Douglas Kling, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Village Farms LP, headquartered in Heathrow, FL, told The Produce News that the company will continue to feature its exclusive “Heavenly Villagio Marzano,” tomato, an authentic mini San Marzano tomato which is exclusive to Village Farms, at the 2015 Southern Exposure Conference & Expo at the Caribe Royale All Suite Hotel & Convention Center in Orlando, FL, on Feb. 26-28.

Fresh produce industry leaders from the United States and Mexico met Feb. 11 in Mexico City to formalize the International Fruit & Vegetable Alliance for Social Responsibility, also known by its Spanish acronym AHIFORES. As a demonstration of support for the new organization, Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture Enrique Martinez y Martinez hosted the members of the alliance and appointed Under Secretary of Agriculture Jesus Aguilar as his liaison with the organization.

Potandon Produce LLC, an industry leader in fresh potato marketing, hired Glen Reynolds as a director of business development.

Reynolds comes to Potandon bringing a wealth of experience in both the fresh potato industry and retail sales and marketing. Additionally he has extensive experience in strategic planning, merchandising and is focused on logistics and supply chain efficiencies.

As a response to intermittent work slowdowns during labor negotiations at West Coast ports, the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping lines and terminal operators, is refusing to pay overtime to longshoremen this holiday weekend. The move effectively closes the ports for four out of five days, beginning Thursday, Feb. 12 (Lincoln’s birthday, which is a port holiday) and continuing through the weekend.

The move is the association’s response to what it claims are union work stoppages and slowdowns that have caused crippling delays and devastating economic losses.

The fresh produce industry is mourning the loss of Jerre Paxton, owner and president of Kwik Lok Corp., who died from an apparent heart attack Jan. 25 in Seattle, where he had gone to attend simulcast racing at Emerald Downs. He was 76.

Mr. Paxton assumed leadership of Kwik Lok, headquartered in Yakima, WA, in 1968 following the retirement of his father, Floyd. The company is an innovator in the field of bag closures, and the locks are easily visible in fresh produce departments today.

California avocado season is getting under way, and the California Avocado Commission has updated its production forecast to 327 million pounds for its fiscal year 2014-15. CAC also announced that Timothy Spann has returned to the commission staff and now serves as research program director.