The Southern Roots luncheon took place during the Southeast Produce Council’s recent Southern Exposure. Attendees heard from Heather (Lucky) Penney, who is widely recognized for her service on Sept. 11, 2001. She is a renowned speaker on topics such as personal courage, citizenship, decision-making under stress, leadership, organizational transformation, inclusivity, high performance teams, national defense issues and aviation.

ORLANDO, FL — The Southeast Produce Council held its 2023 Southern Exposure conference and trade show March 2-4, here. The event was successful on all fronts. Retailers, attendees and exhibitors were in full force at educational and social events as well as on the show floor, where the hustle and bustle lasted from the ribbon-cutting until the closing bell.

ORLANDO, FL —Former NFL coach and Super Bowl winner Bruce Arians was the featured speaker at the Southern Flavor Cocktail reception March 2, here, during the Southeast Produce Council Southern Exposure convention. This was the third year for the Southern Flavor Cocktail reception, which celebrates Georgia Grown agriculture. The event featured a Q&A session with Arians, moderated by Tampa Bay radio personality TJ Rives.

This year’s sponsors were Pure Flavor, Genuine Georgia, L&M, Shuman Farms, Crawford Packaging, Leger & Son, Nickey Gregory, North Bay Produce, Jear Logistics, Herndon Country

ORLANDO, FL — The Southeast Produce Council held its annual VIP dinner Wednesday evening, March 1, at the Swan Reserve Vue Ballroom, just prior to the opening of the 2023 Southern Exposure conference and trade show, here.

A record crowd was expected for this year's event, themed "Produce, The Final Frontier." Among the full schedule of events planned for Southern Exposure were the annual Tom Page Golf Classic (named for Tom Page, one of the founders of the council), the Future Generations Celebration Dinner, two educational workshops, the Southern Roots luncheon for women in produce, the

The first winter storm of the year couldn't keep people from packing into Bozzuto's Independent Retailer Conference, held Feb. 28-March 1 in Uncasville, CT. Produce vendors from all over the country were on hand to display their latest products at the two-day event, which was held at Mohegan Sun for the second year.

Bozzuto's, headquartered in Cheshire, CT, is a total service wholesale distributor of food and household products to retailers in New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

ASHEVILLE, NC — The National Watermelon Association kicked off its 108th annual convention, here, on Feb. 22 with an opening reception at the historic Omni Grove Park Inn, overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina. This year’s convention is notable for the retirement of longtime Executive Director Bob Morrissey and National Watermelon Queen Coordinator Eleanore Bullock, and the welcoming of new Executive Director George Szczepanski and National Watermelon Queen Coordinator Kerri Wiggins.