Southeast Produce Council

Workshop I
Produce Traceability

What to expect from the initiative; be prepared and decide what you can afford; implementation costs or losses from contamination. Industry leaders will share the latest regarding PTI, from government affairs to foodservice and retail challenges, giving you the opportunity to learn and discuss key details, applicable to your own organization.



Daniel G. Vaché
Vice President Supply Chain Management
United Fresh Produce Association
Workshop Moderator

Dan joined United Fresh Produce Association in January 2009 as Vice President of Supply Chain Management.  Dan spent over 30 years working with all facets of the perishable food, nursery and pharmaceutical industries providing temperature and humidity monitoring product and services for quality and claims resolution purposes.

Dan currently leads the Supply Chain Logistics Council at United Fresh and is an industry point person to help educate industry members in the implementation of the Product Traceability Initiative. He has presented the PTI initiative to numerous industry groups and has consulted with companies on each of the seven PTI milestones.

Dan is a member of the Pilot Panel for the IFT-led Tomato Tracing Pilot to fulfill the requirements of the FDA as outlined in the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Dan also chairs the National Produce Transportation Working Group formed by industry members representing the U.S, Canada and Mexico. This group is updating “Best Practices” for produce transportation to provide continuing education for all segments of the perishable supply chain.

A native of Richland, Washington, Dan graduated from Eastern Washington University; now resides in Redmond, Washington. 


Harold Paivarinta
Regional Director of Sales
JemD Farms



Harold began his career in the produce industry at quite an early age. As a teenager he worked on his 1200 acre family farm in western Canada and while attending school, he also worked as a produce clerk with a Vancouver, British Columbia supermarket chain. Paivarinta swiftly moved up the retail produce industry corporate ladder from becoming a produce department manager, promoted to produce specialist, and then, with same western Canadian supermarket chain, securing the position of produce buyer and merchandiser.

It was in 1998, when Paivarinta transitioned from being a retail produce buyer into a produce sales role with, at the time, the largest greenhouse cooperative in British Columbia. In 2002, he was selected to spearhead the project of opening the greenhouse industry’s first forward distribution center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Harold is based in Atlanta and heads up JemD’s Southeast distribution center along with leading the sales team’s efforts as Regional Director of Sales. In addition to his day to day duties, he also actively participates and holds a position with the Produce Traceability Initiative’s Implementation working group.

He has been in the Denny’s Purchasing Department for 16 years & is currently responsible for the procurement & distribution of fresh Produce, Shell Eggs, fresh Bread, Dairy & Ice Cream for over 1,610 Company & Franchise restaurants in the Denny’s chain.  He is also the Administrator for Denny’s Travel program.

He has served as a Board Member & Chairman of various Boards for the Produce Marketing Association and is very active in his church & community.  He is married to Anne (who also works at Denny’s) and they have 2 adult daughters


Teri Miller
Delhaize America


Teri Miller is a Produce Category Manager for Delhaize America which services Bottom Dollar, Food Lion, Hannaford, Harvey’s, Reid’s and Sweetbay.  Teri has been with Delhaize America for 24 years, but she joined Produce Category Management 5 years ago. Teri realized early that produce is not like any other item in the grocery store. With a great deal to learn, Teri expects and wants to remain in the produce industry for a very long time.

Teri graduated from UNC-Charlotte with a degree in Accounting.  She is a CPA and a CISA – you might be surprised how that can help in her current position – she was.

Teri is married to Johnny Miller (not the golfer).  They have a son, Dalton, who is a freshman at Appalachian State University.  She and her family enjoy football and baseball games at all levels. 

 






Workshop II

How Food Bloggers are Influencing Produce Consumers

According to FoodBlogAlliance.com, the top food blogs combined easily reach over 20 million unique visitors a month.  In this interactive session, we will create a dialogue with several local Food Bloggers who have an impressive consumer following.  With plenty of time for Q&A, you’ll find out directly from the source what bloggers want and how to engage with them.  You’ll learn valuable tips for developing a following for your brand or product in the blogger community. 

Heidi McIntyre's expertise includes developing progressive, innovative marketing programs for a variety of clients in the produce industry.  Heidi also co-founded Produce for Kids (PFK) and serves as an ongoing consultant for the organization. 

Heidi's successful marketing campaigns earned her recognition including the following awards: "Marketing Excellence" award from Produce Business magazine (five times) and the " National Excellence" award from the Produce for Better Health Foundation.  Heidi is a founding member and served as a Board of Director for the Southeast Produce Council.  

Jeff Houck is the food writer for the Tampa Tribune. He also authors The Stew food blog at TBO.com and hosts the Table Conversations podcast. Houck previously edited and reported for FoxSports.com, The Palm Beach Post, The Anchorage Times, the Florida Times-Union and WFLA NewsChannel 8 in Tampa. He was a featured speaker on social media at BlogWorld and New Media Expo in 2010 and at South by Southwest and TECHmunch in 2011.


Julie Fagan is the author behind the blog Peanut Butter Fingers (PBfingers.com) which follows her life as she strives to maintain a healthy lifestyle fueled by regular exercise and (mostly) healthy food.  With more than 1.5 million monthly pageviews, Her work and her blog have been featured in national magazines, including SHAPE, Fitness, Glamour, Women’s Day and Women’s Health. 

Julie’s recipe contributions to SHAPE magazine are frequently featured on the front page of the magazine’s website, providing readers with easy and delicious healthy meal ideas. Julie also enjoys attending blogging conferences and recently spoke at the Healthy Living Summit in August 2011.


Heather has been with the Orlando Sentinel for 29 years and she has covered the food and wine industry for the past 18 years as Food Editor. She has seen the editorial scene evolve from strictly print, to internet/blogs etc. Located on OrlandoSentinel.com, The Dish focuses on recipes, food related events and food news.


Ricky Ly is the food writer for the award winning Orlando food blog TastyChomps.com. He is also a freelance writer for various regional magazines and is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association. 

TastyChomps.com was nominated this year for Best Local Blog in the Orlando Sentinel's Best Bets and the Best Local Food blog for Edible Orlando magazine. Ricky Ly will be releasing his first book "The Food Lovers' Guide to Orlando" published by the Globe Pequot Press on November 2, 2012.

Aggie Goodman, of AggiesKitchen.com, is an active mom of two who's always thinking about the next meal. Her kitchen is her "happy place" where she can relax and do what she loves to do, feed her family and friends. Most of the food she cooks is healthy, but the occasional treat is permitted (and welcomed!). When she's not cooking, she's most likely running after her kids, getting in a good workout, finding peace in a book or talking food on social media. You can find her on Facebook and as @aggieskitchen on Twitter.