Jim Prevor: My Thousandth Man
This tribute appeared in Produce Business magazine earlier this year, just two months after the passing of co-founder Jim Prevor. On the wall in my home is a Rudyard Kipling poem that Jim had mounted and framed. He gave it to me about the same year he and Debbie were married. I did not realize […]
Jim Prevor: A Profile in Courage
In 2022, Primus Group Inc. and I lost a great friend, James Prevor [Jim]. The phrase “speak truth to power” is attributed to the Quakers. It implies a level of bravery that requires “risking either the status quo, one’s reputation or livelihood, or the wrath of the person one is confronting.” Jim regularly “spoke truth […]
Remembering the Pundit and a favorite tune this festive season
Jim Prevor, the longtime Editor-in-Chief, co-founder and chief executive at Produce Business magazine, passed away a few weeks ago. He has left an indelible mark on the industry he grew up in, as the great-grandson of a produce wholesaler and the son of a produce leader and marketer who carried on the legacy of the […]
What if Instacart Becomes a Retailer?
Originally printed in the September 2021 issue of Produce Business. My eldest son, William, is a student at Cornell University. He attends The Hotel School, which is a part of the SC Johnson College of Business. This year, he moved off campus into his own apartment. One of the reasons he looked forward to this is […]
THE COST OF LOST REPUTATION: The Price Of Our Loss In Afghanistan Reminds The Industry That Reputation Is A Great Store Of Value
We are not a political site here at the Pundit. Yet we think the collapse of Afghanistan is filled with lessons and warnings for people in business. Many years ago, my family business was heavily involved in the export of produce. An important employee had left the company and immediately set out to switch our […]
A Landmark Decision: Grower Property Rights Issue Hits U.S. Supreme Court, a Victory Almost 50 Years In Making
This column first appeared on PerishablePundit.com The Pundit grew up, of course, in a produce family. When we were around 10 years old, we remember someone in school was passing around a petition asking people to support César Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union. We can still hear her explaining that farmers were abusive toward the farm […]
Much More Data Needed in Studying Food Pantries
There is little question that giving away anything for free tends to increase use or consumption of that item. If we give away healthy produce, but people still have to pay for unhealthy items, people’s diets will likely show some shift to healthier items. Despite its claims, the report below provides no evidence that 300 […]
What happens next? We must position ourselves to seize success in the post-pandemic moment.
Supermarkets have done well in the course of the pandemic. Produce, though, has not done as well as the rest of the store. Partly this is because the perishable nature of produce was not amenable to buying for long term storage during a time when consumers were uncertain about the future. Despite what happened… very […]
