Center for Produce Safety Names New Board Chair

The Center for Produce Safety has elected Carter McEntire, vice president of foodservice sales at Fresh Express, as chair of its board of directors.

“As the incoming chair, my vision is to build on CPS’s strong foundation, driving progress in produce food safety and advancing our mission to fund science, find solutions, and fuel change,” McEntire said in a news release. “I am grateful to past chair Joe Pezzini for his exemplary leadership and dedicated service, which have strengthened the Center for Produce Safety and set the stage for the important work ahead.”

According to CPS, McEntire brings 25-plus years of experience in sales, operations and management to the role.

McEntire began his career in 1993, helping his father automate processing lines and expand foodservice sales. After a brief stint in financial advising, he returned in 2002 to lead the company’s move to a new 165,000-square-foot facility in Columbia, S.C.

Over the next two decades, he built a strong team and grew his family’s company, McEntire Produce, into a leading Southeast provider of fresh-cut, repacked and wholesale produce, according to the release. The company was acquired by Fresh Express Inc. in December 2024.