Brian Jenny: Build Next-Gen Leaders

Business Development Manager
B&W Quality Growers

I realized that the fresh produce industry was definitely going to be my destiny when I was probably in my late 20s, when I started working for Monterey Mushrooms and all the things we were trying to do to add more health and convenience to the mushroom category. About three years into my career, when I started to call on a lot of retailers and foodservice companies, I realized what’s great about this industry are two trends that will never stop: eating healthy and convenience. And I think those are two things that have really enhanced our industry.

My current produce industry passion is the development of new items, and mentoring others. I’m really enjoying some new teammates at B&W. At a certain point in your career, when you’re hiring people who were born after you graduated from college, being able to pass down some of the things that I’ve been able to learn in 25 years in this industry is rewarding. It’s bringing me a lot of passion, and it’s a lot of fun to see some new faces and some new people get into the business and being able to help them and teach them some of the things I’ve learned.

I want to mirror those who mentored me, like Dwight Ferguson, then president of Naturipe Farms. I learned a lot from Dwight, not just how to talk to our board members, but how he handled the room with customers, and he was a great leader and has a passion for the business. And another shout-out goes to Tony Freytag, a founding partner at Crunch Pak. Tony got me involved with United and had me help a little bit on the fresh-cut processor board. Both of these gentlemen really helped me learn a lot, not just with interacting as a leader with my team, but also interacting with customers and, in some cases, sitting in a boardroom with the owners and key stakeholders of some of the companies I’ve worked for.