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ANGELA SERNA, 31 Marketing Manager National Mango Board HQ: Orlando, FL
Hometown: Orlando, FL
Hobbies: Reading, traveling, spending time with family and friends Personal/Community: Volunteer for local animal shelter, lifetime member of the Zeta Tau Alpha fraternity and Alpha Chi National College Honor Society
Motto in life: Per aspera ad astra (“through hardships to the stars.”)
Work history: Serna is a catalyst for change and innovation at the National Mango Board (NMB). She joined NMB in 2014 and during the past five years has led many communi- cations and marketing projects that have propelled several of the organization’s B2B and consumer marketing strategies. In her starting position as communications manager, she was responsible for public relations and industry communications, including trade media, newsletters and the Crop Report. She developed and executed the communications plan and outreach campaign for the 2015 continuance refer- endum that resulted in a 91 percent mango industry approval rating. She also managed and executed a complete redesign of the NMB’s industry newsletter campaigns and developed content that has generated click-through rates as high as 21 percent. In 2018, Serna transitioned to marketing manager and is now responsible for the NMB’s creative assets and manages the Foodservice Marketing Program portfolio. She has been responsible for the in-house creative development of all marketing materials and bringing the mango brand to life. She has coordinated and led all photo shoots and video efforts, as well as managed brand assets. She has developed the digital media program, so it reaches a broader audience, across multimedia plat- forms, with traditional and nontraditional marketing. Above all, she is delivering inno-
vative promotion programs to foodservice partners and broadening the use of fresh mango by increasing awareness and educa- tion with operators and distributors. She has an MBA with a concentration in marketing from Nova Southeastern University.
Q: What do you know now you wish you knew when you first started your career?
Innovation and creativity are unique skills and expertise that help the growth of any organization. Challenging the status quo and bringing new solutions to the table are tasks that inspire me and ignite my day-to-day. I wish I had honed these skills earlier in my career, as I have learned I am a strong innovator and can help an organiza- tion problem-solve.
Q: What can the industry do to promote more produce consumption? Embrace the new generations, not as the enemy, but as a new opportunity to do things differently and innovatively. Quality and flavor need to be at the forefront for every company if we want to see consump- tion increase. In today’s world there is so much more information at the consumers’ fingertips, so it is imperative to be trans- parent and integral with the products we promote. The use of technology is a must. We have to create new ways to disrupt through the misinformation, clutter and the constant bombardment of information.
Q: What do you think is the biggest misconception about the produce industry by the public at large?
I think consumers continue to be skeptical of big companies, especially younger audi- ences such as Millennials and Gen Z. It is hard for the public to understand how a business makes profit from the produce items they choose at the grocery store. Price fluctuations, border crossings and political climates accentuate these misconceptions.
Q: How has the industry changed during your tenure?
When I first joined the industry, it was easy to see that it was heavily male dominated. I have seen throughout the years the effort to add more women, as well as young employees to the workforce. I have since joined the efforts of PMA and Center for Growing Talent and volunteer in the advi- sory board for the Women’s Fresh Perspec- tives.
NICHOLAS SGHEIZA, 37 Vice President Of Harvest Operations Tanimura & Antle
HQ: Spreckels, CA
Hometown: Salinas, CA
Hobbies: Working on old cars and Jeeps, camping, hunting, spending time with family
Personal/Community: Married, twins Work history: Sgheiza began working at Tanimura & Antle while in high school and continued through college, ultimately working full time after graduating from Cal Poly. During that time, he has worked in
nearly every aspect of the operation from farm maintenance and field harvesting to cooling and shipping and many jobs in between. During college he worked in the shipping facility, driving a fork-lift, putting away cooled product as well as loading the trucks with finished product. In the compa- ny’s planting department, he learned how to properly plant fields and check bed prep. Upon graduating college, he started at Tanimura & Antle full-time, where he was managing the harvest of spinach and spring mix crews and eventually managing Romaine, mixed lettuces and celery depart- ments. He also has managed the company’s onion operations and was senior director of harvest operations. He was recently promoted to the position of vice president of harvest, where he continues to push the boundaries of innovation and efficiencies. His hands-on experience with the compa- ny’s various departments gives him unique insight into the company’s entire farming operation.
Q: How did you begin working in the produce industry?
My grandfather had a small farm in Gonzales, CA, so I guess it was in my blood, but what really attracted me was the equip- ment. My uncle owns a machine shop in Gonzales, where I first started working at a young age around all types of farm equip- ment.
Q: What aspect of the business chal- lenged you the most early on?
I am still to this day truly amazed at all the hard workers in this industry. Farm labor, from tractor driving to harvesting lettuce, truly takes skilled labor. Not anyone can just jump into a tractor and drive it or grab a lettuce knife and start cutting.
Q: What industry improvements would you like to see?
Immigration reform.
Q: What advice would you give someone new to the produce industry? Be patient. Good things will come with hard work. Don’t worry if you’re not quite
sure what you want to do in the industry right off the bat. You will eventually find your sweet spot.
Q: What do you see as the most
critical “hot button” issue facing the industry in the next decade?
Labor and water. Without immigration reform and with minimum wage going to $15 in California, it is going to get real interesting, real fast. Water is king. Without water, you can’t grow your crops.
Q: What would you like consumers to know about the industry?
We have a lot of tours that come through Tanimura & Antle, so I try to explain what we do to everyone who comes and visits. I would like consumers to understand all the hard work that goes into getting fresh vege- tables to their homes each and every week. We harvest six days a week, 52 weeks a year.
‘Without immigration reform and with minimum wage going to $15 in California, it is going to get real interesting, real fast.’
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