“We used to have 20 trucks going to Maryland, now we only have 10 or 12,” Salcedo points out. Worse yet, competitors from Florida that often ship the same products, have a shorter distance to Maryland and can ship for as much as $1,500 less per load.
Revamping the Jessup Market
Forward thinking, well-managed terminal markets can be a bonus to produce vendors and their customers, and the Maryland Wholesale Produce Market, aka the Jessup Market, is one of them.
FRESH FORUM
What three words or term would best characterize your approach to business?Mike Royster, Loving’s Produce Company Longevity because our company was started prior to World War II by a local farmer, Harry Loving (who passed earlier this year) and lives on today with two of his sons, Gary and John in control. We sell whatever anyone wants and that’s how we provide excellent customer service. And we sell quality local produce.
Angela Hopkins, Maryland Wholesale Produce Market We control costs for our tenants, making us efficient. Because our market is always open and offers a quality product, we’re considered reliable. We’re able to service our surrounding community because of our diverse tenant mix.
Tony Vitrano Tony Vitrano Company Our integrity, honor, and reputation keep our customers returning.
Sonny Hopkins Choptank Transport, Inc. Choptank prides itself on transparent communication with our customers and knowing where their product is all of the time. We push hard to add employees, and I’ve seen an increase of 200 in the past six years, making our growth a key approach to our business. The positive attitude with our sales force leads to great service and integrity.
Operated by the Maryland Food Center Authority, its 400-acre site offers ample space for its more than two-dozen merchants. Recent improvements discussed by the Food Center included new dock canopies, enclosed docks, a farmers’ market and commercial kitchen, conquering food waste, and adding more space.
Some progress has been made, with other items still on the drawing board. The project to replace the front dock canopy was completed and went so well the Market actually won an award (second place to be exact, for excellence in market renovations from the World Union of Wholesale Markets). The Market managed to complete the project in just 60 days, without disruption to trading.
And although one idea, enclosing the docks, was scrapped for having what some termed as a negative impact on tenant business, Angela Hopkins, director of finance and leasing at MFCA, says the Market staff is still enthusiastically investigating other items, like the farmers’ market concept. “With a farmers’ market and commercial kitchen, we’d have more of a retail section,” explains Hopkins, noting that the Market is already open to the public.
