United Fresh 2010 will be the place of honor as 25 outstanding produce managers representing 20 different supermarket chains, commissaries and independent retail stores in 17 states and Canada, are recognized at this year’s convention through the United Fresh Retail Produce Manager Awards Program. 

          This program, generously sponsored by Ready Pac Foods, Inc., is presented through the United Fresh Foundation’s Center for Leadership Excellence to pay special recognition to those on the front line in supermarkets working everyday to increase sales and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. 2010 will mark the sixth year of this program.

          United Fresh President and CEO Tom Stenzel praised the 2010 winners, saying "these men and women represent the "best of the best" in our industry. Through their creative efforts and interaction with customers, they’re making produce a centerpiece of the retail shopping experience and wowing consumers everyday."

          The 25 winners were selected from hundreds of nominations submitted by retailers and produce suppliers across the industry.

The 2010 winners are:

·         Douglas Collins, Food City, Prestonsburg, Ky.

·         Lynette DeClerk, Niemann Foods, Inc., Pana, Ill.

·         Brent Doud, Safeway Stores, Inc, Albany, Ore.

·         Samuel D. Fannin, The Kroger Co., Reynoldsburg, Ohio

·         Jeff Freeman, Save Mart, Clovis, Calif.

·         Judy Gauthier, Buy-Low Foods, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada

·         James Grande, King Soopers, Aurora, Colo.

·         Steve Gray, MOM's Organic Market, Frederick, Md.

·         Cris Gutierrez, Raley's Family of Fine Stores, Reno, Nev.

·         Angela Hamilton, Al's Supermarkets, La Porte, Ind.

·         Claudette Johnson, Jewel-Osco, Plainfield, Ill.

·         Lannie W. Kiser Jr., Brookshire Grocery Co., Kaufman, Texas

·         Valerie Lambert, Food City, Wise, Va.

·         Ryan Lindner, Hy-Vee, Inc., Madison, Wis.

·         Jeff Oelfke, Chief Supermarket, Inc., Bryan, Ohio

·         Lisa Paulis, Vons, La Jolla, Calif.

·         Joseph Ortiz, Brookshire Grocery Co., Monroe, La.

·         Shawn Seely, Price Chopper Supermarkets/Golub Corp., Edwardsville, Pa.

·         Rick Stolarik, Big Y Foods, Inc, Tolland, Conn.

·         John Thut, Bel Air Markets; Raley's Family of Fine Stores, Sacramento, Calif.

·         Gary Viall, Hannaford Bros. Company, Colonie, N.Y. 

·         Juronald Williams, Ord Community Commissary, Seaside, Calif.

·         Willie L. Williams Jr., The Kroger Co., Englewood, Ohio

·         John Wombacher, Hy-Vee, Inc., Iowa City, Iowa

·         Craig Yamane, Bel Air Markets; Raley's Family of Fine Stores, Sacramento, Calif.

          "Ready Pac is proud to once again sponsor this program that recognizes the hard work and excellence shown by these exceptional retail produce managers," said Ready Pac’s President and CEO, Michael Solomon. "We are delighted to present this award to these well-deserving individuals and companies and commend them for a job well done!"

          Stenzel added, "I'd like to extend a special note of thanks to the entire Ready Pac team for their ongoing support of this program. Thanks to their generosity, we have honored well over 100 managers since this program's inception in 2005!"

          The winners are selected based on a number of criteria, including their efforts to increase produce consumption through everyday excellence in merchandising, special displays and promotions, community service and commitment to total customer satisfaction. All winners and their corporate produce directors will be honored at the convention during the Chairman’s Reception & Annual Awards Banquet, Thursday, April 22, at the Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. During the banquet, five Grand Prize recipients will be announced to receive an additional $1,000 cash prize. 

          Conference attendees will also hear from a panel of the winners on produce success at the store level during "Winning Retail Strategies: Secrets of the Retail Manager Award Winners." This special event will take place on the Thursday afternoon, April 22 and will be broadcast live through United Fresh TV. In this exciting live production, broadcast in real time to the Web, award-winning retail produce managers will share insider tips about what consumers are really doing in the produce aisles.

          Applications for the 2011 Retail Produce Manager Awards Program will be available this fall online at www.unitedfresh.org, with winners to be honored at the 2011 United Fresh convention.

          Attendance at the Annual Awards Banquet at United Fresh 2010 is included in the Convention Package and the All-Access Pass. Registration is now open online at www.unitedfresh2010.org.