Competition for candidates across multiple fresh produce categories continues to intensify.
“For a long time now,” says Tracey Lewin, vice president of sales and operations at the Allen Lund Company, LLC {{BB #:107465}} in La Canada, CA, “it seems candidates have had multiple opportunities from many prospective employers, making it a bit tougher to stand out as the ‘employer of choice.’ With more companies in the mix every year, there’s more competition for hiring the best talent.”
Produce companies are not only competing with each other for the best and brightest, but also with companies in other industries, particularly when it comes to in-demand areas like sustainability and technology.
“The opportunities in our industry aren’t always as visible as others,” says Megan Nash, director of education and talent at the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) BB #:378962 in Newark, DE. “Many people don’t think they align to a career in fresh produce and floral and don’t understand the breadth of opportunities.”
“Few people grow up dreaming of being in the produce industry one day,” points out Steve Grinstead, CEO at FreshEdge, LLC in Indianapolis, IN.
Part of the issue is compensation, which can be lower in produce than in the other industries competing for the same jobseekers.
“This is a small-margin business operation, but you need to provide the right remuneration for the skillsets,” cautions Ron Lemaire, president of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association BB #:153602 in Ottawa, ON. “Convincing a nontraditional employee to make the decision to come in is a challenge when the hours are long and the issues are complex.”
Compensation tends to be particularly top of mind when it comes to certain roles, such as technology positions.
“If your only goal is to make lots and lots of money, there are many places you can do that,” says Kevin Brooks, chief revenue and marketing officer at Procurant {{BB #:355257}} in Watsonville, CA. “This industry is not as sexy as working at Facebook or Google or Instagram.”
The higher the position, the more compensation plays into the decision to take a job.
“We’ve found challenges at the senior level with compensation,” says Kristen Reid, executive vice president at MIXTEC Group {{BB #:152072}}, an executive search and recruiter located in La Crescenta, CA, whose expertise is in recruiting at the vice president level and up.
“Not only have we seen higher base compensation levels but also many external candidates have long-term incentive plans, like stock, which aren’t as common in produce.
“Our clients have had to rethink their total compensation programs,” she continues. “In addition to increasing base salaries, they’ve created stronger bonus programs and have gotten creative in terms of packages that offer phantom stock, profit sharing, or even equity in the company.
“The good news about bonus programs and long-term incentive plans is that generally they’re tied to performance, so the candidates are going to be driving even more value for the company to earn those compensation pieces,” she adds.
This is an excerpt from the cover story in the September/October 2023 issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine. Click here to read the whole issue.
