LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA - The Allen Lund Company is pleased to announce the company awards presented at the Managers' Meeting. The gathering is an annual event that brings together the company's executive team and office General Managers to network, review the year, and discuss future plans.

This meeting, a new award, "The Drive", was introduced to acknowledge the offices and departments that are between brokerage sales and support. The AlchemyTMS Team was the first-ever recipient.

Jim McGuire, Executive Vice President, received the Allen Lund Legacy award, a personal designation that honors an individual employee who exemplifies the leadership qualities and character of the company founder, Allen Lund.

According to a press release, the ALX Team won the Play Like A Champion award, and ALC Richmond won the Gear Up award. These two company accolades recognize the top-performing sales office and support department for 2025.

The Drive Award - AlchemyTMS Team

"I could not be more proud of the AlchemyTMS Team that worked to envision, create, sell, and maintain this powerful product in the marketplace. It is all about the people involved, and the team is top shelf. We started from an idea and have grown to support our customers and ALC." - Kenny Lund, Executive Vice President

Allen Lund Legacy Award - Jim McGuire

"Long before Acts of Kindness was initiated, Jim was planning, cooking, and preparing Thanksgiving Day meals with coworkers to hand out to those in need, volunteering at Habitat for Humanity, and finding ways to teach his own children the values of giving back to the community."- Kathie Lund, Company Founder

Play Like A Champion Award - ALX Team

"In the last couple of years, our industry has faced so many challenges. The ALX team had to pivot so many times throughout the year because they faced changing priorities every week. They have done an incredible job quickly adapting to the ever-changing needs of the supply chain. I am truly proud of this team for its nimbleness, hard work, and positive attitude."- Chetan Tandon, Chief Information Officer

Gear Up Award - ALC Richmond

"The Richmond Office, led by Gerald Ebert, has earned the prestigious 2025 Gear Up Award! Gerald developed a robust strategy and a solid plan. With the support of his leadership team and a diverse staff of veteran and newer employees, he successfully guided the office to an outstanding 2025."- Lenny Sciarappa, VP - Sales & Operations

WATSONVILLE, CA - In celebration of B Corp Month, California Giant Berry Farms is proud to highlight its ongoing commitment to the global movement of businesses acting as a force for good. Having achieved its B Corp Certification late 2025, the company is spending the month of March reflecting on the rigorous operational standards and "Berries with Purpose" initiatives that define its mission.

While certifications like Fair Trade USA and USDA Organic validate how berries are grown, B Corp recognition focuses on how a business operates from the inside out. This March, California Giant is sharing the progress made toward high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Joe Barsi, President and CEO of California Giant, said in a release, “Our vision is to be the most sustainable fresh berry company in the world, and B Corp Month is the perfect time to recognize the milestones that keep us on that path. Being part of the B Corp community holds us publicly accountable to our stakeholders to ensure we are providing premium berries for generations to come.”

Since its founding in 1983, California Giant has remained a family-owned, purpose-driven organization. As detailed in its latest Sustainability Report, the company continues to advance several key pillars of its B Corp commitment:

• Supply Chain Integrity: Maintaining a 100% sign-off rate for the Supplier Code of Conduct among growers, ensuring shared values in human rights and safety.
• Climate Action & Renewables: Utilizing a solar array at the Santa Maria, CA cooler to offset up to 60% of the facility’s grid electricity use.
• Community Support: Donating over $290,000 to community causes and continuing its legacy as a lead donor for regional food banks.
• Biodiversity & IPM: Requiring 100% grower compliance with Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

B Corp Month serves as a focal point for California Giant’s “Berries with Purpose” ideology—a long-term roadmap dedicated to Nourishing Our Communities, Protecting the Planet, and Delivering Exceptional Berries.

“B Corp certification isn't just about a logo on a package; it's about the work our team does every day in operations, packaging, berry production, food safety, and with our grower-partners,” said Catherine Campbell, Director of Sustainability at California Giant Berry Farms. “We showcase our journey in our 2024-2025 Sustainability Report, and we are honored to celebrate this month alongside a global community dedicated to a more inclusive and regenerative economy.”

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - Chiquita is bringing even more color, movement, and heart to its Pop by Nature creative platform with the reveal of a second artwork in its 2026 collaboration with contemporary artist Jiaqi Wang. The first piece of artwork, launched last month, reintroduces Miss Chiquita as a proud and iconic presence in her natural tropical habitat, while this second chapter brings her to life in motion: smiling, dancing, cooking, and sharing the everyday moments that make bananas part of daily life around the world.

Now in its third year, Pop by Nature continues its multi-year creative journey, celebrating Chiquita and the banana not only as nourishment, but as a cultural symbol of creativity, joy, and color. With Wang’s expressive, vibrant style, the campaign evolves from portrait to personality, showing Miss Chiquita not just as an icon, but as a relatable character rooted in real life.

Miss Chiquita In Motion

In the second artwork, Wang interprets small, human moments through warm color palettes, playful composition, and emotional detail. Each scene reflects one of Miss Chiquita’s core values, like celebrating friendship, championing sustainable mobility, encouraging self-care and well-being, and promoting healthy eating. Whether she’s dancing in celebration, cooking with care, or sharing bananas as gestures of connection, Miss Chiquita brings to life the everyday rituals unfolding in kitchens, lunchboxes, backpacks, and desks around the world.

Continuing the Pop by Nature tradition, a release outlined, this second artwork also places the Chiquita banana at the heart of the composition, reinterpreted through Wang’s distinctive artistic lens. Following in the footsteps of collaborators such as Romero Britto and Sebastian Curi, the campaign once again transforms the brand’s most iconic symbol into a contemporary work of art. In this iteration, the banana is elevated beyond product to protagonist—bold, expressive, and unmistakably Chiquita—serving as both creative centerpiece and emblem of the brand’s heritage.

Creativity That Reflects Real Life

Bananas have long held a place in pop culture, inspiring artists across the world. With the Pop by Nature creative campaign, Chiquita proudly claims that cultural space, celebrating the banana as both a daily staple and an enduring creative symbol.

 

 

 

 

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With this piece of artwork, Pop by Nature continues to build a distinctive creative universe for Chiquita and its pop icons. At the center of this evolution is Miss Chiquita herself, transitioning from a traditional brand ambassador into a true contemporary icon. In this reimagined portrayal, she reflects the style, confidence, and individuality of a contemporary woman with a distinctive personality, fully immersed in modern life. Her signature fruit hat gives way to a chic foulard, signaling a refined yet playful reinvention that honors her heritage while embracing the present.

The second artwork launches globally across digital and social channels beginning March 16, with additional campaign moments unfolding throughout the spring. In the second half of March, Chiquita will launch a fun and creative collection of Instagram stickers featuring Miss Chiquita in a series of animated scenes from Jiaqi Wang’s artworks. Designed to add a touch of playfulness to everyday interactions, these digital stickers will be available for all users on Instagram, encouraging fans to share Miss Chiquita’s daily moments and bring her personality and values into their own social conversations — turning her charm and lively spirit into a new way of expression on the platform. Miss Chiquita House, inspired by the second artwork, will also debut at Milan Design Week, featuring exclusive activities such as the Banana Day social media giveaway where fans can win limited-edition items created in celebration of the artwork.