ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), Portsmouth, N.H.
Jeff Fort was named chief operating officer, effectively immediately, in addition to his existing role as chief financial officer, a position he has held since 2012. Fort has been involved with GAA since its inception in 1997. Fort was an officer and board member of the Aquaculture Certification Council, predecessor of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification program, has been owner and CEO of Delta Blue Aquaculture since 1992, was owner of Fog River LLC since 2009 and a partner in AmericanMeadows.com since 2008.

PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
J&J Family of Farms, Westlake, Fla.
Mark Konstan was hired as the new director of grower development, Western division. Konstan brings more than 34 years of experience in the produce industry and 26 years of experience with a national fresh produce company. For over 20 years, Konstan has worked at The Produce Exchange, where he gained significant experience working with growers to help them develop programs to increase volume and quality of commodities. He has also worked with growers and customers in North America, Mexico, Canada and Europe.

Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn.
Glenn Leitch was appointed executive vice president of supply chain, responsible for managing procurement, manufacturing, logistics, research and development and quality management. Leitch is currently group vice president, Hormel Foods and president, Jennie-O Turkey Store. The move is part of the company's plan to make its supply chain a strategic competitive advantage, while optimizing it to deliver sustainable long-term growth. He joined Jennie-O Turkey Store in 1996, and was promoted to senior vice president of the commodity and supply division at Jennie-O Turkey Store in 2001. In 2011, he was named general manager at Jennie-O Turkey Store, before being promoted to president that same year. Meanwhile, Steve Lykken was named senior vice president, Hormel Foods and president, Jennie-O Turkey Store. Lykken was most recently president of Applegate, which Hormel Foods acquired in 2015. Lykken became president of Applegate in 2016 after being appointed chief operating officer in August 2015. He is a 25-year veteran of Hormel Foods, and was senior vice president of supply chain at Jennie-O Turkey Store prior to his appointment to Applegate's senior leadership team. Lykken began his career at Hormel Foods in 1992 in the grocery products segment, later leading trade management and marketing for Hormel Foods. He became senior vice president of the retail division of Jennie-O Turkey Store in 2003.

Whole Foods Market, Austin, Texas
Christina Minardi was promoted to the newly created position of executive vice president of operations, effective immediately, tasked with leading four regions while co-leading the integration with Amazon, re-imagining the customer experience and driving e-commerce initiatives, among other key store and regional programs. Minardi previously served as the Northeast regional president, overseeing 40 stores in three states. Since joining Whole Foods Market in 1995, Minardi has built a remarkable leadership team while operating some of the highest-volume stores in the most unique and demanding areas of metro New York.

SUPPLIERS:
Bunting Magnetics Co., Newton, Kan.
Kevin Miller was named general manager of the company’s primary manufacturing facility in Newton, Kan. Miller will oversee all Newton operations, including production, inside sales, engineering and purchasing. Miller draws on nearly three decades of experience in manufacturing operations. Most recently, he was director of operations at Ametek Advanced Industries. His manufacturing experience also includes operations and assembly positions at the Boeing Co. and Spirit Aerosystems.

Tekni-Plex, Inc., Wayne, Pa.
Michael Luo was promoted to general manager of the company’s new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China, which was designed to support the Asia-Pacific pharmaceutical and medical device market. Luo joined the company in 2014 as director of sales and marketing.

Toray Plastics (America), Inc., North Kingstown, R.I.
Chris Nothnagle was appointed senior director of corporate marketing, responsible for leading Toray’s corporate marketing and brand management teams, developing new products and winning new business. Nothnagle joined Toray in 2015 as senior director of converting development. Prior to joining Toray, he worked as a product manager and market development manager in the film industry.

FSA Logistix, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Jeff Potter was named new senior vice president of the company’s client support center in Weston, Fla. Potter will be providing leadership for all administrative functions, including finance, accounting, administration, risk, compliance and human resources. Previously, Potter served as senior director of store operations at Office Depot, where he led a cross-functional team to maximize “The Store of the Future,” Office Depot’s new store concept. He also served in other key roles during his tenure at Office Depot, including senior director retail of sales and services strategy, and was one of the architects of new operational policies and procedures during the Office Depot and OfficeMax merger. Prior to Office Depot, he led OfficeMax’s “#1” strategic retail initiative. Meanwhile, Dean Fink was promoted to senior vice president of operations, overseeing the company’s Innovel, General Electric, Best Buy and The Home Depot operations, and providing leadership oversight to more than 40 FSA Logistix locations across the country. Fink joined FSA Logistix in March 2014, and in that same year became general manager of the company’s Innovel business. In 2015, he was promoted to vice president operations.

ESE, Inc., Marshfield, Wis.
Maureen Lee was hired as human resources coordinator. Previously, Lee worked as marketing and communications director at Grassland Dairy Products, Inc.

IN MEMORIUM: JOSEPH PROCACCI, PROCACCHI BROTHERS

Joseph Procacci, chairman and CEO of Procacchi Brothers, Philadelphia, Pa., passed away.

Procacchi helped re-shape the U.S. tomato market with Santa Sweets Grape tomatoes and UglyRipe heirloom tomatoes. He was also a driving force in pallet standardization, grading standards, food safety and trade agreements, and he is credited with preserving the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). 

As the exclusive distributor of the authentic Santa Sweets Santa F1 variety, Procacchi introduced grape tomatoes to the U.S. consumer market in the late nineties. In 1999, he introduced the UglyRipe tomato, an heirloom, beefsteak-style tomato with distinctive ribbed shoulders and meaty flesh. 

Procacci also served on many executive boards, including as chairman of the United Government Relations Committee, the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association and National Association of Perishable Agriculture Receivers (NAPAR). Most recently, he was a leading figure in the opening of the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, and earned The Packer Produce Man of the Year, Eastern Produce Council Man of the Year, NAPAR Receiver of the Year and the United Fresh Lifetime Achievement Award.

Procacchi stepped down as chief executive officer of Procacci Holdings LLC in early September.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Teresa, his son J.M., daughters Loretta and Rita, 10 grandchildren, 1 great grandchild, his brothers Michael and Sam and his sister Rose.