New General Manager Appointed

With the rapid growth of F&S Produce and the prospect of managing our growing company in the future, we have established the new executive position of General Manager. The new position includes but is not limited to the following areas:

• Production Operations
• Maintenance
• Technical Services
• Warehousing Operation
• Employee development

These activities will determine largely where we are going in the next several months and years and what we must do to achieve our objectives. We are pleased to announce the appointment of Ryan J. Sparrow to the position of General Manager.

Ryan Sparrow has more than 20 years of leadership experience building and guiding top-tier companies. An accomplished operations management executive, his vision and expertise in the fresh cut produce sector has driven notable enterprise growth for companies such as Chiquita Brands International, Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc., and Handi-Pak Foods, Inc. Ryan has also traveled worldwide to research packaging, growing, and processing operations.

Offering a rare blend of creative, operational, and technical skills, Ryan has achieved exciting company and product turnarounds and is recognized for his success in growing sales and profits. While at Del Monte Fresh Produce Ryan was a key founding member of the national management team that created a sustainable, profitable business model while at the same time developing and building seven new facilities.

His strategic approach to building a business is reflected in his work as Director of Production, Quality Assurance, and Technology at Chiquita Brands International, where he initiated, designed, and executed the #1 retail selling item of fresh cut fruit in the United States. He was also a key senior team member that started the fresh cut division, which was voted the 2005 Category Captain of Fresh Cut Fruit by Progressive Grocer.

Ryan Sparrow’s exceptional track record of business development and business improvement is based on his philosophy of total enterprise engagement in change. He is known for his ability to quickly identify and diagnose sales and growth impediments, working with companies to refine their organizational structure, product lines, sourcing, sales channels, and market position. While at Handi-Pak Foods he developed, in conjunction with the USDA, the Qualified Through Verification Program and became the first company to be validated and verified in the USDA Qualified Through Verification voluntary food safety inspection program.

Ryan received his MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois and a BS in Food Science from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. His education combined with his skill and expertise as an entrepreneurial businessman, operations management executive, research and development executive, and food scientist are already having an impact here at F&S Produce Co., Inc.