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Doug has twenty-five years experience in the produce business.
He started in the business as a terminal market clerk then street salesperson for United Fruit and Produce in St. Louis, Missouri. From there he moved on to become a broker for the Tom Lange Company in Springfield, Illinois, then to shipping and desk sales in Lakeland, Florida selling a Florida watermelon deal.
Doug was one of the original partners of Fresh Network in Salinas, California. He opened up the Pacific International Marketing Arizona office in 1989 and was a partner for fifteen years during which time he managed a brokerage office. He later managed the Meyer Pacific joint venture that handles sales and shipping for many millions of imported Mexican tomatoes and vegetables.
In 2005 started EJ’s Produce Sales with the strong encouragement of his wife and partner, Mary “Peggy” Schaefer, who serves as company Vice President.
Doug is a former President of the Arizona Vegetable Growers Association before it disbanded in 2005 at which time the organization’s funds were used to set up a perpetual annual scholarship fund for one Agribusiness student from Arizona State University and one Agricultural student from the University of Arizona. Click on the NEWS button to the left for a link to the site.
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD.
In June of 2008, Doug was blessed with the news that he had a son, Damian Smith. This has also blessed Emily with a big brother. In January of 2010, Damian and his wife Jill were blessed with the birth of their first child, Shelby. Doug's first grand child. The Schaefers are thankful everyday for this miracle.
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John has been with EJ's Produce Sales since November 2006. He brings over 30 years experience in the produce industry. He began his career at Dominicks Finer Foods in Chicago where he spent 15 years.
His food service industry experience began in 1995 were he worked as a buyer at Sysco Foods, Chicago. In 1997 he had the opportunity to transfer to Sysco Arizona. He managed a team of 15 employees that served the valley resorts and fine dining restaurants, while growing the produce sales for Sysco Arizona.
He worked in sales for both Del Monte and Pacific International Marketing before moving to EJ's.
His knowledge and experience from the retail, foodservice industry and grower/shipper side of the produce business has helped him obtain a well-rounded background as well as a large network of produce professionals.
We are pleased and excited to have him on our team at EJ's Produce Sales.
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Art joined the EJ’s family in March 2008. His experience as a shipper/broker fit nicely with the diversity of the EJ’s sales team. Art moved to Arizona in 2001 from the Chicago-land area. He worked in the car rental industry for 7 years prior to moving to Arizona. He started his produce career in 2002 with a brokerage company that also had seasonal shipping deals with broccoli, cabbage, sweet corn, and his personal favorite…WATERMELONS! Art has managed watermelon growing deals out of California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
In addition to domestic sales, Art specializes in exporting product into Mexico and Canada. He has experience in ISPM-15 Certification, Phytosanitary Certificates, and many other requirements needed for exporting produce. Art graduated from Arizona State University in December 2008 with a Bachelors Degree in Organization and Management.
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Emily has been with the EJ’s family business since December of 2005. Emily manages the accounts receivable and payable departments, as well as assisting with phones and managing the finances of EJ’s Logistics & Farming, LLC. She is responsible for the smooth operation of the day-to-day business of the company and handles EJ’s staffing, equipment and organizational needs.
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Kade joined the EJ’s family in December of 2009. He worked for Del Monte Produce from 1995 to 2009. While at Del Monte he served as a Dispatcher and Operations Manager. In 2005, as the Sales Manager, he specialized in the FOB sales of bananas, pineapples and melons. The rest is history…
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Sal joined the EJ’s Family in July of 2010 as a logistics specialist and produce broker. He comes from a long line of produce brokers. The Pupillo family has been buying, selling and distributing fresh produce on the St. Louis terminal market for generations. Sal graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2004, but it wasn’t until 2007 that he went out to the west coast and found himself working in the produce business. Sal began working as a transportation broker and supply chain management specialist for C.H. Robinson in 2008 in Monterey, CA.
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Mike joined the EJ’s family in February of 2010. He was born and raised in Salinas, CA. He graduated from ASU in 2009, majoring in Communication with a minor in history. He has been around produce his entire life and previously was a birddog for Kroger Foods. He currently brokers trucks for EJ’s Logistics & Farming, LLC.
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Michelle joined the EJ’s Family in August of 2010. She has worked in real estate for the past 12 years and is excited to learn more about the produce industry.
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Peggy has been with EJ’s from the beginning. She manages the insurance and human resource matters for EJ’s.
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