Biggest impact

Bryan Silbermann of PMA and I have been on the phone several times of late about various and sundry issues including the Farm Bill and Packer 25 candidates, and the resignation of Bruce Peterson afforded me another chance for a friendly talk. Of course, Silbermann has plenty to say about Peterson's 16 year run at Wal-Mart and his long service to PMA and the industry.
This statement is worth noting in this space:

"He has literally grown (Wal-Mart's) produce and other fresh foods from scratch," Silbermann said. "You would be hard pressed to find anybody else in the produce industry who has had a greater impact in the past decade and a half as he has," Silbermann added.

That about says it all. While Peterson's importance to the industry wouldn't have been the same if he had stayed with the 10-store Nebraska supermarket chain he worked at when Silbermann met him in early 1991,Silbermann correctly observes he was the right man at the right time for Wal-Mart.