Page 5 - FreshDigest Win.24

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR By Kristen Reid, FPFC Chair A Great Start to the New Year Ilove that I was able to kick-off my year as Chair of the Fresh Produce & Floral Council by attending the Northern California January luncheon featuring an amazing panel of retail executives. There is a full report on the panel in this issue, but let me say that from my perspective, the three panelists and our moderator did a spectacular job. I can’t remember seeing a bet- ter panel at any industry event in the last decade. The panelists were thoughtful, vulnerable and enter- taining. You could hear a pin drop during most of the discussion. I have to give praise to the FPFC Luncheon Committee, which did a great job putting the program together. None of the panelists had attended an FPFC luncheon before and it was great to be able to introduce them to what we do and get their positive feedback. I ap- plaud the Luncheon Committee for their out-of-the-box thinking that developed the concept and secured the panelists. Our focus this year is to con- tinue to expand our reach through- out 2024. It is one of our top goals to add value to our membership by having great speakers and appealing to a larger base of buyers and at- tendees. Our Expo Committee has already notched some successes in that regard. This year’s Expo, which is always our largest event of the year, will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center on May 1. The Committee is still work- ing on the program and recruiting attendees but we already know there will be new faces in the crowd representing the buyer community. In fact, a buyer panel will convene during the morning general ses- sion to discuss relevant topics. The complete roster of panelists has not yet been finalized but we can an- nounce that two new people will be featured: Andy Hamilton, the CEO of Markon, will be shedding light on foodservice opportunities for the fresh produce industry and Robert Veilleux, who is the new Director of Produce and Floral Operations for Gelson’s Markets. By the way, Mr. Veilleux is featured in this issue so you can read all about his fascinat- ing retail produce career. The 2024 calendar year is going to include the full array of events and networking opportuni- ties that have come to define the FPFC. Our next event is the March luncheon at the Sheraton Cerritos, which will feature Rebeckah Ad- cock from the International Fresh Produce Association’s government relations team. She will fill us in on what’s happening politically and legislatively in our nation’s capital. We are also pleased to announce that our two new events in 2023 – the Arizona Golf Tournament and the Topgolf outing – were very well received and are back on the calendar for year two. Before closing, let me give you a quick update on our search for a new executive for the FPFC. We are conducting a full search for a new executive and the Search Committee is hard at work. There has been a tremendous amount of interest and before too long we hope to have an announcement on our progress. Stay tuned. Remember, the new and up- dated FPFC website (fpfc.org) is a great place to stay informed about council activities. Can’t wait to see you all at the next event. 5