PMG recognized more than four dozen merchandisers and produce managers in its Produce Artist Award Series fall results webinar Dec. 9.
The webinar wraps up a monthslong celebration on PMG’s social media accounts of great fall merchandising. As part of its seasonal Produce Artist Award Series program, PMG shares photos submitted for the contest on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to recognize the work of produce manager and merchandisers across the country.
For the fall season, with input from three longtime produce retail professionals, PMG named entries from Fresh Thyme Market’s Andrew Lucero and Metropolitan Market’s Parker Christopher as the top submissions in the produce merchandiser and produce manager categories, respectively.
Watch the full recording of the webinar here.
Scroll down to see the winners in seasonal commodity categories, or check out the videos below for highlights of the top overall entries from Lucero and Christopher.
PMG also recognized the following individuals for their work in several seasonal categories: apples, pears, hard squash, pumpkins and wet rack. Those awards are as follows.
Produce manager category
- Best Apple Display: Aaron Cunningham, Hy-Vee
- Best Pear Display: Maria Broda, West Point Commissary
- Best Hard Squash Display: Maurice Assenza, Longo’s
- Best Pumpkin Display: Roger Reyes and Dylan Terwilleger, Central Market
- Best Wet Rack Display: Jimmy Marmalejo, Sprouts Farmers Market
Produce merchandiser category
- Best Apple Display: Ernesto Solano, Whole Foods
- Best Pear Display: Jonathan Charlton, United Natural Foods
- Best Hard Squash Display: Ernesto Solano, Whole Foods
- Best Pumpkin Display: Bruce Meidinger, Four Seasons Produce
- Best Wet Rack Display: Kevin Byers, PCC Community Markets
The webinar featured expert commentary from Mike O’Brien, president of O’Brien Innovations and former vice president of produce for Schnuck Markets; Joe Watson, vice president of membership and engagement for the Produce Marketing Association and former director of produce for Rouses Markets; and veteran produce retail professional Armand Lobato, who is well known for his weekly columns for The Packer.
A recording of the webinar is available upon request; reach out to PMG editor Ashley Nickle at [email protected] for more details.