Mission Produce Inc. has hired Brian Miller as the company’s new senior vice president of sales and marketing. He comes from an extensive produce industry background, including the last 15 years when he served as president and chief executive officer of Gourmet Trading Co.

Fresh Solutions Network has launched a new website for its "Side Delights" brand of potato products: www.sidedelights.com. The new site is comprehensive, highly functional and easy to navigate, offering visitors a full spectrum of product details, potato information and recipe suggestions.

Fortune magazine's list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” includes retailers Wegmans, Whole Foods and Publix. Wegmans led the group, coming in at No. 7. Whole Foods was ranked 55th, and Publix came in at No. 81. All three companies have been on the list since it began in 1998, something only nine other companies have accomplished.

The weather throughout the country has had a profound impact on the vegetable market over the last month, and it’s not done yet.

Experts say that as the East thaws out and demand picks up, the market is firming up and over the next month or so supply gaps could materialize.

Douglas Schaefer, president of EJ’s Produce Sales Inc. in Phoenix, said he knows the situation is tightening up when he starts fielding calls from occasional customers looking for product.

Giumarra Wenatchee is in its second season of marketing Carmen pears, and the variety continues to offer flavor and value to customers.

The pears, sold in single-layer cartons, load on both the East Coast and the West Coast and are available until the end of March from Giumarra Wenatchee.