The Southeast Produce Council held its annual summer board meeting Aug. 9-11 at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina. Prior to their series of meetings, attendees were given a tour of the Biltmore Estate to commemorate the SEPC’s gathering.
“It was a special board meeting in Asheville. We had extremely productive sessions, and as we parted ways it was clear each of us had a distinct and confident vision of the council’s future,” said Raina Nelson, SEPC board chair, Westfalia Fruit U.S.
“This year as chair has flown by, and we have done some significant work. Maya Angelou’s quote, ‘Nothing will work unless you do,’ fondly comes to mind every time I reflect upon our SEPC staff, Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors. I am very proud of the work this Council is doing, and I am excited to see the efforts of the summer board meeting materialize.”
The board of directors, board of governors and staff discussed several goals and tactics during the two-day event, including final preparations for their upcoming Southern Innovations conference scheduled to take place Sept. 22-24 in Nashville, Tennessee.
“It’s always refreshing to bring this outstanding group of people together to refocus and collectively build on past successes — time very well spent on adding meaningful value for the industry and the SEPC,” said Tim Graas, SEPC vice chairman and Associated Wholesale Grocers. “We are very well positioned for an exciting future.”
David Sherrod, SEPC president and CEO, agreed, “We’ve spent a fantastic few days in the mountains of North Carolina. It was evident that our primary focus still remains to create the best networking events, innovative content, community involvement, and educational opportunities within the produce industry.
“We intentionally worked on our strategic plan and have come away with a very aggressive action plan to take us to new heights and into the future. It was wonderful to see us lean into our vast experience and faith to help us steward this amazing council.”
The Southeast Produce Council is a member-driven, non-profit association of more than 3,000 leaders from all facets of the produce industry. It was formed more than 20 years ago to promote the value of fresh fruits and vegetables in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia through networking, innovation, community and education.
