Ippolito International Announces New Team Members; Heather Fuller and Bob Polovneff Comment

SALINAS, CA - Ippolito International announces the growth of its Sales team with the addition of three new members.

Tina Gularte joined in May and brings strong produce experience to her new role as Sales and Commodity Manager. Tina’s background includes twenty-five years in the industry, with positions at Church Brothers Farms, Muzzi Family Farms, Pro*Act, Produce Alliance, and Coastline Family Farms. In each of these organizations, Tina’s role spanned agricultural sales and commodity management. She also managed daily harvest operations and supply chains in value-added categories such as tender leaf. In her role at Ippolito, Tina will focus on the daily operations of celery production, along with customer account management.

Cassie Piearcy has joined the Ippolito International team as Sales and Commodity Manager. Cassie’s background includes experience in fresh produce, most recently within the Sales department at Braga Fresh, where she focused on management of national accounts as well as building the value-added business. She also managed customer relationships across both the foodservice and retail categories. Before working at Braga Fresh, she worked at Classic Salads, Capespan North America, and Church Brothers.

A new Sales Coordinator has also been added to the Sales department: Isabel Pozas will take on the role of Sales Coordinator. Isabel, who is a California Polytechnic State University, SLO graduate with experience on the grower-shipper side, will work alongside the other Sales team members to help coordinate sales orders, assist in communication between operational teams, and facilitate solutions to customer requests.

“These three additions to our team will greatly enhance our overall team performance,” said Heather Fuller, Vice President of Business Development, in the recent release. “As we continue to grow, striking the balance between customer needs and supply management is paramount. Each of these produce pros brings a work ethic and commitment to keeping our customers and our operations team informed at the highest level. We are excited for them to build on the extraordinary customer service that Ippolito International is known for!”

“The talent that we’ve hired within the past couple of years has truly made a difference in our department, and with the addition of Tina, Cassie and Isabel, we couldn’t be happier,” said Bob Polovneff, Director of Sales. “Tina brings drive and ambition to our daily sales objectives, and her years in the industry align nicely with the rest of our team. Cassie has smoothly integrated into our customer and grower management, and has brought bench strength to help us keep the focus on quality and, as much as possible, reliable supply. Isabel’s numerous strengths are keenly supporting our daily activities here on the sales floor; her attention to detail and follow-through are a significant contribution to our sales team.”