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EXECUTIVE NOTES By Don Gann, FPFC President FPFC OFFICE 714-739-0177 Website: www.fpfc.org EDITORIAL OFFICE Tim Linden 925-258-0892 tim.linden@ymail.com ADVERTISING OFFICE Emma McBride-Taylor 714-739-0177 emma@fpfc.org FPFC MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Fresh Produce & Floral Council is to connect members to the information, education and profes- sional network they need to increase knowledge, grow their businesses and collectively advance the industry. Snowed In! Ihad a lot of time on my hands to reflect in late February/early March as I was snowed in for eight days because of the massive storm that hit the local mountains beginning on Feb. 23. Those who keep records said it was the biggest snowstorm to hit the San Bernardino Mountains in 100 years. I estimated that we had over nine feet of snow piled up at my house. I just took a break from shoveling snow to write this. I need to clear some walkways before the next storm hits in mid-March. It’s been a wild ride for grocers in this region as well as for the supplier commu- nity who couldn’t get trucks up the hill to service grocery stores and foodservice establishments. Several FPFC members, including Goodwin’s Market and Stater Bros., were materially affected by the snow. Goodwin’s Market, which was established in 1946 and is family owned, had its roof collapse. It is still closed but hope to get the remodel up and running once we get a break in the weather. An- other local market, Jensen’s Foods, also had to close because of roof damage. Stater Bros. was able to remain open but for several days its produce shelves were mostly empty because of difficulty in getting deliveries. The local Stater Bros. also had to rely on employees who work in stores down the hill to help fill in for the local staff that couldn’t get out of their homes. A trip to Staters this week showed that the food industry remains highly resilient. The shelves are again stocked with products from many of our members, and the employees were back on the job helping their community recover by making sure there was enough food to eat. This reminded me of the first few weeks following the pandemic in 2020 when the grocery industry and its front line workers did a great job of keeping America fed as almost no other businesses were operating in a normal fashion. It is a good time to reflect and thank everyone in the industry, including all our members, who keep the supply chain moving and feed our nation with the most nutritious products in even the most chal- lenging times. **** In FPFC news, our website and logo redesign are on target to debut this spring. The designs look great and are reflective of changing times and renewed interest in connecting at FPFC events to make new business partners and friends. Coming up on the event front is the FPFC Expo in late April, followed by the June 9 luncheon and corn hole tourna- ment in Northern California and the annual Southern California Golf Tour- nament on July 18. We are also in the early planning stages of our first Arizona event in many years, which will be a golf tournament at the Scottsdale Phoenician on November 10. Arizona retailers and wholesalers are part of the supply chain serviced by many of our members so it seems like a natural to expand in that direction. We have received great feed- back from the Arizona produce industry. Save the date! I also want to give a shout-out to Jan DeLyser and Connie Stukenberg. Both women have retired after illustrious produce industry careers, including great service over many years to the FPFC. I met these women at those all-important produce industry networking events and forged great relationships with each of them. Jan and Connie, enjoy your free time, and remember you are always welcome at our FPFC events. 6