Sloan grew up in a small farming community in Southeast Georgia where he has lived all his life. He worked in his family business as a child. He attended Georgia Southern University, where he obtained a degree in biology. After graduation he started working seasonally with Bland Farms in 1996. He found he really enjoyed the small family farm environment and began working full time in 1999. Over the years he has held numerous positions within the company. Sloan has been in sales since the early 2000’s.

Sloan has always believed in the 3 F’s in life (faith, family, and friends); this is what drew him to both Bland Farms and the SEPC. Sloan serves on numerous SEPC committees and is the liaison for the UGA STARS students. Like many others, he has really found a lot of joy working with the STARS students over the past few years. He sees the real value the SEPC offers to all in produce and looks forward to what the future holds with the SEPC and the produce industry.

Gary Baker is the Sr. Director of Fresh at Merchants Distributors, LLC. In this role, Gary oversees the operations of Meat, Produce, and Deli/Bakery. Gary has worked at other retail companies in his history including Kmart, Winn-Dixie, and Food Lion and has distinguished himself at each one of these companies as someone with high work ethics and dedication to the field. Gary started with MDI as a Produce Buyer in 2004. He then served as the Produce Category Manager and most recently has served as Produce Director.

Gary is an innovative thinker and holds degrees in business administration and web technology design. Gary’s experience, retail background, customer relationships, industry knowledge and networking has helped MDI to have continued success. He is also an avid Charlotte Panther fan and enjoys supporting the team.

Derek grew up in Raleigh, NC where his family had deep roots in agriculture and produce. One of his
grandfathers owned a sweet potato and tobacco farm where he spent his summers and weekends
working in the fields and developing his passion for agriculture. His other grandfather was a partner in
Ennis & McGee Produce on the Raleigh Farmer’s Market which set the foundation for his love of the
produce industry.

Derek attended East Carolina University, where he obtained a degree in Economics and was also the
school mascot, Pee Dee the Pirate. After graduation he began working at L&M Companies in 2002
where he has held numerous positions over the past 20 years and is currently the Director of Sales for
Potatoes and Onions.

Derek has been married to his wife Laura since 2011 and has 2 daughters, Eleanor and Adaline. In his
free time he enjoys traveling with his family, hunting and playing golf.

Maclaren started in grocery retail at the age of 16, working at the store level all the way to corporate, eventually leading the Fruit Category team at Food Lion. His experiences allowed him to work at the store level, multi-store merchandising and eventually as the Category Manager of Fruit. After 16 years on the retail side, he moved into the supply side as the Sales Manager for Sbrocco International, a premium fruit importer.

Maclaren is passionate about serving his customers with the best produce, building loyalty and driving solutions for a highly competitive and dynamic marketplace. He works out of the Charlotte, NC office with his sales team.

Maclaren and his wife, Erica, are raising their four children together in Charlotte. His family is a group of avid readers, Duke Basketball fans, Carolina Panthers junkies and anything NASCAR related.

David Sherrod is the President and CEO of the Southeast Produce Council. He was member #17 when the council was established in 1999. His passion for the produce industry began at age 16 when he started working for Piggly Wiggly Southern. Starting out as a produce clerk, he later became a produce buyer at the chain’s headquarters in Vidalia, Georgia.

After the acquisition of Piggly Wiggly Southern by Bruno’s Inc., he and his wife Sarah transferred to Birmingham, Alabama where he continued his career as Produce Category Manager. In 1995, he accepted the position of Merchandising Manager with Del Monte Fresh Produce. In 1997, David broadened his produce career by accepting the position of Regional Sales Manager with River Ranch Fresh Foods. In 1999, he began a 15-year long stint with Apio, Inc. as the Southeast Regional Business Manager. David took the helm of the SEPC in July 2014.

David has been married to his wife Sarah since 1992. They have two sons, Henry and Hudson, and a daughter, Hannah. He considers his family to be his pride and joy. There’s never a dull moment in the Sherrod household!

Craig Fields is Vice President of Business Development-Emerging Channels for RPE — a grower, marketer, and shipper of year-round potatoes and onions. He is a military veteran who began his career with five years of service in the United States Marine Corps. During 15+ years in the produce industry, Craig has worked for RPE in a variety of roles to fulfill diverse organizational and customer needs.

After starting his RPE career as an account manager, Craig’s functional areas of responsibility evolved to include everything from Director of Account Management, program development, and customer engagement to grower relations and bid/pricing strategy. Craig has extensive vendor-managed inventory (VMI) experience and a broad perspective gained by working on large and small national and regional retail accounts.

Kim Flores is the VP of Business Development for Pro Citrus Network and their cold storage/logistics company Foremost Fresh Direct. Kim’s career in the fresh produce industry spans over 25 years where she has served on various industry councils and committees such as the United Fresh Produce Association, the Produce Marketing Association, and the Southeast Produce Council. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Management.

Kim has a deep passion for agriculture and is committed to the produce industry’s mission of increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables in the US. Kim resides in Vero Beach, FL with her husband of 33 years, an active-duty US Air Force/Space Force veteran. They have raised two children and have two grandchildren. Outside of work, Kim is actively involved in church, serves as a Sunday School teacher, and enjoys time with family, traveling, time at the beach, scuba diving, and being outdoors.

Jose M. Roggiero has over two decades of working experience in the fresh produce industry. His interest in the perishables business started while attending the Pennsylvania State University and earning a B.S. degree in Agricultural Business and Economics. During his career, he has worked in several positions in the areas of quality assurance, customer service, product management and sales.

However, it was his entrepreneurial spirit and desire for innovation that got him to start up Freshway Produce. Our reliability and personalized customer service is our biggest strength, and we strongly believe in long and profitable business relations.

Freshway Produce is a packer-importer-distributor of fresh exotic fruits from 4 different countries from the US, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean.

After graduating from the University of Florida with degrees in business management as well as agriculture, Don started his career in south Florida working for various tropical fruit grower/packer/shippers. After a few years he had the opportunity to join Del Monte Fresh Produce as a melon sales manager overseeing Southeast-based accounts. He served in this capacity for 5 years, until the opportunity arose for him to join Walmart and learn the other side of the produce business. Over the past 9 years, he has served in various produce sourcing roles and is currently the Sr. Buying Manager for the tomato category.

Don and his wife Lindsay have been married 16 years and have 3 children—Wesley, Tyler, and Ella. They currently reside in Bentonville, AR.

Hilary Long is an executive with 20+ years of experience in Sales, Marketing and Product Development. Hilary is the VP of Sales & Marketing at Frey Farms, where she oversees key segments of their Produce and Beverage divisions. Prior to Frey, Hilary worked in corporate sales with JPMorgan Chase. In 2009, she started a marketing agency to focus on the food and beverage industry. Hilary has proven skills in acquiring and growing customer relationships to drive sales. Hilary has created strategic relationships with companies in various industries such as; Walmart, Publix, Subway, the NCAA, NFL, Groupon, Performance Food Group, Chipotle and Panera. At Frey, Hilary works closely with retail and foodservice customers to develop strategic marketing campaigns. Hilary has a true passion and commitment to the produce industry, an industry that’s critical for putting healthy food on the table. She loves that her career is creating opportunities for future generations.

Mike has been with Schnucks for the past 7 years, prior Mike worked for 28 years for K-VA-T Food Stores as Director of Produce/Floral position for 14 years. Mike began his produce career as a produce clerk to a produce manager and district produce supervisor over a group of stores. Mike has served on the United Fresh Retail Advisory Board, the SEPC Board of Directors.

Mike and his wife, Susan, have two daughters, Kayla and Kasey. Mike has served in many different capacities for local charitable organizations boards in his communities and enjoys fishing and the outdoors.

“As many of us in the produce industry, I have a passion for people and driving produce sales. One of my mentors once said ‘we are in the people business; we just happen to sell produce along the way’ because when you energize, motivate, strengthen and empower people you will see tremendous results!”

Ross Williams currently serves as the COO of Titan Farms, grower, packer and processor of peaches and vegetables. The operation consists of over 6,000 acres of peaches, 1000 acres of vegetables, with over 900 employees annually.

Ross has served in various roles within Titan, through hard work and dedication he has risen to lead the operational divisions of the company. Ross has served on various trade committees such as American Farm Bureau Industry Advisory Councils and International Fresh Produce Association’s Grower Shipper Council as well as was named the Southeast Produce Council’s 2018 Next Generation Award Winner.

Ross believes that educating and developing the next generation of produce professionals is critical to the growth, improvement and success of the industry. Using this mindset, Ross has helped to grow Titan and further solidify its commitment to be a benchmark of the industry.

Ross earned a Bachelor of Science from Clemson University.

John is a strong-faithed married father of 2, a dedicated professional with a passion for the supermarket and produce industry. He has +30 years of experience in leadership roles throughout store operations, merchandising and category management. John holds a B. S. in Management from Radford University and has an insatiable appetite for learning. An avid fisherman and classic car enthusiast, John has a well-balanced approach to life and work and brings energy, passion and excellence to everything he does.

Rob Bonghi is the Director of Grower Development for Fresh Alliance. He loves what he does and the people he has connected with throughout his 38 years in the industry! Rob started his career in retail at 15, he was a Courtesy Clerk for Ralph’s in Southern California, advanced through the ranks and fell in love with the produce department. Rob then moved to Las Vegas, attended college at UNLV, and worked for Albertsons Inc. During his tenure he held various positions: QC Inspector, Floral Buyer, and Commodity Buyer. After leaving retail, Rob worked in sales/merchandising spaces, ran a repack operation, tomato grower, and now food service management. This is Rob’s second year as co-chair of the STEP-UPP Foodservice program where he enjoys giving back the industry that has done so much for him. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with my family in Southern California.

Karin joined Harris Teeter in 1998 as a Category Manager and served until promoted to Director of Specialty Foods, Local and Natural & Organics in 2012. Karin was promoted to lead the HBC & General Merchandise Team in 2020, and in July 2021 to Senior Director of Produce.

Karin earned her Associates Degree from The Culinary Institute of America, and her B.S. from Cornell’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration at the SC Johnson College of Business. Karin received a 2020 Top Women in Grocery, Executive Level Award, from Progressive Grocer.

Karin currently sits on the Harris Teeter WEG, Women’s Empowerment Group Committee, The IFPA (International Fresh Produce Association) Retail Council, and is the President of her local Homeowner’s Association Board.

“I enjoy food, beverages, people, all outdoor pursuits, and am very proud of my Harris Teeter family and what we have accomplished together.”

Erin has been with Shuman Farms for more than ten years. In her role, she has earned the trust of her customers through effective and transparent communication and is considered a vital member of the Shuman Farms team. She plays an active role in the success of Shuman Farms’ sales department. She began in 2014 as a sales assistant and was promoted to sales manager in 2018. Over time, she has also become the company’s go-to for anything that falls outside of the normal, day-to-day tasks, from local fundraisers to event planning. Erin graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in marketing. She is also a devoted member of the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Roots, where she is co-chair, and Paul Anderson Youth Home committees.

My passion for the produce industry is rooted in my upbringing on a family farm, where I developed a deep appreciation for agriculture and the people behind it. That foundation led me to a career in produce, where I’ve had the opportunity to grow through a variety of leadership roles across the retail space. Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to work with mentors and peers who share my commitment to driving the industry forward. These experiences have instilled in me a strong sense of responsibility to give back—by championing innovation, supporting future leaders, and helping make fresh, healthy food more accessible. In my current role, I’m focused on creating meaningful change within the retail channel while staying true to the values that brought me into this industry. I would be honored to serve on the Southeast Produce Council Board and contribute to its mission of advancing our industry.

Blair Greenhill is the Vice President of Purchasing at Nickey Gregory Company overseeing sourcing of all categories of produce. His strategy and hard work has contributed to the company’s growth and success. Blair worked at Robinson Fresh as the veg and value-added category manager for the Southeast Division and then ran the Atlanta Produce office before transitioning to NGC.

Blair attended Clemson University graduating with a BS in Economics. Blair has been married for 18 years to the love of his life Brenda whom he has 3 children with – Lauren 17, Will 14, Elisabeth 10. Greenhill is a man of faith attending church weekly with his family. Blair enjoys coaching baseball, playing pickleball and golf, and watching Clemson athletics, the Braves and Blue Jays, and the Falcons.

Matt Hubbard is the Director of Sales for Local Bounti. With over 14 years of experience in the fresh produce industry, he has built a career grounded in innovation, strategic growth, and a passion for produce. His career started in 2011 with Wonderful Brands as an in-store merchandiser in Southern California. In 2015, he joined Frieda’s Produce, building innovative specialty programs in retail, foodservice and the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Programs (FFVP). Matt joined Local Bounti in May 2023, leading the foodservice and business development channels for their six US indoor farms.

Matt graduated from the SEPC Next Generation Leadership Academy (Class 2), followed by serving on the Step UPP foodservice committee. In June 2025, he was recognized by Produce Business as one of the 40underForty recipients. He resides in Boise, ID with his wife, Kelly, and two daughters- Sadie & Logan.

Melissa Thrasher is the Procurement Team Leader for the Whole Foods Distribution Center in Florida. In her role she leads a team of quality control team members and buyers who source perishable commodities for the stores in Florida. Before becoming Procurement Team Leader in 2020, Melissa was a produce buyer.

Melissa’s produce career began in 2011 as a Sales Representative at FreshPoint South Florida. During her time there she held multiple roles including Value Added- FreshCuts Sales Specialist and Organic Program Manager.

Melissa graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and a minor in Sales and Marketing in Agribusiness. She is passionate about supporting the local agricultural community and introducing customers to exotic culinary experiences.