes in a career that has criss-crossed between the vendor and the buying communities (Sobeys & Walmart), and most recently over the last five-plus years as the executive director and general manager of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers.

“We are very happy to add Joe to our leadership team. There is

Al Finch was a leader in the Florida citrus industry, where he spent close to 25 years, culminating as president of Florida Classic Growers in 2014.

Finch was also a leader at the Southeast Produce Council, going back to its earliest days. He devoted countless hours to the council, helping to guide its steady growth, and he headed the board of directors from 2006 to 2008.

Finch died on June 21, 2022, at the age of 55, leaving behind his wife, Melissa; their two boys, Gavin and Alex; and his sister, Alexis Rocker. By any standard, he left us much too early. But in one final expression of its