SALINAS, CA — After a distinguished career in the fresh product industry, having worked for industry greats like Tanimura & Antle, D'Arrigo Bros. of California and Naturipe Berry Growers, Nick Pasculli established The Marketing Department in 1999 and is thrilled to have marked its 15th anniversary in October of 2014.

As the year comes to an end, the National Mango Board is getting ready for its new era of development and transitions with Executive Director William Watson handing over the reins to Manuel Michel, the new executive director. The NMB is also armed with a new director of marketing, a new strategic plan, a new vision and new projects.

RIO RICO, AZ — This summer IPR Fresh, headquartered here, expanded its business with a successful first-time experiment of consolidating in, and shipping through, McAllen, TX, according to Jose Luis Obregon, company president. IPR worked for three months in McAllen.

Obregon said the firm provided consolidation services to customers and shipped commodities that were new to IPR that typically have been shipped through McAllen. These included avocados, limes, papayas and pineapples.

NOGALES, AZ — “Our business is expanding. We are doing more with the chains,” said Sergio Chamberlain, president of SCC Fresh LLC, here. SCC is also consolidating produce for a large grocery cooperative in the United States. This year, “our business will be up. We are doing something different and we are locked in with major chainstores on a more consistent basis. We did this last year and now we are doing it more.”

Chamberlain launched SCC in 2009, “so we are celebrating our fifth anniversary. We are looking forward to a new season.”

Longtime Twin Cities grocer Cub Foods recently presented Susan G. Komen Minnesota with $30,134, which was raised through participation in Robinson Fresh’s MelonUp! Pink Ribbon watermelon program.

Though the wet weather that has drenched California over the past week has snarled traffic and created flooding issues in some low-lying areas, it is basically all good for agriculture.

From the Central Valley to the Central Coast to Southern California, growers have been smiling as the skies have opened up for the first time in seemingly years. “It’s pure water and it’s free; it’s all good,” said Phil Henry, president of Henry Avocado Corp. in Econdido, CA, which is in northern San Diego County.