Crissa Kudroch, 37
Manager, Account and Sales Administration, Mastronardi Produce, Kingsville, Ontario
June 12, 2026 | 3 min to read
SHORT BIO
Hometown: Leamington, Ontario
Hobbies: Running, Biking, Yoga/Pilates, Golf, Camping
Family/Community: Married, 1 daughter.
Motto in life: You don’t know, until you know! Growth comes from stepping into situations you don’t fully have figured out yet.
Kudroch began her career in the produce industry shortly after graduating with a business/human resources degree, and soon transitioned into sales. A close friend introduced her to an entry-level sales administration role with a local greenhouse in 2010. After two years of developing foundational skills in sales operations, she advanced to a sales administration position with Mastronardi Produce.
In this fast-paced and highly competitive environment, she refined expertise in order management, customer relations and cross-functional coordination.
In 2020, she was promoted to account manager. In this role, she managed day-to-day ordering systems and pricing strategies, introduced new product lines to clients, negotiated contracts, and coordinated complex fulfillment processes to ensure timely and accurate delivery tailored to customer requirements.
In 2023, she was promoted to manager, account and sales administration, where she currently leads a team of 13 administrative professionals. In this role, she oversees workflow optimization, adapts team processes to meet the rapidly evolving demands of the produce industry, and ensures effective workload distribution to maintain high levels of performance and service. She is a graduate of the Cornell Executive Leadership Development Program (2023).
Q: How did you begin working in the produce industry and why?
Growing up in Leamington, the Tomato Capital of Canada, with the largest concentration of greenhouses, it appeared to be an obvious decision. A close friend introduced me to my first admin role at a local greenhouse, and two years later, when the opportunity arose to join the leader in the industry, I jumped at it.
Q: What do you wish you knew when you first started your career?
I’d worry less about making the “perfect” choice. A decent decision you act on beats a perfect one you overthink.
Q: What is the one thing in produce that you are most passionate about?
Staying engaged and dependable for our teams, customers, and partners from start to finish. To know I made a difference.
Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of in your career?
One of my proudest accomplishments in my career has been stepping into a dual role as sales account and admin manager and successfully leading a team of 13 administrative staff in a fast-paced produce environment.
When I took on the role, one of the key challenges was ensuring accuracy and speed in order processing while also supporting the sales team’s responsiveness to customers, given how time-sensitive the produce industry is. I focused on streamlining communication between sales and admin, standardizing order entry processes, and improving workload distribution across the team. I also introduced clearer accountability and daily prioritization routines to reduce errors and delays.
As a result, we significantly improved order accuracy and turnaround time, which helped strengthen customer satisfaction and reduced friction between departments.
Q: What are some trends you think fuel consumers to purchase more produce?
Social media — turning produce into more of an “experience” category instead of just a staple. Also, convenience without compromise. People want to eat better, but time is still the biggest barrier. That’s pushing growth in ready-to-eat, pre-cut, pre-washed, and snackable produce that makes healthy eating easier in real life.
NOMINEES
