YAKIMA, WA - As trade news writers, we follow the thread of leadership closely. The fresh produce industry is full of passionate experts weaving an intricate tapestry of brand identity and supply chain relationships. Dan Harrington is one such leader, and we followed his thread with Superfresh Growers® that has been nearly three decades in the making. Now, the Account Manager and sales leader has announced his plans to retire at the end of the year.
“I am very proud of what we were able to build here over the past 28 years,” Harrington shares. “I also know that with the young, smart, energetic, and dynamic team we have in place right now, that trajectory will continue. It has been a tremendous ride. I have wonderful memories of all the people I have met along the way. Thank you, Kershaw Family, for allowing me to come aboard all those years ago and allowing my three boys to continue the adventure. I will be forever grateful.”
Harrington was one of the first employees at Domex Marketing, joining family owners Ed Kershaw and his nephew Robert Kershaw in 1994, a press release outlined.
“Dan has set the bar on how to be a salesman,” Ed Kershaw, Superfresh Growers’ former Chief Executive Officer, commented at Harrington’s 20-year anniversary celebration over eight years ago.
As the longest-tenured salesperson ever hired by the Kershaw family, Harrington set a standard for the Superfresh sales team that continues to be unmatched.
Robert Kershaw, current Chief Executive Officer, often says, “It is the people like Dan who took a chance on the company back when it was nothing but a dream and has turned it into the industry powerhouse it is today.”
Over three decades, Harrington has built a rapport with retail customers, especially in Canada.
“When I joined the sales team, Robert gave me a Produce Blue Book and I started calling. I combed through that thing every day looking for people to call. It was our bible,” Harrington shares.
Director of Business Development Paul Newstead also commented on this industry expert’s retirement.
“Dan is an institution. He is seen as much of a fixture at Superfresh Growers as Robert [Kershaw]. His quality of character and purity of purpose have defined the sales ethos of this company,” says Newstead. “Every single employee on our sales team, past and present, has in some way, shape, or form, been guided by Dan.”
For more comments and insights on Harrington’s career, read the press release here.
Congratulations on an impressive tenure!
