Pundit’s Mailbag — Welcome Comments About Possible PMA/United Merger
Following our piece — Shouldn’t Our Industry Associations Try To Support One Another? After Coronavirus, The Time May Be Right To Look At PMA/United Merger Once Again — we heard from many industry leaders. This included many of the past chairmen of both associations and of other industry associations, some of whom we’ve worked with for […]
Pundit Podcast Episode 2:
Despite COVID-19, Schools Should Not Throw Away A Student's Shot
Down below… the second episode of our new Podcast. We were overwhelmed to receive some exceedingly generous feedback on our launch: I had to tell you how incredible you are. I listened to your podcast, “Destructive protests hurt the ones most in need”. Wow … you took on an incredibly difficult subject with grace, compassion, […]
In Response To Accelerating Stress on Retail Systems, Robinson Fresh Institutes Unique Direct Store Delivery/Local Warehousing Across North America
Sometimes an industry under pressure needs companies that can provide unique solutions. Robinson Fresh and its parent company, C. H. Robinson, is that kind of organization, with resources in people, finance and technology that stand alone in the produce industry. This year, retailers across the country have been under pressure. First foodservice closed, so countless […]
Dusting Off A Proposal To Reduce Unemployment
The latest unemployment numbers showed big improvements: Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 4.8 million in June, and the unemployment rate declined to 11.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. These improvements in the labor market reflected the continued resumption of economic activity that had been curtailed in March and April due to […]
150-year Racial Equality Plan
We remember a phone call many years ago from Bob Carey, the longtime President at the Produce Marketing Association. He had invited the Pundit — though long before the digital age when all our industry writing was appearing in PRODUCE BUSINESS — to attend a PMA Board meeting each year, a privilege that continued for […]
UK/European Powerhouse Grower/Marketer — G’s – Puts Family Farming To Grand Scale And Builds Diverse Business In Countries Around The Globe
What is it that makes a produce company great? It is a quandary that has been the subject of the Pundit’s reflection since we launched PRODUCE BUSINESS magazine in 1985. We’ve traveled to every continent, save Antarctica, seeking to understand this and, as of now, this is our top five criteria: 1) The company must […]
Let College Students Go To School
Most parents, and most employers, are thinking about school and what will happen in September. In PRODUCE BUSINESS magazine, we ran a column titled Let College Students Go To School, which laid out the data in relation to college students: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have provided five COVID-19 pandemic planning scenarios. […]
Heightened Sensitivity To Multiculturalism Has Unintended Consequences
One wonders what will be the impact of the various protests demanding change. We saw a piece on NBC News titled, Walmart will stop putting ‘multicultural’ products in locked cases: Walmart will no longer place ‘multicultural hair care and beauty products’ in locked cases in any of its stores, the company confirmed Wednesday. The practice, […]
On The Frontlines Of Protest,
Generation Z Has Perspectives Worth Understanding:
A Letter From One Willing To Take Risks
Among the blessings in the Pundit’s life is that a career in the global produce industry has provided us with friends around the world. Few among them are valued more than Nic Jooste from the Netherlands. Nowadays, he often writes for sister publication, PRODUCE BUSINESS. You can see many of the pieces he has written right […]
Shouldn’t Our Industry Associations Try To Support One Another?
After Coronavirus, The Time May Be Right To Look At PMA/United Merger Once Again
Over the years, we’ve written hundreds of pages regarding the unusual situation of the produce industry having two national associations. Here are several columns we ran in PRODUCE BUSINESS magazine on the subject: Let The Race Begin Merger Mania Merger Begs Question of Compatibility Industry Concerns Should Trump Association Concerns In Merger Talk Is United/PMA Merger […]
