Brenda Briggs, vice president of marketing, and Valerie Ramsburg, sales and marketing representative for Rice Fruit Co. in Gardners, PA, will be representing the firm at the upcoming Southeast Produce Council’s 2014 Southern Exposure annual conference and expo.

The event will be held Feb. 27 to March 1 at the Caribe Royale Conference Center & Hotel in Orlando, FL.

“We will be at booth number 1029,” said Briggs. “Although we’ve been members of the council for three years, this will be our first time exhibiting.”

“We look forward to exhibiting at the Southern Exposure annual conference and expo this year,” said Peter Wilder, marketing director for To-Jo Mushrooms in Avondale, PA. “To-Jo will be exhibiting at booth number 415, and manning it will be Tony D’Amico, president; Paul Frederic, senior vice president of sales and marketing; Michael Wood, vice president of fresh operations; and Todd Kostka, sales and marketing specialist.”

Best known as a world leader in the sweet onion category and a top producer of Vidalia onions, Bland Farms LLC of Glennville, GA, has continued to add to its product lineup and made a major personnel announcement leading up to its appearance at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure trade show in Orlando, FL, Feb. 28 to March 2.

Having been involved in the business since an early age, Troy Bland, formerly director of quality control and procurement, has been promoted to director of operations. The move represents a significant increase in Bland’s responsibilities.

Brooks Tropicals, headquartered in Homestead, FL, is a leading grower, packer and marketer of fresh tropical fruits and vegetables.

The company’s flagship products include papayas, starfruit, avocados — particularly the Florida-grown “SlimCado,”which boasts having less fat and fewer calories than other commercial avocados — and approximately 20 other tropical specialty products, such as the Uniq fruit. Under the loose and bumpy skin of this large citrus fruit is the refreshing taste of a grapefruit with a hint of tangerine.

Bobby Creel, director of business development for L&M Cos. headquartered in Raleigh, NC, said the company has been a member of the Southeast Produce Council and has exhibited at every Southern Exposure conference and expo since the first event was held in Lakeland, FL, in 1999.

“We somehow seem to always get stuck into a corner at the annual Southern Exposure conference and expo, but that hasn’t stopped our customers and potentially new customers from finding us,” said Mike Blume, sales representative for Keystone Fruit Marketing Inc. in Greencastle, PA. “And there’s good reason for visitors to visit our booth, number 1,203, as Chef Dave Munson, our corporate chef, will be serving some delicious recipes. It’s a ‘stop-by-and-taste’ treat for everyone who visits us at the event.”