James (JD) LeQuire, a sales representative at Associated Potato Growers Inc. in Grand Forks, ND, died from an apparent heart attack in Grand Forks on June 1. He was 66.

Paul Dolan, the manager of Associated Potato Growers, told The Produce News, “He will be dearly missed by all of the employees at Associated and by the growers and everybody else that knew him. He was the kind of guy that was full of life and loved people.”

Domex Superfresh Growers anticipates good volumes of quality cherries for Independence Day retail promotions. “We are in-step with the industry numbers and will see an increase of approximately 40 percent over last year,” said Vice President of Marketing Howard Nager, who added that industry estimates are placing cherry volume for the Pacific Northwest at approximately 20 million boxes.

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — Working nationally in the produce business from this scenic town north of Chicago is Muller Trading Co. Inc.

Sarah Miller, Muller’s chief operating officer, said, “We buy and sell all over the country.” The firm serves wholesale customers that are located throughout the nation, but Muller has a strong clientele in Texas.

Beyond that, most of the customers are in the eastern half of the country. Work is under way to strengthen the western customer base.

Major restaurant chains are all advertising based on special low-price offerings to attract customers, according to Pete Piazza, president of Piazza Produce Inc. in Indianapolis.

In challenging economic times, such promotions are a natural extension of aggressive competition, in the view of this veteran foodservice industry supplier.

A new tomato repacking facility in Lakeland, FL, has very positively expanded the operations of Indianapolis-based Ray & Mascari Inc.

Owner Rocky Ray said June 1 that eight months after the Florida facility was opened “it is starting to come into its own. It’s just getting up and going.” There were learning experiences and “trial-and-error” tests that have now cleared hurdles.

The 15,000-square-foot facility in early June was shipping five loads of tomatoes a week. Ray said the Indianapolis facility ships as many as 40 tomato truckloads a week.

“We plan to start movement on June 28 on the Eastern Shore, about a week to 10 days later than normal,” Benny Hall Sr., owner of Benny Hall & Sons Inc. in Temperanceville, VA, told The Produce News in late May.

“The wet and cold spring made for a hard planting,” he continued. “We struggled through it, however, and now the crop is catching up nicely. We expect the quality and volumes to be excellent this year.”