ORLANDO, Fla. — Effective produce managers engage shoppers, from offering samples and tasting notes to crafting a farmers market feel inside and outside the store — among so much more.
At the International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce & Floral Show Oct. 27, the 25 winners of the 2022 Retail Produce Managers Awards program, sponsored by Dole, were told to stand up to applause. Their names and photos flashed on the big screens in front of hundreds, possibly more than a thousand, of conference attendees at the Orange County Convention Center.
Then there was a surprise: Five grand prize winners — for 2021 and 2022 each — were announced, and those winners, not previously notified, were told to go on stage for even more recognition.
Pharrell Williams’ song, “Happy,” accompanied the top winners as they each heard their name and made their way to the stage.
The 2021 grand prize winners of the Retail Produce Managers Award are:
- Shawn Fast, Coborn’s Inc., Sauk Rapids, Minn.
- Jesse Jordan, Fred Meyer, Bellingham, Wash.
- Tyler Christy, Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Charlotte, N.C.
- Lee Anderson, Hy-Vee, Inc., Omaha, Neb.
- Dusty Taylor, Tops Friendly Markets, Amherst, N.Y.
The 2022 grand prize winners of the Retail Produce Managers Award are:
- Rich Spader, Big Y Foods Inc., Derby, Conn.
- Dan Villone, Brookshire Grocery Co., Kilgore, Texas
- Michelle Tarwater, Fred Meyer Stores Inc., Issaquah, Wash.
- Joshua “Josh” Combs, Food City, Galax, Va.
- Javier Contreras, Sendik’s Food Market, Franklin, Wis.
