These 15 retail produce managers win IFPA award

We may no longer be deep in the trenches of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that doesn't mean our supermarket produce department teams are any less essential to our nation's nutritional needs.

And the International Fresh Produce Association has once again selected the top leaders facing our industry's end users to honor them for their critical work. The 2023 Retail Produce Managers Award Program recognizes 15 produce managers nationwide for their commitment to fresh produce, innovative merchandising, community service and customer satisfaction.

“The produce industry's front line — produce managers — make a difference every day for their companies and their communities. I'm thrilled to name 15 produce managers who stand out from the crowd,” Joe Watson, IFPA vice president of retail, foodservice, and wholesale membership, said in a news release.

 This awards program is part of IFPA's commitment to advancing member prosperity and healthier people worldwide.

“Awards that recognize the best of the best not only reward stellar performers, they also inspire others to up their game,” Watson said. He thanked award sponsor Dole.

Related: Winner webinar for PMG's Winter 2023 contest of the Produce Artist Award Series

These 15 winners represent the produce industry to the consumer and work to increase sales and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables for their banners and their communities. Following each winner's name is just one of the many reasons their peers nominated them.

Patrick O'Brien of Albertsons Cos., Denver

Creativity, coaching and training  

O'Brien creates displays that look great and simply shout to the customer “Buy me.” To drive sales, he coaches and trains his people on these same standards and customer service.   

Brandon Hash of Brookshire Grocery Co., Willow Park, Texas

Profits and minimizing shrink 

Hash is producing double-digit increases, which are reflected in his profits. He is known for his excellent fresh item management skills that minimize waste and shrink in his department. 

Laura J. Marquand of Haggen Northwest Fresh, Ferndale, Wash.

Relationships rule  

Marquand has an acute understanding of the power of relationships with her customers and suppliers as well. These relationships allow her to better feed her neighborhood and build sales.    

Jenn Lane of Harris Teeter, Cornelius, N.C.

Holiday merchandising 

Over the last year, Lane has had a sales increase of 11.58% over the previous year, additionally outpacing her budget by 13.44%. For Valentine's Day 2023, she outpaced 42 stores within the Southern region that do above her weekly average sales by volume.   

Greg Kimmel of Hy-Vee, Inc., Davenport, Iowa

Shopper-stopping artistry 

Kimmel wants customers to stop in their tracks and do a double take. Color is everything. As an artist, he blends colors and adds extra touches to create an unforgettable masterpiece within his produce department.  

Skylar Leonard of K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc./dba Food City, Piney Flats, Tenn.

Local love 

Leonard supports local farmers by having a specific section in his department dedicated to locally grown produce, in addition to informative signage about the farmers and their farms. He uses social media, radio and store announcements to promote farm-fresh, direct-store deliveries.  

Darron Hyatt of Lowes Foods, Southern Pines, N.C.

Displays – full, fresh, and clean 

Hyatt and his team have been recognized by their guests as premier in fresh fruits, vegetables and floral within Southern Pines. Quality and freshness are his goals.    

Timothy F. Baker of Orcas Island Market, Eastsound, Wash.

Feed the pigs  

Baker and team keep hundreds of thousands of pounds of waste out of the landfill. He and the store's environmental team launched a program to provide food scraps to feed livestock — a huge hit for the local pig farmers (and the pigs)!   

Gary Lasalle of Price Chopper/Market 32 Supermarket, New Hartford, N.Y.

Starting kids off right 

As a community leader, Lasalle offers school tours to teach kids about produce through a fun experience, including samples and games. Every child takes home fruits and vegetables they chose themselves.  

Olin Williams of Corner Market, Hattiesburg, Miss.

Trickle-down knowledge and training 

Williams' produce knowledge has helped him advance quickly. He is teaching the next generation of produce managers how to be successful in produce. His trainees take the skills they learn from him to teach their own teams. 

Josh Alsberg of Rubinette Produce Market, Portland, Ore.

Great Apple Taste Test 

In the Great Apple Taste Test, Alsberg chose six out-of-the-ordinary varieties for a blind taste test with students. They scored the apples based on attributes Alsberg taught them about, like taste, crunch, density and ability to display. Then teachers turned this fun activity into math and health teaching opportunities.

Mark Bentley of Southeastern Grocers, St. Johns, Fla.

Delight is in the details

Bentley is well-known for his attention to detail and sharp produce merchandising abilities. Working at produce rebranding or remodeling activities, he implements the latest and greatest department layouts. 

Mitch Harris of Strack & Van Til, Valparaiso, Ind.

The trusted source 

Harris is always looking for the best tasting produce, either unique or everyday items. He has developed a following of customers who know and trust that “if Mitch says it's good, then it's probably great.” 

Breanna Norris of The Giant Co., Doylestown, Pa.

Storytelling to drive sales 

Norris is strategic and thoughtful. Her creativity elevates displays, particularly amplifying special events, holidays and promotions to tell the stories of the brand and supplier partners while driving sales.  

Christopher DeMarie of Tops Markets, Dunkirk, N.Y.

Merchandising reinvention spurs success 

DeMarie reinvented Hispanic offerings as the demographic showed promise at his location. Using an innovative fixture and refreshing the item mix and merchandising, this category has grown to staggering heights, and his reinvention has been implemented at sister stores. 

The winners receive: 

• A recognition visit with each winner at their store. 
• A trip to IFPA's Global Produce & Floral Show, October 19-21 in Anaheim, Calif., where they will be recognized at a special dinner.  
• More recognition on social, trade and their local media. 

The IFPA awards program solicits nominations from anyone in the industry who knows a produce manager who is raising the bar on performance. Find more information at the program's page on the IFPA website.