The Idaho Potato Commission has added experienced produce professional Matt Zapczynski as its new retail promotion director for the Northeast/Midwest.
“I’ve always felt that Idaho Potato Commission is a great support system for retailers,” Zapczynski said in a news release. “Whether you needed a promotion put together, or one of the stores had a grand opening or a renovation to celebrate, IPC was always there to step up and do something special.”
The Philadelphia native, now based in North Carolina, said his food industry career started during college in Pennsylvania when he took a part-time deli job at a supermarket because it was close to campus. After college, Zapczynski served in a series of full-time in-store positions at The Giant Co. for 14 years, managing the deli, customer operations and nonperishable operations.
In 2017, Zapczynski moved to North Carolina to join Merchants Distributors and said he soon found himself drawn to the produce side of the business.
“Produce is something new every day. It’s dominated by the weather, so you could have a great day tomorrow — or a storm could keep you on your toes,” he said.
He advanced from produce buyer to director of produce operations during his seven years at the wholesale grocery distributor, expanding his knowledge through the Southeast Produce Council’s STEP-UPP training program and participating in the inaugural class of SEPC’s Next Generation Leadership Academy last year, the release said.
“Matt is a natural leader who is always looking ahead to prepare for the produce industry’s future,” Ross Johnson, IPC vice president of retail and international, said in the release. “His background in both retail and wholesale makes him a perfect fit to help Northeast/Midwest retailers reap the many benefits of selling the Idaho brand.”