United Fresh Unveils Produce Managers of the Year

25 winners to be honored at June event

4/12/2021

United Fresh Unveils Produce Managers of the Year

Tops Markets' Dusty Taylor is one of United Fresh's 25 Produce Manager of the Year Award winners.

The United Fresh Produce Association has revealed its annual slate of Produce Manager of the Year Award winners. The program pays tribute to produce managers, whose duties include increasing sales and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. For the past 17 years, United Fresh has honored 25 of the industry’s top retail produce managers for their commitment to fresh produce, innovative merchandising, community service and customer satisfaction.

The winners are as follows:

Fadi Abou-Ali, Metro Inc., Toronto, No. 29 on on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America
Toni Adams, Harps Food Stores Inc., Springdale, Arkansas
Lee Anderson, Hy-Vee Inc., Omaha, Nebraska, No. 33 on PG’s list
Bobby Andrake, Haggen Northwest Fresh, Olympia, Washington
Chad Bays, Food City, Prestonburg, Kentucky (Parent company K-VA-T is No. 74 on PG’s list)
William Blalock, The Kroger Co., Atlanta, No. 3 on on PG’s list
Maria Broda, West Point Commissary, West Point, New York (Defense Commissary Agency is No. 56 on PG’s list)
Jacqulyn Brodell, Meijer, Greenfield, Wisconsin, No. 19 on PG’s list
Stephany Buonomano, Bob’s Windham IGA, Windham, Connecticut
Mikaela Claude, Sprouts Farmers Market, Las Vegas, No. 45 on PG’s list
Tyler Christy, Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Charlotte, North Carolina (a Kroger-owned chain)
Chris Contakos, Price Chopper/Market 32 Supermarkets, Schenectady, New York (Parent company Golub Corp. is No. 55 on PG’s list)
Shawn Fast, Coborn’s Inc., Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, No. 82 on PG’s list
Jessica Granier, Rouses Markets, Thibodaux, Louisiana, No. 80 on PG’s list
Jesse Jordan, Fred Meyer, Bellingham, Washington (A Kroger-owned chain)
Adam Klazura, Jewel-Osco, Naperville, Illinois (Parent company Albertsons Cos. is No. 8 on PG’s list)
Jim Keller, Hornbacher’s Foods, Fargo, North Dakota (A subsidiary of Coborn’s)
Peter Kenney, Big Y Foods, Inc., Ludlow, Massachusetts, No. 72 on PG’s list
AK Khalid, Martin’s, a brand of The Giant Co., Front Royal, Virginia (Parent company Ahold Delhaize USA is No, 11 on PG’s list)
Karen O’Dell, Martin’s Super Market, Granger, Indiana
Joe Ortiz, Brookshire Grocery Co., Monroe, Louisiana, No. 60 on PG’s list
Apolinar Parra, Gelson’s Markets, Century City, California
Dusty Taylor, Tops Markets LLC, Depew, New York, No. 63 on PG’s list
John Truncale, Brattleboro Food Co-Op, Brattleboro, Vermont
Jeff Wilmes, Roth’s Fresh Market, Salem, Oregon

All of the winners will be recognized during United Fresh 2021 this June.

“Dusty Taylor exemplifies all the qualities a great produce manager should have. He has delivered a top-notch fresh and well merchandised produce department day in and day out for the past 30 years,” remarked Jeff Cady, director of produce and floral for Williamsville, New York-based Tops. “His leadership skills are tremendous and his passionate spirit, infectious. He is so well deserving of the 2020 United Fresh Retail Produce Manager of the Year, and it is long overdue.”

Last month, the Newark, Delaware-based Produce Marketing Association and Washington, D.C.-based United Fresh said that the two organizations had come to an agreement to create a new global trade association. The two associations will continue to operate as independent organizations through 2021, with the new association to be launched Jan. 1, 2022.