Jan DeLyser is quick to credit those women who came before her and blazed the trail that she then followed to an elevated 47-year career in the fresh produce industry. She retired from the California Avocado Commission on Feb. 15 after 25 years with CAC. DeLyser has had a stellar professional career and has been a very visible member of the industry as a volunteer leader in numerous organizations.
Produce industry icon Jan Delyser to retire freshfruitportal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from freshfruitportal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Produce industry maven Jan DeLyser announced her plan to retire from the California Avocado Commission after 24 years of service to the organization. The tentative timing for her retirement is mid-February 2023.
Jan DeLyser, a longtime produce industry leader and trailblazer, has announced her plan to retire from the California Avocado Commission in early 2023 after 24 years of service. The commission is searching for a replacement, with DeLyser’s expected retirement date to be mid-February 2023.
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June 2, 2021
Harland Heath, who had a long produce career on both the buy and sell sides of the industry and co-founded Heath & Lejeune 40 years ago, died in late May after a battle with cancer. He was involved in the Fresh Produce & Floral Council since its inception and was a regular attendee at the council’s events for the past 55 years.
Mr. Heath was a California native from a large family who got his start in retailing as a pre-teen working for a local Southern California grocer. After high school, he worked for several more retailers and then, while only in his 20s, he and a handful of other ambitious entrepreneurs opened the first Pantry Market in Pasadena in 1955, with Mr. Heath as its director of produce operations. The chain grew to a dozen stores or so before being bought by a larger retailer.