EXECUTIVE CHANGES 1996-11-18 (1)

Jim Richter Returns To Randalls as VP

ed to Randalls here, succeeding Norm Frewin, who retired in September from the position of vice president of produce.

Richter comes to Randalls from Marsh Supermarkets, Indianapolis, where he served as director of produce merchandising for the past six years.

In his new position, Richter reports directly to Terry Pointer, Randalls' senior vice president of merchandising and logistics. Richter is in charge of overseeing all produce operations for the company.

Prior to his stint at Marsh, Richter had been Randalls' head produce buyer and merchandiser from 1988 to 1990. Before that he was retail sales manager for Monterey Mushrooms and held a variety of positions for H.E. Butt Grocery Co., San Antonio.

Grimmway Gets New Sales VP

SALINAS, Calif. -- Greg Flood resigned as chief operating officer at Fresh Choice Produce here, and has accepted a position as vice president of sales for Grimmway Farms, Bakersfield, Calif.

Flood will be taking over an existing position, held currently by Verne Johnson. Verne Johnson will be serving the company as vice president of national accounts, a new position. Flood will oversee all sales operations at Grimmway, and will report to Woody Johnson, Grimmway's senior vice president of sales and marketing.

Flood joined Fresh Choice in 1991, and will join Grimmway Farms in December. He had been named chief operating officer at Fresh Choice this past March. Fresh Choice is now searching for someone to fill the position, a company official said.

Grimmway is the world's leading supplier of fresh and frozen carrots.

Strawberry Group Appoints Two

WATSONVILLE, Calif. -- The California Strawberry Commission here hired E.I. Thomas and Michelle Story as new merchandising managers.

Thomas has responsibilities in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Story concentrates on North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, and specifically the Louisville, Ky., and Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Ind., regions.

Both Thomas and Story are filling positions made vacant after two former employees left.

Prior to joining the commission, Thomas, a 1982 graduate of North Texas State University at Denton, worked as a sales representative for Schoenmann Produce, Houston.

Story, a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, is a former agriculture inspector with Tulare County in California.

Sales Post Filled by Sunkist

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. -- Sunkist Growers here named Brian Slagel district manager of its Cleveland sales office.

Slagel oversees sales in the Cleveland region for retail and food-service operations, and reports to Mark Tompkins, director of domestic marketing.

The position is not new but had been vacant for several months, said Andrea Boyle, spokeswoman for Sunkist.

After graduating from Penn State with a degree in agricultural economics, Slagel went to work for Sunkist as a sales representative. During the past five years, he had been with Dole Citrus.