Supermarket floral execs are making big plans for Mother’s Day May 12. At Price Chopper in the Northeast, Jon Strom expects sales to grow aggressively at its Central Market Florist departments. “Some of the growth will come from cut-flower sales, including a Magnificent Mom 18-stem rose bouquet,” he told The Produce News in an interview. Mr. Strom is vice president for new business development at Price Chopper.

Twelve education sessions, including a keynote address on “Leapfrogging” as an innovation strategy; a light-hearted Iron Designer contest using mystery items to create floral arrangements in a feverish race against the clock and other designers; a new products showcase including a combination flower vase and greeting card, an LED candle lantern and evergreen centerpiece, and a “Sweet Treats” combination of flowers and confections.

The biggest floral day of all, Mother’s Day, awaits, and summer trade shows abound. The floral industry breathes a sigh of relief following the frenzy of Mother’s Day, and thoughts turn to trade shows.

The IFE show in June is one of the larger supermarket floral shows of the year. It is followed by a pair of California events — the Southern California Expo of the Fresh Produce & Floral Council in Anaheim and, hard on its heels, the biennial NORCAL Sun ‘N Fun Weekend. Be there or be square, as they used to say.

The Jackson family stands tall on the North Carolina landscape as one of the state’s premiere grower-packer-shippers of quality fruits and vegetables. The Jackson Farming Co. is located in Fayetteville, NC, and was founded by Brent and Debbie Jackson. Their sons are actively involved in the business today, and they look forward to the day when the third generation of Jacksons will take their places in the family business.

Known best for its bell peppers, Prime Time International in Coachella, CA, also grows, packs and ships other produce commodities, and one of those is watermelons, which the company has been doing for 20 years, according to Mike Aiton, marketing manager for Prime Time Sales LLC, the exclusive marketing agent for Prime Time International.

“We are a seasonal watermelon player. We only have watermelon in the Coachella Valley here in the spring,” Mr. Aiton said. “We grow primarily seedless, but we do have seeded watermelon as well.”

Santa Maria, CA-based grower/shipper Babé Farms, a leader in specialty vegetables and gourmet salad blends for more than 25 years, is settling into adulthood with a new 75,000-square-foot processing and shipping facility that should keep it young at heart for years to come.

Founded in 1986 to grow, pack and ship gourmet baby veggies with plate appeal, Babé has stayed the course by currently offering a stunning array of specialty produce items, both leafy and root vegetables, that have maintained its gourmet cachet for professional and amateur chefs.