Kevin Climie, senior director of produce, floral and bulk foods at Fortinos, on store checks, new items, holidays and more

Episode notes

We're delighted to welcome for this week's episode of the podcast Kevin Climie, senior director of produce, floral and bulk foods at Fortinos. Kevin joins the show to talk about how he chooses locations for store checks - both from a competitive standpoint and on the inspirational side; what's on his checklist to observe when he visits stores; how he looks to learn from other retailers across the country; new items the produce department has offered recently; first-quarter holidays; categories of focus for summer; and more. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

• Anne-Marie Roerink on changing consumer dynamics and their impact on produce77 / 100
• Food City produce operations supervisor Skylar Leonard
• The way to better bananas - Deep dive on banana ripening with Dennis Kihlstadius and Gary Campisi
• Former H-E-B floral director and 2023 IFPA Floral Marketer of the Year Erin Esensee and floral retail veteran Jennie Kellerman Garbarek on the importance of timeline in floral
• Chick-fil-A Supply's Clark Roper talks intentional leadership, investing in young team members, and lessons from his retail days