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Produce Marketing Association Foundation Gets a New Leader

John Anderson to Lead the PMA's Foundation for Industry Talent 2011-2012 Activities

10/14/2011 - ATLANTA (Business Wire) - The board of directors of the Produce Marketing Association’s Foundation for Industry Talent met to focus on the Foundation’s goals and objectives for 2012 and beyond at PMA’s 2011 Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition in Atlanta, Ga., USA. Chairman of the Board John Anderson, chairman, president and CEO of The Oppenheimer Group, Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, is joined on the 2011-2012 board by three other officers and 16 directors to lead next year’s foundation activities. 

“We gained a lot of momentum last year with the Foundation and all its activities,” said Anderson. “Our clear focus on talent will help organizations with short and long-term business performance and growth and will sustain our industry into the future.” 

Along with Anderson, the 2011-2012 officers are: Vice Chair Jim Leimkuhler, president and owner, Progressive Produce Corp., Los Angeles; Secretary/Treasurer Derrick Jenkins, vice president of produce and floral, Wakefern Food Corp., Elizabeth, N.J.; and Past Chair Bill Schuler, president and CEO, Castellini Companies, Highland Heights, Ky. 

Other PMA Foundation for Industry Talent board members are: 

• Tonya Antle, Tanimura & Antle, Salinas, Calif. 
• Leonard Batti, managing and senior partner, The MIXTEC Group, Salinas 
• Karen Caplan, president, Frieda’s Inc., Los Alamitos, Calif. 
• Scott Carr, president and CEO, YottaMark, Redwood City, Calif. 
• Matt Curry, president, Curry & Co., Brooks, Ore. 
• Kevin Delaney, director, Corporate Sustainability & Productivity, Procacci Bros., Philadelphia 
• Jan DeLyser, vice president of marketing, California Avocado Commission, Irvine, Calif. 
• Tim Knoerzer, global HR technology & services lead, Monsanto, St. Louis 
• Lisa McNeece, vice president foodservice and industrial sales, Grimmway Farms, Bakersfield, Calif. 
• Jim Richter, executive vice president of sales and management, Wilcox Fresh, Rexburg, Idaho 
• Bryan Silbermann, president and CEO, Produce Marketing Association, Newark, Del. 
• Marc Solomon, president and CEO, Fisher Capespan USA LLC, Gloucester, N.J. 
• Dick Spezzano, president, Spezzano Consulting Service Inc., Monrovia, Calif. 
• Steve Stein, vice president human resources, Driscoll’s, Watsonville, Calif. 
• Channel White, strategy consultant, Carter & Spencer Group, Bondi Junction, Australia 
• Larry Zink, industry relations and outreach coordinator, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich. 

Retiring from the board were Gene Harris, senior purchasing manager, Denny’s Corp., Spartanburg, S.C.; Lorri Koster, vice president of marketing, Mann Packing Co. Inc., Salinas; David Werner, corporate director marketing, Ben E. Keith, Co., Fort Worth, Texas; and Nancy Wolfe, vice president human resources, vegetable seed division, Monsanto, St. Louis. 

The PMA Foundation for Industry Talent was founded in 2006 by Produce Marketing Association, the leading trade association for the produce industry. The PMA Foundation is a nonprofit corporation providing produce companies with unique programs to attract, develop and retain the produce industry’s most valuable resource — talented people. The PMA Foundation is dedicated to ensuring a quality workforce for the industry, and making a positive difference in the lives of current and future produce professionals by developing their potential for leadership, personal growth and career success. For more information, visit www.pmafit.com. 

Editor's Note:  In a related story, The PMA announced its new chairman and board members for 2011 - 2012