(UPDATED COVERAGE, July 17): Bland Farms LLC has a new sales director from the greenhouse sector.
The Glennville, Ga.-based Bland Farms is also strengthening quality control processes by promoting a manager to lead that area.
Cameron The sweet onion grower-shipper hired John Cameron as director of sales.
Cameron was the Dallas-based division manager for San Antonio-based NatureSweet Tomatoes, where he managed the company’s southern division.
Cameron succeeds Richard Pazderski, who left Bland Farmsin late May to become director of business development for Utah Onions in Syracuse, Utah.
Bland Troy Bland, former quality control and procurement manager, advanced to the quality control director position, a new company post that reports to Bruce Peterson, the company’s chief executive officer.
Bland in 2009 began as an assistant operations manager for the family-owned company’s New York operations. He quickly advanced to asset and transportation manager and last year became quality control and procurement manager.
Before he joined NatureSweet in 2007, Cameron, who started at Bland Farms July 1, sold and merchandised fresh-cut sales from Dallas for Coral Gables, Fla.-based Del Monte Fresh Produce NA Inc. and was a longtime produce manager for United Supermarkets LLC, Lubbock, Texas.
Delbert Bland, president, said Cameron’s nearly 25 years of produce industry experience was what the company was seeking.
“He’s very knowledgeable about the produce industry and with his background, he sold for a lot of the retail accounts we sold,” Bland said. “As director of sales, there are still a lot of administrative issues. He’s the next step in our ongoing endeavor to have more structure and more professional appearance.”
Troy Bland said his promotion demonstrates Bland Farm’s expanded attention to quality control throughout the onion production and distribution supply chain.
“The nice thing about quality control is you have the opportunity to get involved in every aspect of the business and ensuring we’re doing what our end-user wants,” Bland said. “That’s becoming a greater focus for us.”
At Bland Farms, Cameron says he is overseeing and managing the company’s sales leadership. Cameron said he sees the company as an industry pioneer that helps further consumption by developing programs that help its customers drive sales.
Bland Farms also hired Glen Willard as director of Vidalia Brands, Bland’s condiment line.
Willard was president of Sensible Sales & Marketing Inc., a Richmond Hill, Ga., food brokerage.
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