The Produce Marketing Association plans to increase its value for members in the coming years by significantly expanding its content offerings, incoming chairman Dwight Ferguson said Oct. 15 in a presentation at PMA’s Fresh Summit virtual event.
Ferguson, who recently became president and CEO of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation after a decade as president and CEO of Naturipe Farms, said he has received great value from his PMA membership over the years, with it serving as the foundation for business connections around the world. Even so, he indicated there is room for growth.
“PMA can do more in membership, whether that is looking at it more creatively and growing our base, making deeper connections in member companies, or leveraging advocacy and the power of PMA’s voice in consumer cultural issues to attract more into this community,” Ferguson said. “A key part of growing the value of membership is leveraging the power of PMA’s content, which has grown exponentially during the past seven months in response to the pandemic.
"Expect to see more acceleration in this area with the launch of extensive new consumer research platforms early next year that will address market intelligence gaps in produce and floral," Ferguson said. "This platform will allow you to benchmark your sales and increase your overall profitability by easily acquiring and sharing actionable information.”
He said another key area of growth for PMA will be the expansion of its training and education platform, including its FreshEd Academy.
“Our offerings through this and other channels within that education platform will grow beyond our current produce safety course to include online education designed to support and grow our members’ expertise,” Ferguson said. “By developing courses such as a certificate program for retail produce department clerks, training and crisis management for produce executives, and sanitation best practices for safety professionals, PMA will support members all along the supply chain with valuable content that will strengthen our industry.
"I truly believe differentiated content like this will become a hallmark of PMA, the way that events and programs have in the past, and will help us attract new businesses," Ferguson said.
