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Produce Show Daily 2 5 Saturday, October 15, 2016 NORTH SHORE'S SHINING STAR Lupe Rodriguez arrived in the United States 23 years ago, with a hopeful heart and dreams to pursue. Today, many of those dreams are a reality. She has been a part of the North Shore team for more than 18 years. Lupe was the first woman to work outside in the greenhouses. Her consisten- cy, dedication and excellence allowed her to move up in the company, becoming a supervisor. Now, she is in charge of quality control for all product lines. "All you need to do is demonstrate that you care by going above and beyond. North Shore Greenhouses gives those who prove effort and interest opportuni- ties to grow," said Rodriguez, as advice to her colleagues. Lupe says she likes the company, but what she loves the most is how the own- ers Leo and Suzette Overgaag treat all employees equally and with respect. "The company's family values carry to all employees. I enjoy the fact that I can spend most weekends with my family and you don't see that very often in agri- culture," said Rodriguez. What makes her a true superstar are her ongoing efforts to better herself in all aspects of her life. Her most recent accom- plishment was obtaining her GED. "I have always wanted to be better, do better! I found the strength and the willpower to go back to school to show my children that anything is possible," said Rodriguez. It was challenging at times to juggle multiple roles. "I had to learn how to balance my schedules and prior- ities around everything that I had on my plate." She mentioned how her husband always had encourag- ing words and pushed her to do better. Her oldest daughter, Lizeth, also helped her by taking care of their home and two younger siblings when she needed to focus on homework. Rodriguez was able to find a balance within herself and pushed aside any diffi- culties that came her way as she obtained her GED. "It feels amazing! I am so proud of myself and my accomplishment. I am happy! I did not only demonstrate to my family, but also to myself that every- thing is possible." Recently, she initiated an adult ESL course on intensive English. Lupe Rodriguez is a great example to her coworkers, and she encourages them to pursue their goals both in and outside of the company. North Shore has a tuition reimbursement program for employees, as well as a college scholarship program for children and grandchildren of employees. "I am sincerely thankful for all the opportunities that North Shore has given to me. I never thought something like this would happen to me! Now, I know my effort, dedication and love for what I do are finally paying off." – the words of North Shore's Super Star! For more information, visit booth #2000 or go to www.northshorelivingherbs.com. IEOOC/USA ONIONS BROKER INCENTIVE PROGRAM IN FULL SWING With the 2016-17 Idaho-Eastern Oregon onion season going strong, brokers are busy racking up sales as well as points as part of this year's USA Onions Broker Incentive Program. For several years, USA Onions has offered incentive prizes based on broker sales, offering gift cards and in more recent years, Weber grill products. In 2015, the Committee suspended the pro- gram, but it has been reintroduced for the 2016-2017 season due to high broker demand. This year the promotions com- mittee is appealing to the techie side of participants. Based on points accumulated through loads purchased from Idaho- Eastern Oregon Onion Committee ship- per members between Sept. 1, 2016, and Feb. 1, 2017, brokers are competing for more than a dozen prizes, including a DJI Phantom 4 drone bundle complete with craft, controller, case, extra battery and other accessories. Other prizes in the program include the same drone model, controller and bat- tery without case and extras, a 128GB iPad Pro with wifi, a GoPro Hero, 32GB iPod Touch, Beats Solo2 head- phones, Panasonic Lumix camera, the Xbox One Console with 1TB hard drive and more. Contest rules are simple: brokers must keep track of purchases made during the incentive period, and prizes are awarded according to points for the number of loads from IEOOC shippers. Each load is equal to eight points, with a maximum of 2,504 points accruing. However, a random drawing for 2,000 additional points will take place at the end of the pro- gram. Each participat- ing broker's name will automatically be entered in the drawing, and all extra points accrued after the maxi- mum of 2,504 will be allowed as entries in the random drawing. In past years, the Committee has been successful with similar programs and they anticipate with these high-tech prizes, the program will be a huge hit. For more information, visit booth #835 or go to www.usaonions.com and the Brokers tab. STEMPRO CUTTERS CUT LABOR COSTS IN FLORAL By Paul Harris, Director, StemPro Experience has shown that retail floral staff can process flowers at store level in half the time using StemPro cutters com- pared to manual cutting methods, cutting labor costs substantially. The labor sav- ings alone result in a 10 to 12 month ROI on the purchase of StemPro cutters. In order for floral product at your retail locations to have maximum life, it must be recut after receiving before being placed into the merchandising fixture. According to best practice standards, all product should be recut when it arrives, regardless of wet pack or dry pack. Therefore, there is no additional labor cost to receive solely in dry-pack and process at store level. In fact, labor is reduced because employees no longer have to deal with the collection, reduc- tion and disposal of wet pack shipping materials. Nor do they have to lift heavy buckets of water. One national retailer switched its entire floral operation from receiving at store level in wet pack to receiving in dry pack and cutting all floral product in store with StemPro cutters. It tested the concept in 40 stores, and on the basis of the realized savings, rolled StemPro cut- ters out in all 600- plus retail locations nationwide. It is now a standard fixture in all new stores and in all remodels. Visit us at booth #3990 and try the StemPro cutter for yourself to see how your floral operations can get on the cut- ting edge. For more information, visit booth #3990, email Paul Harris at ph@stempro.com or go to www.stempro.com. COLORADO'S PRODUCE AS DIVERSE AS ITS LANDSCAPE When most people hear "Colorado," they think of mountains – but this state, famous for skiing and snow-capped peaks, also features diverse areas for growing fruits and vegetables. Warm days, cool nights, high plains and broad, dry plateaus give way to some of the country's sweetest, juiciest fruit and crispest, most flavorful vegetables. From peaches, apples and melons to sweet corn, chiles, potatoes and lettuce, Colorado grows a wide array of produce. The Arkansas Valley in central/southeast Colorado extends from Pueblo County on the west to the Kansas border. Farms there grow melons, toma- toes, cucumbers and peppers. Melons grow especially well in the Arkansas Valley because of the blazing hot days and crisp, cool nights, which lock in the sweet, juicy taste of summer. The Rocky Ford Growers Association represents melons grown in a defined region within the Arkansas Valley, held to the highest quality and food safety stan- dards. Rocky Ford continues to be known as the "Melon Capital of the World." The region's climate and soils are also particularly suited to growing chile peppers, producing a thick, meaty chile, great for roasting. The recently-estab- lished Pueblo Chile Growers Association promotes the Pueblo Chile, the most famous chile pepper in the region. The San Luis Valley, nestled between the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountains, is home to 90 percent of Colorado's potato production. About 20 major potato warehouses pack and ship potatoes to consumers throughout the U.S. and Mexico. Using ultra-modern equipment, potatoes can go from stor- age to warehouse to truck any day during the ship- ping season without expo- sure to the outdoors. Farmers in the San Luis Valley also grow lettuce, romaine, spinach and organic carrots. Colorado's Grand Valley is on the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains, west of the Continental Divide. The Grand River area is a major fruit-growing area with many orchards. Peaches are the primary crop, with apples, pears, cherries, apricots, pears and wine grapes also avail- able. The area is one of Colorado's American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), sup- plying 85 to 95 percent of the wine grapes to more than 100 Colorado wineries. Montrose and Delta counties, also on the Western Slope, produce more than 133 million pounds of sweet corn annual- ly. The unique growing climate and soils combined with innovative farming practices ensure consistent quality and supe- rior taste. Farmers in this area also grow onions, squash and wine grapes. The West Elks AVA boasts some of the high- est-elevation vineyards in North America. The Eastern Plains, widely thought of as cowboy country for the large ranch- es and wheat and corn farms, are also are home to farmers growing vegetables and pulses such as potatoes, leafy greens, car- rots, onions, cabbage, broccoli, sweet corn and dry beans. The Eastern Plains crops benefit from Colorado's 300-plus days of sunshine a year. All of Colorado's produce areas are centrally located and close to major U.S. and export markets. For more information, visit booth #3733, go to www.coloradoagriculture.com and www.coloradoproduce.org or call 303.869.9000.