Bob Ritchart heads Eastern division for Fresh-Link

Fresh-Link Produce has hired Bob Ritchart, who has been in the produce industry for 25 year, as general manager of the company’s Eastern division.

Ritchart is based in southern Georgia and is responsible for adding growers to Fresh-Link’s supplier list, while expanding commodities and the company’s sales staff, according to a news release.

He started his produce career in 1996 at C.H. Robinson’s Tampa, Fla., office, brokering melons and importing tropical produce from South America, according to the release. He has been He has worked for Rosemont Farms, where he also worked with imports as well as Eastern U.S. growers.

Other roles include sales manager for strawberries and cantaloupe for Sweet Life Farms in Plant City, Fla., and dry vegetable sales for Lewis Taylor Farms.

For the past 1 ½ years, Ritchart has been a police officer in southern Georgia, fulfilling a “life-long dream” of working in law enforcement, according to the release.

“When I started talking with Fresh-Link about returning to the produce industry to assist them with increasing growers and commodities, I felt it was a perfect fit for my skill set,” Ritchart said in the release. “I was excited to accept the offer because Fresh-Link is heavily concentrated in food service and with my background in retail, would be an excellent complement to Fresh-Link’s current customer base.”