Pack Family/PMA Career Pathways Host Students at Fresh Summit
Newark, Del. – Through the Pack Family/PMA Career Pathways program, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) will sponsor 24 collegiate food, agriculture, and marketing students along with their faculty advisors from six leading schools at the 2006 Fresh Summit International Convention and Exposition October 20-24 in San Diego, California, USA.
"Attending Fresh Summit gives promising college students the opportunity to learn about and experience the produce and floral industries," said PMA Education Foundation Director, Cindy Seel. "The students are getting valuable exposure to many successful and respected industry professionals. We encourage them to maintain these relationships after the show in hopes that they will choose a career in the industry."
The program, formed three years ago by PMA and funded by Jay Pack chief executive officer of The Pack Group, Dallas, TX, is a part of the recently established PMA Education Foundation. The program provides students with the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the produce industry and its numerous career options. Students will participate in workshops and general sessions, tour the Exposition, and meet industry leaders through a targeted networking process. Members of the PMA Board of Directors and volunteer industry leaders serve as industry advisors to the students while at Fresh Summit.
Jay Pack, former PMA board member, said, "We encourage the industry advisors to discuss the wide variety of career opportunities with the students. This is a great opportunity for the industry advisors to mentor our industry's future leaders."
"In the three years this program has been offered, we've seen incredible growth in the level of support and positive feedback from the colleges and the industry. We fully expect to see the commitment to the industry's future grow even more with the establishment of the PMA Education Foundation," said PMA president Bryan Silbermann.
Participating institutions include California Polytechnic State University, Cornell University, Michigan State University, St. Joseph's University, Texas A&M University, and University of California at Davis.
Several of last year's student attendees have now graduated and have taken positions in sales and marketing, management, and purchasing at PMA member companies.
For more information about Fresh Summit, visit www.pma.com/freshsummit.
Founded in 1949, PMA is the leading trade association serving more than 2,100 companies representing all segments of the global produce and floral supply chains. Members rely on PMA year round for the business solutions they need to increase sales and consumption, build strong professional relationships, and expand their business opportunities.
Contact: Debra Mitchell, dmitchell@pma.com, +1 (302) 738-7100, ext. 3008
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