Rainier Fruit Co. promoted David Armenta to sales manager, a position where Armenta will be overseeing both domestic and export sales teams. 

“It was an obvious choice to promote David. His desire, dedication to the company, and his ability to come alongside his coworkers is unmatched,” said Blake Belknap, vice president of sales at Rainier.

It’s been a journey Armenta started as a produce clerk while attending university in California. It was there the seed of a future career in the produce industry was planted. After graduating, he transitioned to a buying position where he learned about

Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, recently announced Melissa Ackerman as the newest member of its board of directors. Ackerman will develop Brighter Bites’ partnerships with produce companies and organizations throughout the country, further strengthening its ability to distribute fresh produce and nutrition education to students and families. In this role, she will also help guide the organization as it expands beyond the eight cities in which it currently operates.

Ackerman is currently president of Produce

The Southeast Produce Council announced this year's SEPC Vorhees Vision Scholarship recipient: Alexis Olsen, daughter of Melissa Olsen of US Foods.

The Vorhees Vision Scholarship was created to reward the achievements of young individuals who demonstrate a true entrepreneurial spirit in their lives as they pursue their educational goals. This scholarship is named in honor of the late Terry L. Vorhees, founder and first executive director of the Southeast Produce Council. Because of his vision and efforts, the Southeast Produce Council became and remains one of the best resources in the

Calavo Growers Inc., a global leader in the avocado and value-added fresh food industries, announced the promotion of Gordon Breschini to director of national sales for the Calavo Fresh team, and the retirement of industry veteran Bob Collier.

Breschini, who has been with Calavo since 2008, most recently as senior account manager, will lead the national fresh sales team, targeting volume growth; manage U.S. avocado-customer relations by working with fresh directors and account managers; and work to establish avocado pricing strategies that drive profits for the company and customers.

Collier

Starting off the New Year right, both Jake Samuel, CEO of Sunrise Fresh and his brother Case Samuel, vice president sales, have been appointed to acting committees of the newly formed International Fresh Produce Association.

“Being that the IFPA is a volunteer organization, once we applied to volunteer, we were surprised and delighted to be asked to serve on these committees," said Jake Samuel. "The ‘new’ association has come together quickly, and I think it will have a huge impact on the fruit, vegetable and floral businesses here in the U.S.”

Jake will be serving on the IFPA Sustainability

Peapod Digital Labs, the digital, commercial and e-commerce arm of the Ahold Delhaize USA brands, announced that Ian Prisuta joined the company as senior vice president, private brands. Prisuta will lead the team responsible for delivering a full suite of private brands services from new product development to innovation, product packaging and design, quality, product integrity and sustainability to the local brands of Ahold Delhaize USA.

“We are proud to welcome Ian to the company,” said JJ Fleeman, president, digital and commercial services, Peapod Digital Labs. “I am confident that Ian’s