The Ontario Produce Marketing Association (OPMA) announced the appointment of its new Board Chair and three new Directors at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on June 11, 2024 in Toronto. The newly elected Board Chair will serve a one-year term as Chair and the new Directors will each serve three-year terms from 2024 to 2027.
The members of the Board’s 2024-25 executive include Amanda Knauff (Taylor Farms) as Chair, Dan Tukendorf (OFVGA) as Vice Chair, Steve Moffatt (North American Produce Buyers) as Treasurer, and Adam Donikian (Sobeys Ontario) as Immediate Past Chair. New Board Chair Amanda Knauff (Taylor Farms) brings expertise, leadership and energy to the Board. Amanda has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2021 and most recently held the position of Vice Chair.
In addition, she is also the Co-Chair of the OPMA Women in Produce (WPN) Committee, which she co-founded in 2023 with Leah Hardy (Wonderful Company). “I am honored and thrilled to serve as your new Chair of the Ontario Produce Marketing Association along with newly-appointed Dan Tukendorf as Vice Chair. Building on our current momentum, I'm excited to drive forward our current strategies and initiatives along with a strong board of directors,” said Amanda Knauff. The produce sector has faced multiple challenges during the past years, including a changing economy, and labour and supply chain issues, but has weathered these changes and continues to grow. One of the changes that Amanda strongly supports is the increase in diversity in the agricultural and produce industries workforce, including on OPMA’s Board and membership. She said: “When I think about this coming years’ key strategies, we must continue to encourage diversity across everything we do.
Great strides have already been made with recent updates to our voting by-laws, and the formation of the OPMA Women’s Produce Network this past year. Let’s stay engaged with both the WPN and the Young Professionals Network. They're vital for our industry's future success, and I'm committed to their growth.” At the June 11th AGM it was announced that two Directors had decided not to put their names forward for re-election at the end of their term. The OPMA Board thanks both Matt Quiring from Nature Fresh Farms and Marc Wall from Sandy Shore Farms for volunteering their time toward the industry and the association. The new Directors joining the OPMA’s 2024 Board are Eric Biddiscombe from Algoma Orchards, Greg Ogiba from Mike and Mike’s and Frank Spagnuolo from the Burnac Produce Group. Eric has spent forty years in leadership roles in the produce industry, spending 33 years in the retail side of the business leading teams in distribution center operations, health and safety, process improvement, business systems development, quality assurance, merchandising and procurement and seven years on the supplier side with senior roles in sales and marketing.