Oppy adds sales and marketing talent
VANCOUVER, B.C.— Two seasoned sales and marketing experts recently joined the ranks at the Oppenheimer Group.
Rob Campbell returned to Oppy as a Newark, Del.-based sales representative following eight years spent acquiring sales and procurement expertise in the berry category, among others. Campbell’s association with the company began in the late 1990s when he led a Zespri kiwifruit sampling team throughout the Eastern U.S. He also worked for Oppy in a quality control capacity for four years starting in 2001.
Campbell moved to a sales position with Fisher Capespan USA, Gloucester City, NJ, in 2005. A year later, he became a sales representative for Giumarra VBM of Avondale, PA, where he specialized in marketing blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and fresh figs to numerous key accounts. In 2010, Campbell opened a sales office for Berry Fresh in Gloucester City, and managed berry sales throughout the Eastern U.S. and Canada for just over a year. Most recently, Campbell sold berries for Pure Fresh in Kennett Square, Penn.
“As the top-earning category at retail, berries have become an increasingly important product for Oppenheimer,” said Brett Libke, East Coast director of sales. “Through our global grower network, our berry business has more than doubled in the last two years. We are very pleased to have a sales representative of Rob’s experience joining us at this time of intense growth for us.”
While Campbell will focus on berry sales, he will also market the full Oppy range to customers in the Eastern U.S., welcoming the opportunity to contribute his knowledge to the company that gave him his first break in produce.
“My past roles have been with smaller companies with a considerable berry focus—so I wore a lot of hats,” he said. “That kind experience gives you a great deal of perspective. It’s great to be with a company like Oppenheimer where a highly talented team of people takes care of all aspects of the supply chain and supports the sales and marketing efforts to deliver value.”
Speaking of delivering value to the Oppy transaction, Angie Hanson joined the company as a business development representative in late April. Hanson, who is based in Oppy’s Chicago office, is responsible for creating supply programs and executing promotions with retail and wholesale customers in the Midwestern U.S. She will work closely with Audrey Desnoyers, who was appointed to the role of national business development manager in late 2012.
Hanson comes to Oppy with over five years’ produce experience gained in various facets of the industry. While her most recent role was outside the trade as an account manager with Kansas City, Mo.-based advertising firm Diamond Merckens Hogan, Hanson spent 2010-11 as the communications and industry affairs manager for the California Avocado Commission in Irvine, Calif. Previously, she served as the marketing/public relations manager for garlic grower shipper Christopher Ranch of Gilroy, Calif., and was a reporter for The Packer from 2005 through 2008.
“Angie’s well-rounded experience will enable her to hit the ground running as a member of Oppy’s business development team,” Libke said. “She’s worked closely with growers and understands their priorities. She thinks like a marketer and gets how produce works at retail. And her time with The Packer equipped her with excellent insights to the produce industry as a whole.”
Hanson was eager to return to the produce industry following two years away.
“I really missed marketing something as tangible and valuable as fresh fruits and vegetables,” she said. “It sounds kind of funny, but it’s true when people say that produce gets in your blood. I always admired Oppenheimer and its innovative approach, and the role here felt like the right opportunity for me to contribute to that.”
Hanson’s territory includes North and South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana.
