OUR TEAM

Wisdom is derived from experience. Our team has years of experience managing complex supply chains. Whether it’s the perils of mother nature or regional growing transitions; we understand how to react to ensure your continuity of supply.

Brian Rayfield
President

An industry veteran with roots in the southeastern U.S., Brian brings a wealth of experience across multiple facets of produce, ranging from farm/grower operations, sales/marketing and strategic planning. Prior to joining PennRose, Brian served in a senior leadership role with a Florida-based grower/shipper with nationwide operations and distribution.  He joined PennRose in 2020 where he is responsible for overseeing day to day operations with a focus on expanding the supply chain.

Scott Hakes
Supply Chain Management Director

Scott has a thorough understanding of growing regions throughout North and Central America. During his career, he has built and managed complex supply chains for large national retail accounts. Scott’s expertise is in managing the entire supply chain process; from production, consolidation, repack and forward distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables. Scott also has extensive experience in managing customer accounts and identifying market trends in the industry.

Darrell Allen
Category Analytics Director

Darrell spent his first 24 years as a buyer and produce merchandiser for a large produce retailer in the Northeast. Since then, he has applied his own experience in helping our customers with their Category Analytics and understanding their competitive landscape. Darrell has a keen ability to analyze store data and provide solutions that create competitive advantages.

John Tillman
Account Manager / FOB Sales

John’s experience marketing fresh, quality produce coupled with a can-do attitude and admirable work ethic make him a valuable part of our team. Prior to joining PennRose Farms, John was a category and commodity manager for one of the largest national produce companies where he spent several years working in the wet and dry veg categories. John’s focus as an FOB sales agent is to identify opportunities for our customers with eyes and boots on the ground from a base in Moore Farms, our grower partners in Manor, GA.

Tony Piedimonte
Grower Development

Tony is a fifth-generation farmer with over fifty years of experience. Having worked in various capacities within the produce industry over the years, Tony applies his vast knowledge to our production teams to create best farming practices, optimize the yields and quality of our fresh fruits and vegetables. Tony currently grows fresh quality, products across 750 acres in western New York.

Wally Sanford
Food Safety Director

Trained as a chemical engineer who managed two large multinational chemical plants in the Northeast, Wally transitioned to the produce industry over 14 years ago. He is a certified trainer for the Produce Safety Rule, Preventive Controls for Human Food and Foreign Supplier verification. Wally is HACCP trained with National Organic Program experience. He previously served on the committee that created the standards for the USDA Harmonized Audit, and currently volunteers with United Fresh’s Food Safety Advisory Board.

Kara Baker
Account Manager

Kara began her career working for a large multi-national produce company. During this time, Kara became versatile in managing many aspects of the produce industry. Focusing on carrier management, produce sales, and account management. Kara helps align our produce supply chains to serve our retail and wholesale customers.

Karen Thompson
Sales Coordinator

Karen has spent her career focused on executing the day-to-day operations needed to exceed our customers’ demands. In her current role, Karen manages the order process, warehouse inventory, shipping protocols, and coordinates production schedules. Karen’s chief priority is to focus on the needs of our customers.

Sue Friddle
Sales Coordinator

Sue began her produce career managing the shipping office for a large Florida-based grower. She is proficient in order management, inventory management, and operations. Sue plays an important role in customer service, and she works arduously with our sales and production teams to ensure orders are processed and aligned with current inventories.

Alan Rucker
Manager of Quality Assurance

Alan began his career as a Quality Assurance Specialist for a large produce retailer in the Midwest. His role was to inspect fresh produce and ensure quality control at store level. Currently, Alan works with our production teams at the farms to ensure the right quality produce is packed and shipped.

Cary Braswell
Quality Assurance

Produce veteran Cary Braswell joined our team in the spring of 2020. Prior to joining PennRose Farms, Cary worked in multiple roles, including fields, packinghouse operations, shipping and receiving, and sales. His well-rounded understanding of the business coupled with his knowledge of produce grades and standards helps us stay on the forefront of quality assurance efforts to ensure product quality begins in the fields.

Steve Cartwright
Operations

Steve’s lifelong career has been in agriculture. From an early start in dairy and citrus, to fruit and vegetable production in more recent years. Steve is a man of integrity known for being diligent and a “doer” who prefers to lead by example. His strength is in streamlining operations to drive efficiencies. Prior to joining PennRose Farms, Steve worked for a grower-shipper as a plant manager where he oversaw operations, maintenance and materials purchases.

Elisha Newberry
Accounting

Elisha has functioned in multiple roles in the fresh produce industry, including sales and accounting. In her current capacity, Elisha oversees grower accounting, accounts payable and accounts receivable for PennRose Farms. She works closely with management, including our sales and production teams, to ensure business runs smoothly.

Kristen Jones
Accounting Analyst

Tenacity, drive, and a passion for excellence describe Kristen, who joined PennRose Farms in 2020. As an integral part of our team, Kristen is a pace-setter in the areas of accounting and analytics. She got her start in the produce industry working for a FL-based grower-shipper as the Warehouse Office Manager where she quickly progressed in the areas of operations and food safety.

Keith Casavant
CTO

A graduate of Cornell University, Keith oversees the implementation and management of information systems and technology to help PennRose be more transparent, efficient and data driven. Prior to joining PennRose Farms, Keith was the IT Director of a large Florida growing operation where he implemented systems to streamline data across all levels of the organization.

At PennRose Farms, we leverage our connection to the past and solidify our commitment to the future while navigating today’s complex business environment. This is what redefining fresh means to us.

We offer direct growing, wholesale services, warehousing and logistics services, and more.

• Through our extensive supplier network, we build dedicated supply chains through direct production across the U.S., Mexico, and beyond.

• With help of our sales and sourcing teams, we are also capable of procuring and soliciting short buys, spot opportunities, and hard-to-find fresh fruits and vegetables.

• We can also pack, consolidate, inspect, and ship from multiple shipping points.

We care about our customers’ success. As a solutions-based company, we address everyday challenges and leverage our collective abilities to ensure fresh and wholesome produce for our customers and the industry we serve.