Bruce McEvoy to receive lifetime achievement award from United Fresh

WASHINGTON D.C. – The United Fresh Produce Association will present its Lifetime Achievement Award to Bruce McEvoy at the 2017 Produce Legends Dinner, Jan. 10 at the Royal Sonesta New Orleans in New Orleans, La. All proceeds from the dinner support the United Fresh Start Foundation and its mission to increase children’s access to fresh produce.

“Bruce’s career has been pivotal in advancing the produce industry on a global scale,” said Tony Freytag, Crunch Pak Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing and Chairman of the United Fresh Board of Directors. “From his early work at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in international trade to his career spanning some of the most iconic companies in the produce industry, Bruce has been instrumental in driving growth for our industry.”

The annual Produce Legends Dinner honors individuals for their lifetime achievement in the produce industry while supporting the critical mission of the United Fresh Start Foundation. McEvoy joins a distinguished group of past honorees including Rick and Tonya Antle, Mike Cavallero, Joe Procacci, Frieda Rapoport Caplan, Reggie Griffin and Bob Grimm.

McEvoy career in produce spans the globe according to the press release, originating with the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service in Europe and Thailand, eventually assigned to the U.S. Embassy in London where he focused on export expansion.

He went on to join Sunkist where he led its European subsidiary and established license programs for juices and soft drinks in the Middle East and a beverage plant in Sicily, Italy. The company had an active barter trade program with the East Bloc countries that helped to support a summer charter service. Bruce also managed the California Citrus Quality Council in Europe, a constant challenge to maintain market access.

In 1984, McEvoy was transferred to Sunkist’s headquarters in Southern California where he managed sales and marketing for the Products Division and the global use of the Sunkist trademark.

In 1989, he moved to DuPont’s Biotech division to help commercialize innovative products from two new companies – Fresh World Farms and Intermountain Canola – both of which he served as president.

In 1994, McEvoy joined Seald Sweet International as the company president, where he successfully helped transform the regional Florida citrus cooperative into a global produce company. He retired as company president in 2004, but still serves Seald Sweet and its parent company Greenyard as a government relations consultant.

McEvoy and his wife Ann have been married for 44 years and have two sons. In addition to dedicating his time to the produce industry, Bruce serves as the board chair of his local Alzheimer/Parkinson’s Association chapter, a disease he was diagnosed with in 2008. He has since become a hampion, advocating on Capitol Hill for legislation to increase research funding.

The 2017 Produce Legends Dinner will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Tickets to the dinner can be purchased online at www.unitedfreshstart.org. In addition, donations to the Foundation in McEvoy’s honor are tax-deductible and can be made online. For questions about the dinner, contact Angela Tiwari at atiwari@unitedfresh.org or 202-303-3416. For information about the United Fresh Start Foundation and honoring McEvoy through contributions or dinner sponsorships, contact Steven Titlebaum, CFRE at 202-303-3420.