United Fresh Announces 2007-2008 Leadership Class

Yearlong program to focus on leadership development, business relationships,
public affairs and communications

Washington, D.C. -  The United Fresh Produce Association's Produce Industry Leadership Program has just entered its 13^th year. Presented through the United Fresh Research & Education Foundation and sponsored by a generous grant from DuPont Crop Protection, the program has graduated more than 140 program participants since its inception in 1995.

Each year, United Fresh accepts 12 new candidates into the annual program. In addition to the application, candidates must submit two essays detailing why they would like to participate in the program and what they consider the most important challenges affecting the produce industry. The applications are reviewed by an Advisory Committee comprised of United Fresh board members and leadership program alumni. Through the selection process, the committee is responsible for assessing each candidate based on their experience and expertise, as well as developing a class that is balanced and representative of the industry.

"It was exciting to see such a high level of interest in this program" said Advisory Committee Chairman and United Fresh Board Member, Brendan Comito, Capital City Fruit, Class 6 alumnus. "It's clear that the produce industry has a tremendous pool of talented individuals â€" which is good for the industry, but made it hard to make our final selections! I'd like to congratulate the 12 new members and thank everyone who submitted an application this year."

United Fresh is pleased to announce the new members of the 13th Produce Industry Leadership Class:

• Chris Ciruli, Ciruli Brothers/Amex Distributing Co., Inc.
  Tubac, AZ
• Todd Eagan, Costco Wholesale
  San Diego, CA
• Amy Feldman, Pom Wonderful, LLC
  Chicago, IL
• Anthony Gallino, California Giant, Inc.
  Watsonville, CA
• Phil Gilardi, Freshway Foods
  Sidney, OH
• Andy Hamilton, IFCO SYSTEMS, N.A.
  Bentonville, AR
• Erin Hanas Archey, A. Duda & Sons, Inc.
  Oviedo, FL
• James Higham, Potandon Produce, LLC
  Idaho Falls, ID
• Ken Holthouse, Doug Walcher Farms
  North Fairfield, OH
• Jennifer Moss, Southern Specialties, Inc.
  Pompano Beach, FL
• Gordon Smith, California Tree Fruit Agreement
  Reedley, CA
• Cali Tanguay, Apio, Inc.
  Guadalupe, CA

Over the upcoming program year, the class members will participate in a number of trips focused on the core goals of the program: leadership development; business relationships; government and public affairs; and media and public communications. Throughout the program, the class also will take part in customized field and facility tours, train with expert educators, and meet with key industry leaders and innovators. The program begins in June with the first trip to Central/Northern California, followed by trips to Washington, DC/Wilmington, DE, Southern Texas, and Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2008 United Fresh Marketplace Show.

"This is going to be a very intense, high impact year for these 12 industry members," said Victoria Kuhns, United Fresh senior vice president, member services, foundation."Our goal is to equip them with the tools and skills they need to be successful leaders and help ensure an even stronger produce industry. Special thanks to DuPont for their ongoing support of this program, now in its 13th year!"

For questions or additional information on the Produce Industry Leadership Program, please visit http://www.unitedfresh.org/ or contact Victoria Kuhns at United Fresh at vkuhns@unitedfresh.org.