Page 5 - FreshDigest_Win.23

EXECUTIVE NOTES
By Don Gann, FPFC President
New Year, New Beginning
For the Fresh Produce & Floral Council, 2022 was a success-
ful year as we came back from two very difficult years caused by the pandemic and its restrictions. As we have said before, there are few things more difficult than succeeding as an events-based organization when there are worldwide restrictions on attending those events.
But the members of our produce community hung in there, and it is a true testament that we had more than 300 attendees at our December Holi- day Luncheon at our familiar venue at the Sheraton Cerritos. It was good to revisit our luncheon home for so many years and equally satisfying to see so many familiar faces as well as many new ones.
That luncheon gave us great momentum as we head into the new year. We expect that 2023 will be a great year for the organization as we continue to examine the events that fit the needs of our community. We are going to have our core events, including luncheons in both Southern and Northern California, our always popular FPFC Expo and our golf tour- naments in both sectors of the state as well.
Soon, we will be holding a gala event at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena. It will be a dinner but quite different than the annual event we typically hold. Instead, we’re set-
ting up the Black Jack tables and the roulette wheels to hold a Casino Night in conjunction with the dinner. We are Calling it “The Heist” with a theme of “Oceans 58” honoring our 58 year history. We will also honor all the past chairs of the FPFC as we pay homage to those who brought us to this point in our evolution.
We are also forging ahead with new opportunities. We are going to hold a “Top Golf” event in September at a brand new Southern California venue. Top Golf is one of the fastest growing entertainment activities in the country, and we believe it will be a great opportunity for our members to get together and network in a new way that will be fun and true to our core goal of bringing our community together.
We are also going to stretch our boundaries a bit and hold a new FPFC Golf Tournament in Arizona. We know there is a thriving produce community in our neighboring state with that territory often served by California grower-shippers, distributors and retailers.
The new year will also see a re- vamping of our website and a rebrand- ing effort involving our logo and the visual presentation of the FPFC to the members and the produce community at large. We are working on those elements currently and should be pre- senting the new look to our members
in Q1 2023.
Personally, I need to thank this
year’s Chair Kori Martin of Oppy
and all the members of the Executive Committee and the Board. It was with their direction and tireless support that we were able to keep the FPFC headed in the right direction and mov- ing forward. We will have an equally strong team leading the charge in 2023. Michael Schutt of Raley’s will be our Chair, with Kori Martin (Oppy), Sean McClure (Professional Produce), Kristen Reid (MIXTEC Group) and Brian Presley (Albertsons) serving
as returning members of the Execu- tive Committee. We have also added Rachelle Schulken of Calavo to the Executive Committee serving as our secretary. In addition, Marvin Quebec joins Roger Schroeder as an Honorary Advisor. Marvin has been a great sup- porter of the Council for many, many years and we wanted to honor him as well as take advantage of his exper- tise in this advisory role. He is a well respected and vibrant member of the produce industry, and we look forward to his counsel.
Finally, to the members of the FPFC: We know that our success is dependent upon you. We thank those of you who have stuck with us as
well as those that have rejoined. Our membership continues to grow and we know we need a robust membership. Hop aboard if you haven’t all ready.
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