A salesperson was just completing a long-winded presentation to a retailer. After it ended, the retailer asked, "So what's new about your item?"

Not expecting that question, the representative hemmed and hawed, "Well, umm, I mean, umm, well & nothing. But the package is neat anyway."

What company can afford to throw away valuable revenue dollars by not being inventive? Today, companies have to be "sly as a fox" in creating something new and of value for consumers. And if they're not, they're sunk.

RIVERHEAD, NY -- To say that Lauren Keenan is an animal lover would be an understatement.

While most 26-year-olds would probably choose to take a week's vacation sitting on a beach or partying in Florida or Mexico, Ms. Keenan drove to New Orleans last October to help rescue and take care of animals that were left homeless and ownerless in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The U.S. Navy is hoping this January to outfit ships with a packaging technology that would boost the shelf life of fresh produce to save the military from wasting millions of dollars on spoiled fruits and vegetables.

The Navy has been testing Apio Inc.'s BreatheWay, a proprietary membrane technology that provides an optimal atmosphere within the package to extend shelf life and preserve the freshness of the produce.

Thanks to favorable peach growing weather, New Jersey is projecting an excellent crop of yellow peaches, white peaches and nectarines.

New Jersey's crop enjoyed a winter with near perfect chill hours and a very favorable spring with just the right amount of rain. In anticipation of a full crop, growers did heavy thinning to increase size. Fruit quality appears to be outstanding.

ROTTERDAM, NY -- Imagine a 110-story building and an 18-story building lying on their sides perpendicular to each other. This might give some idea of the sheer size of the new produce freight consolidation facility that Railex LLC, a division of ADS Management, is building here.

"We have witnessed tremendous growth in our marketplace in the past three to five years," said Pete Piazza, president of Piazza Produce in Indianapolis. "The city has grown by leaps and bounds, and restaurants are opening at a proportionate rate."