Dusty Bilbrey, produce manager for the Food City in Sevierville, Tennessee, was named the International Fresh Produce Association’s Produce Manager of the Year grand-prize winner.
Bilbrey received the award earlier this month at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Atlanta, Georgia.
IFPA annually hosts the Retail Produce Manager Awards, recognizing the top 20 produce managers within the industry and selects five overall Produce Manager of the Year grand-prize winners.
“The entire Food City family is very proud of Dusty’s accomplishments, and we would like to congratulate him on this well-deserved honor,” said Joe Greene, VP of produce operations.
“Dusty is a tremendous asset to our company and the community as a whole. He is dedicated to providing our customers with the best service, quality, and variety, while promoting the many health benefits of eating fresh produce.”
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IFPA recognizes produce managers for “their dedication to boosting fresh produce sales, innovative merchandising, community service and customer satisfaction.” The winners are selected from hundreds of nominations.
According to Food City, Bilbrey is passionate about serving customers, having worked his way up through the ranks from a courtesy clerk. He is committed to educating and promoting the health benefits of eating fresh produce through the Fruits & Veggies More Matters and My Plate campaigns.
He operates a sampling program with an emphasis on organic and locally-grown items, while sharing nutritional information on the benefits of eating healthy. He has been instrumental in helping open and merchandise several new stores for the company and serves as the back-up produce supervisor for his district.
Bilbrey is active in the community, working with youth at his church, helping feed those in need during the holidays, conducting weekly visits with elderly patients in nursing care facilities and providing support to the Sevier County Food Ministry. He has been recognized for his commitment by Food City’s Claude Varney Volunteerism Awards from 2018 through 2022 and received the 2021 Award of Excellence and 2018 Best Customer Research Award for Sevier County.
About Food City
Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores (Food City’s parent company) operates 157 retail outlets throughout southeastern Kentucky, southwestern Virginia, East Tennessee, North Georgia and Alabama.
