CEO of Progressive Produce LLC To Retire March 31st

LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 11, 2021 — Jim Leimkuhler, Chief Executive Officer of Progressive Produce LLC, BB #:113613, announced his retirement today, effective March 31st, after 35 years in the produce industry.

The last 25 years have been spent with Progressive Produce in Los Angeles where he was instrumental in building the company into a well-respected produce company that serves national and regional grocery chains, and food service companies throughout the United States.

“My life and career at Progressive Produce have meant so very much to me,” stated Leimkuhler. “I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to come here in 1995 as the Chief Financial Officer, to be named its President in 1996, and to become a part-owner of the company in 2003.”

What many people don’t know about Leimkuhler is that he began his career in the newspaper business after getting his degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 1977.

His very first job out of college was with The Packer and he was hired to write stories and sell advertising. In fact, on the very first week he was sent to Wisconsin to work with another writer that was reporting on the potato fields that were soon to be harvested.

Little did he know that years later he would end up running a produce company in Los Angeles that would become a prominent player in the fresh potato business throughout the United States.

Fast forward through a 7-year career in the book publishing business in Iowa, an MBA in accounting from Drake University and working as a Certified Public Accountant, fate stepped in and led him back to produce.

In 1986, he joined Chiquita Brands International’s finance department in their corporate headquarters in Cincinnati. He was then transferred to Miami in 1989 to work for John Thatcher, as Vice President of Finance for Banana Supply Co., a newly acquired subsidiary of Chiquita.

“John Thatcher taught me so much about humbleness, hard work, integrity, and how to be a leader. It was all through an example of how he lived his life. I will always be grateful for that opportunity,” says Leimkuhler.

Working for Thatcher gave him a real thirst for working in a small business where he could get his hands around everything. If Hurricane Andrew hadn’t hit, Leimkuhler probably would have stayed in Miami.

But it’s been 26 years since he picked up his family, moved to Los Angeles, and began using the leadership skills he learned from Thatcher to build Progressive into what it is today. Caring for the business like he owned it came naturally to Leimkuhler long before he and his now-retired partners, Jack Gyben and Victor Rodarte, orchestrated the management buyout of Progressive from Chiquita in 2003.

The goal of owning the company was the biggest reason he made the decision to move to Southern California in the first-place back in 1995. When he got here , it was an early morning business — going to the Los Angeles Produce Market and seeing buyers for coffee or breakfast at 4:00 a.m., followed by a busy day in the office with the Faxphones ringing and pagers going off.

“I could never have imagined how much Progressive, and the produce industry, would evolve over the next 25 years and I feel fortunate to have been part of the journey,” Leimkuhler says as he reflects on his early days at the company.

Even though the company is now much larger, it still maintains a small business mentality. Leimkuhler would always emphasize to his team that the way to success was to always get better.

Leimkuhler explained, “Getting better was an easier goal than saying we had to grow by 15% every year, which is tough in a commodity business. I just boiled it down to getting better. And if we got better, we would get bigger. And if we got bigger, well we just had to deal with it.”

With this philosophy, Progressive grew from a local Los Angeles produce company into a year-round grower/packer/shipper. Today, Progressive’s product line consists of organic and conventional asparagus, potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, citrus and chili peppers with sales offices in Los Angeles, Washington, Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas grown throughout North and South America.

After many years of excellent stewardship and success, Leimkuhler, Gyben, and Rodarte sold a majority interest in the company to TOTAL PRODUCE plc in February 2016. Subsequently, one year later it merged with its longtime sweet onion and asparagus business partner Keystone Fruit Marketing of Greencastle, PA and the company grew overnight.

Marty Kamer, who was previously President of Keystone, was named President of the Progressive business in October 2018. Kamer will continue to lead the company into the future, together with a well-respected team of industry veterans.

“My first and lasting impression of Jim is leadership personified. His inspirational leadership is rooted in his integrity and his relentless pursuit of excellence,” said Kamer. “Jack, Victor, and I had a unified goal that the last of us wouldn’t leave until we were sure that the new management team could lead our great company to even greater heights. I am very pleased to say that that time is now,” stated Leimkuhler.

Scott Leimkuhler, VP of sales at Progressive had this to say, “It has been special time in my life to get to work with and learn from my dad. He cares deeply about the people at Progressive and the produce industry as a whole. I will miss working with him. His legacy of integrity, leadership and kindness makes me proud.”

When asked about what he will miss most, Leimkuhler is quick to reply that he’ll miss the people of Progressive, who have always been his motivation to work hard. He often said that people are what makes this industry great and to never lose sight of the fact that we need people and we need to keep relationships strong in everything we do.

In fact, you can ask anyone at Progressive, and they’ll tell you about a time Leimkuhler called to check in and say how grateful he was that you were part of the team.

Jeannie Berger, Vice President of HR and Administration said this “Jim is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met. He is a true visionary with a compassion to make everyone’s life better.”

As Leimkuhler prepares for retirement, he offers some advice to the next generation of leaders and those starting their careers in the industry, “Always look for where you can add value and make a difference. If you love your job, ‘own it’ and grow with it. And don’t forget to take some risks. I started out in a journalism job, became a CPA and ended up in produce. It’s rarely a straight line for anyone. Go out there and follow your dreams.”

Contact: Oscar GuzmanPhone: 323-890-8100Email:oscar@progressiveproduce.com