The unbridled enthusiasm of the young has a way of rubbing off on everyone at Ben B. Schwartz & Sons Inc. and that includes Chief Operating Officer Nate Stone. “This is a great place to work,” he told The Produce News.

After more than a century in the fresh produce business, the work environment at the company has just the right balance of a work-hard, play-hard philosophy to keep things interesting.

BRASELTON, GA — The Southeast Produce Council's board of directors met Wednesday morning, June 17, at Chateau Elan, here, to conduct business, as SPC members arrived to take part in a silent auction that evening and to participate the following day in the inaugural SPC Charity Golf Classic, all in the name of charity.

Lipman, a leading North American field tomato grower based in Immokalee, FL, has acquired The Produce Exchange, a leading grower and distributor of quality produce. With operations in Washington, California and Arizona, TPE joins Lipman's national network of farming, packing, processing and repacking.

A new vegetable will enter produce departments this fall: Kalettes, a green and purple offspring of Brussels sprouts and kale. The flavor of Kalettes can be described as sweet and nutty, combining the best traits of each of its parent vegetables.

Chris Nelson, president and chief executive officer of Mixtec Group, an executive search firm in the produce industry, has announced his retirement from the company. Nelson will be succeeded by Jerry Butt, who will assume the role of president and CEO effective June 30.

Yuma Lettuce Days will sprout up "down on the farm" in 2015. The annual feastival that celebrates the area's agricultural abundance will take place Feb. 28 and March 1 at the University of Arizona's Yuma Agricultural Center, a working research farm in the Yuma Valley just west of town.