Until recently, the majority of ocean-shipped fruits and vegetables imported from foreign countries have had to enter the United States through ports in the Northeast.

ST. LOUIS — The Midwest produce industry needs a focal point for preparing for the future, according to Mike Kemp.

Kemp retired in January from Market Fresh Produce LLC, located in the southwest Missouri town of Nixa. He was associated with Market Fresh for four years. For the first year-and-a-half, he was the chief operating officer. Then he worked as an independent business analyst for Market Fresh.

Kemp has lived in St. Louis for 11 years and met there with The Produce News in late February to discuss his retirement and concepts that interest him going forward.

California Citrus Mutual has partnered with the California Citrus Research Board to offer six workshop sessions on the biggest issues facing the industry today. Of those, securing sufficient water resources and preventing the spread of citrus greening, or HLB, are by far the greatest concerns of the industry.

Felicia Marcus, chairman of the State Water Resources Control Board, addressed California’s water woes and how the board proposes to address the current crisis without hindering growers’ ability to farm profitably.

According to a 2012 Catalyst study, women make up 47 percent of the work force but hold only 14 percent of executive positions and 16 percent of board seats. But like most things in the produce industry, those numbers are dynamic and set to change. Smart businesses are recognizing that diverse viewpoints make for better decisions and financial results are actively attracting women to their leadership teams and working to retain their talents.

The California Avocado Commission recently introduced the latest in its communication efforts designed to encourage demand and increase awareness of California avocados: The Scoop blog.

With about 77 percent of Internet users reading blogs and nearly one-third of consumers saying that blogs influence a purchase decision more than any other media or social channel, CAC's blog launch is maximizing its ability to personalize consumer marketing communications.

Tony Godinez recently joined McAllen, TX-based Loop Cold Storage as director of business development.

Godinez has more than 20 years of experience in U.S. Customs brokerage, freight forwarding and third-party handling and logistics of fresh produce from Mexico. He started a U.S. Customs brokerage operation in 1994 and operated a 30,000-square-foot refrigerated warehouse, Godinez International, in Hidalgo, TX, for 18 years. In 2012, he took over the operations of another cold storage service provider in the Rio Grande Valley as executive director.