Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/247165
30 Wednesday, May 15, 2013 ESI Group (Cont'd. from p. 1) eries, vegetable and meat, as well as dairy and cheese facilities for more than 20 years. Our work includes everything from feasibility studies, modest remodels to brand new Greenfield projects. We work for food wholesalers, food processors, retailers and cold storage companies. PSD: What would you say makes your company unique? SK: ESI's specialty in the food business has enabled us to develop and retain a highly skilled architectural, engineering and construction staff. Our emphasis on quality design, quality execution, honesty and integrity puts us in a unique position of getting nearly 80 percent of our work from existing clients. In addition, we have decided to concentrate all of our efforts toward the food industry alone and to continue to develop and Stellar Distributing (Cont'd. from p. 1) because a new season is upon us and we really want everyone to get geared up and excited about this season. We supply customers all over the country so it is always an exciting time of the year for us. PSD: What would you say makes your company unique? KC: The fact that we grow, pick, pack, store and ship along with being 100 percent integrated in all of these processes. We even make our own boxes and wood bins. PSD: Where is your current product emphasis? expand our expertise. Our own in-house design, project management, and full construction staff specialize only in food and related businesses, such as cold storage and material handling systems. ESI's in-house design staff includes architects, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, refrigeration, and industrial engineers who have continued to develop their expertise in food facilities. In addition, we have developed expertise in USDA, FDA, AIB, and LEED standards and regulations. PSD: What distinguishes your product(s) from the competition? SK: ESI has many competitors but only a few peers. Each competitor wants to build buildings, but very few have the full knowledge and expertise to build an efficient food processing or distribution facility. We have made a conscious effort to continue to build upon our past experiences within the food industry by contin- KC: Our current product emphasis is on our fig program. We have a full assortment of fig varieties and we really want to let current customers and prospective new customers know that we have a solid crop this year in terms of production. We invest a lot of time and energy into putting together a great fig program every year. When you combine that with the amount of fig boxes annually per year we have been able to produce, you get the potential for great customer satisfaction and that is what we are concerned with most at the end of the day. PSD: Are you introducing any new products? KC: The tiger fig is something that we have tinkered with the past two years HEINZEN'S NEW AB300, AB50-EU OPERATE TO HIGHEST STANDARDS Heinzen Manufacturing's new automatic AB300 and AB50-EU centrifuge drying technology is designed specifically for the North American regional processor as well as the world market. This new dryer is based on HMI's industry standard batch dryer the benchmark in the fresh cut industry. The design concept, driven by Heinzen's customers input, provides an automated version of its existing dryers while retaining flexibility and scalability. Designed to operate as a linear array, the system can be expanded from a single drum to a multi drum system. This feature greatly reduces the floor space required for expansion and supports a pre-engineered upgrade path when additional volume is required. The AB300 is designed to the highest sanitary standards and operates as a single centrifuge fully supported from one end. The drum is designed to rotate to gently discharge product once the spin cycle is complete. This new design features an end mounted centrifuge drum connected to an electric drive system. The centrifuge is available in two sizes, the large size drum is ideal for Iceberg, Romaine and cabbage, and the smaller drum is ideal for more delicate products such as spinach and spring mix products. HMI specializes in complete systems integration and continue to innovate and update its product lines to meet the every changing needs of the industry. Heinzen's vibratory product line continues to expand and develop, and has proven to be full of world class machines. Heinzen's 3-tier optical feed shaker features a 17/16-inch (27mm) stroke in widths up to 68 inches (1700mm) wide. The company offers a complete line of vibratory dewatering conveyors with fully integrated filtration and process water tanks. Heinzen engineered process solutions have a proven design for all your process requirements with a full line of scale feed and distribution vibratory conveyors. For more information, call 800-6554675, visit www.heinzen.com or stop by booth 904. Produce Show Daily uing to train our staff in the food industry. ESI also believes that quality design and thoughtful construction execution gives the best value to our clients. Our core values are honesty; integrity and giving the client true value in our work. PSD: Who are your target end-users? SK: Our target clients range from small to large companies that are both privately and publically held. We are the best fit for companies looking for growth in their business as well as a way to improve their operations through capital improvements. Our experience in the industry can help smaller companies compete with the big guys by providing them with our specialized knowledge of the industry, sharing techniques to reduce operating costs and introducing technologies that give them a boost over their competition. Our biggest asset for all sized clients is our longevity. There really isn't anything we haven't seen. but never had real production on. This year will be the first year we have solid production and will be able to supply customers regularly. It is an exciting new fig with beautiful green and yellow stripes on the outside and a bright raspberry red flesh on the inside that just begs to be eaten. We think consumers are going to be crazy for this fig. PSD: What distinguishes your company from others? KC: The difference between our company and others that handle our same products is that we are integrated in the entire process from the ground up literally. We can pick to pack with figs, kiwi, pomegranates, persimmons or apricots and we feel this allows us to Bank of the West (Cont'd. from p. 1) coming years. Alliances at all levels of food production and distribution, contractual marketing arrangements, joint ventures and complex ownership structures are increasingly common and are driving a more sophisticated and coordinated supply chain. This means that lenders will have to consider the terms, conditions, and risks of these arrangements both to the business and to the bank. Sorting out how costs and returns are accounted for will also present a challenge and require better quality financial reporting. Furthermore, these arrangements will raise questions concerning ownership interests, liability, and the methods of legal recourse supporting them. Multiple entities with multiple owners and the various interlocking ownership and contractual arrangements will also increase the lender's risk for knowing and trusting your customer. "Even in family owned business, complexities can arise. The four D's―death, disability, divorce, and departure―may give rise to a wave of buy-sell agreements to address business continuity and viability in the face PSD: To what do you attribute your company's success? SK: Our success comes because our clients are and continue to be successful. We endeavor to help them be successful by applying our special skill sets to their projects. In the end, our past clients provide recommendations to our future clients verbally, in writing and by example. We treat our clients like we want to be treated with honesty and integrity. We still believe in honoring a handshake and do what we promise. Contact Steve directly at smking@esigroupusa.com or by calling 360-6043534. Both Steve King and Tim Nguyen will be available to answer any questions at the United Fresh show at booth 1311. Find more about ESI at www.esigroupusa.com. be the most accommodating company and consequently one of the easiest companies to work with. PSD: To what do you attribute your company's success? KC: Stellar Distributing is made up of a bunch of employees that are all working towards the same goal. We want to supply customers with the best quality and best priced produce. Everyone in our company works toward that goal and we enjoy the challenge of making that happen every day. For more information, visit booth 702 at United Fresh, go online to www.stellardistributing.com, call 559-664-8400 or email sales@stellardistributing.com. of adversity. All of these changes in agribusiness emphasize the importance of commitment to the arrangement as well as the capability and compatibility of the management styles and business philosophies of all the parties involved. It is the lender's responsibility to effectively bridge the gap between what the farmer is attempting to accomplish and the inherent risk that banks will (and in some cases are only allowed) to take. To that end, the banking industry is tasked with ensuring that its lenders have the expertise to effectively manage these risks and communicate them to the borrower. Your bank must continually upgrade its staff through training and education, so that the borrower or the lending institution is able to effectively manage through these transitions and risks. In a dynamic industry such as food and agribusiness, this will be the challenge of the future. For more information, visit booth 940 at United Fresh or go online to www.bankofthewest.com.