Born, raised and currently residing in the Toronto, Ontario, Susanne is a jack-of-all-trades with a degree in fashion merchandising and design, certified in yoga instructing and is currently enrolled to become a certified dog handler. Susanne began her career as a fashion buyer in her hometown, eventually moving into a public relations role, where she … Continued
Every year the Eastern Produce Council (EPC) invites promising industry up-and-comers to join its leadership program which delivers valuable knowledge through classroom and field experiences. Newark Sales Representative Stephen Sanders participated in 2019, and inspired his co-workers Business Development Representative Kate Watson and Sales Representative Krystal McCusker to join this year. The EPC leadership program … Continued
Born in Washington, DC and currently residing in a suburb along Lake Michigan, Ryan studied food marketing at Saint Joseph’s University and has a MBA from Salve Regina University. Ryan’s passion for our industry began when he was a 15-year old working in Genuardi’s Family Market’s produce department and serving as a merchandising intern for … Continued
After a three-year hiatus, produce pals from around North America were once again in one city to celebrate the industry in a monumental CPMA. With a theme of reconnection, a sold-out show floor held over 270 exhibiting companies and a record number of attendees for a week of networking, learning and building business in Montreal. … Continued
Born, raised and currently residing in the City of Angels, Madie studied agribusiness at California Polytechnic State University. She participated in the Produce Marketing Association — now known as International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) — Center for Growing Talent Career Pathways Program in 2017. Madie has held a variety of jobs in the food service … Continued
Growing up in an army family, Deb lived all across Canada, finally calling the Lower Mainland of BC home, where she graduated from Simon Fraser University with a bachelor’s of arts degree in archaeology. She began her career in tourism, working across a variety of sectors in roles ranging from senior contract administrator to project … Continued
With 2022 in full swing and our teams full steam ahead, we are so proud to announce that Oppy has been chosen as one of BC’s Top Employers for 2022. This marks the sixth consecutive year that Oppy has been recognized as one of the best employers in British Columbia — the province we first … Continued
Born and raised in Hong Kong, China, Eric came to Canada in 2006 to attend the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), graduating with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He began his career in Vancouver as a bookkeeper, gaining experience over multiple industries including travel, education and real estate, along with working at an agency … Continued
Shifting its annual fundraiser for the BC Cancer Foundation to an online format for the first time in 2020, offering primarily bingo, pledge forms and raffles, Reception Services Supervisor Victoria Vancek and members of the fundraising committee stepped it up big time for the 2021 edition, raising an incredible $21,560. “Although this year continued to … Continued
Born and raised in Chile, Lino lives in its capital city Santiago where he received two graduate degrees in planning and strategic control, and business management — and is now an agronomist engineer who specializes in growing and agribusiness. Beginning his career at Oppy in quality control, Lino has managed categories from apples, grapes, kiwi … Continued
Though he retired this past summer, former Executive VP and COO Doug Grant is still making waves in the industry following his 26-year legacy at Oppy. At a virtual town hall last month, PMA and Center for Growing Talent honored the winners of their suite of awards, recognizing excellence across the trade — with Doug … Continued
Studying economics and business management at the University of Nevada-Reno, Dean started his produce career in 1994 as an intern at Stamoules Produce Company, “and the rest is history,” he said. He worked in various produce sales and marketing roles at Bonipak Produce Inc, SunFed, US Fresh and more, until joining the team in 2016 … Continued
As a proud supporter of the City of Coquitlam, home of Oppy headquarters, the company was identified as the ideal partner for their fall healthy eating program. The city’s recreation team hoped to launch a program where kids could learn about various fruits and vegetables, have taste tests, take grab-and-go produce from drop-in programs and … Continued
Adopted from San Francisco, Leslie has lived in Visalia, CA her entire life, besides attending Iowa State University for a bachelor’s of business administration. Returning back to her home town, Leslie began her produce journey at Nash De Camp, a company that primarily grew grapes in California and Chile, but closed its doors in the … Continued
Conducting its extensive, widespread search to elicit nominations for top young leaders, Produce Business had it easy picking Garland Perkins for its 2021 40-Under 40 list. Having paved her own way at Oppy, from intern, to BDR, to foodservice sales lead, then on to the newly created role of retail solutions specialist then again with … Continued
Growing up on the coast of NorCal then SoCal, Jim made the move to the Lone Star State last month for his next Oppy adventure. He is now sales manager for the Houston, Texas office as South-Central produce legend Jeff Walker retired. Receiving his undergrad from Purdue University in Indiana, Jim completed his MBA at … Continued
Bouncing from coast to coast and now living in the prairies of Canada, Carmen knew early on in life that she wanted to pursue a career in accounting. She began her career at Oppy in 2007 while completing her bachelor’s in business administration at Langara College, then went on to receive her chartered accountant designation. … Continued
Watch the virtual honoring of Chairman, CEO and Managing Partner John Anderson’s CPMA Lifetime Achievement Award with host Vice President of Canadian Sales Walt Breeden here or on the Oppy YouTube channel. Congratulations again John!
As a proud advocate for CPMA (The Canadian Produce Marketing Association) and its initiatives, when team Oppy got wind that the Freggie Fresh Ride was going digital, it was a breezy choice to opt in! Freggie’s mission to show kids what is possible with a healthy lifestyle is more important than ever as the world … Continued
An avid traveler originally from Orcutt, California, Alyssa graduated with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. After graduation, Alyssa spent a year exploring Australia and Asia and now calls San Luis Obispo, California home. Prior to joining Oppy in December 2019, Alyssa gained work experience at a health and … Continued
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, TJ now calls Philadelphia, the land of hoagies and cheesesteaks, home. He attended St. Joseph’s University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in food marketing. Beginning his career in the produce business the way many do, TJ worked at a grocer as a manager where he was responsible for … Continued
Born and raised in Visalia, California, Regina moved to Everett, Washington in 2014 and now calls Belt, Montana, home. Regina has a certificate in accounting and first joined Oppy in March 2009 as an accounts payable coordinator. She has since held a number of different roles within Oppy’s sales department leading up to her current … Continued
Originally from Rancagua, Chile, Felipe now calls San Pedro, California, home. An alumnus of DUOC UC institute in Chile, Felipe graduated with a bachelor of engineering in agronomy and is also accredited as an agricultural technician from Saint Vicente de Paul Agricultural School in Chile. Working in produce since 2012, Felipe spent six years in … Continued
Originally from Santiago, Chile, Francisco now calls Fishtown, Philadelphia home. Graduating from the agricultural engineering program from the University of Chile, Francisco’s work took him all over the world, including New Zealand and Germany for one year each under the working holiday program, as well as seven years with the Produce Inspectors of America which … Continued
Born and raised in New Castle, Delaware, Vincent joined Oppy in August 2011 at only 21 years old. Having spent the majority of the past nine years working as a quality controller, Vincent attributes the success of Manfredi’s quality control to the very talented team who genuinely care and are passionate about their work, leading … Continued
Born and raised in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Paulina studied at Simon Fraser University and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in operations management and a certificate in business analytics and decision making. During her studies, she spent one semester studying abroad in Guadalajara, Mexico at Tecnológico de Monterrey – a positive experience that … Continued
Born and raised in Delaware, Seth graduated from University of Delaware, his hometown’s university with a degree in agriculture and natural resource management with a focus in applied economics and statistics. Prior to joining Oppy, Seth worked at his alma mater as a researcher of environmentally-friendly pest management solutions for commercial growing sites. Seth joined … Continued
Raylene Veleta heard about Oppy through her previous workplace, a cold storage service that Oppy worked with in Exeter, California. When Amy Bianchi was looking to fill an open position, she connected with Raylene’s manager. Without any hesitation, Raylene was referred for the job. Thankful for her blessings and for her manager’s referral, Raylene’s journey … Continued
Born and raised in sunny Scotland, Tom Stewart has called Richmond, British Columbia home for the last 20 years. Tom attended the Morgan Academy in Dundee, Scotland, which graduated other notable alumni including veteran actor Ian McDiarmid, famous for his role in various Star Wars movies. Prior to moving to Canada, Tom worked as a … Continued
I hope this message finds you and your families safe and well. It’s a message I never would have imagined I’d be writing to you, but one I feel is incredibly important to convey. I’m writing to acknowledge the violent events surrounding us following the tragic death of George Floyd, and share the heaviness of … Continued