WASHINGTON, DC - Everyone along the supply chain requires support to operate at their best. The middlemen in our industry—distributors and wholesalers—are sometimes underrepresented, which is why the Produce Distributors Association (PDA) began its mission in 1989, initially under the name National Association of Perishable Agricultural Receivers (NAPAR).

“The PDA’s primary goal is to give a strong and active political voice and a much-needed seat at the table in Washington, DC. Industry issues—such as regulatory matters—often affect supply-chain participants differently, making it difficult for national associations to effectively represent the interests of their entire membership base,” Alan Siger, President of the association, began telling me. “The PDA, on the other hand, advocates exclusively and vigorously on behalf of produce distributors. The post-election uncertainty in Washington is unprecedented. It is more important than ever for this sector to have representation.”

Matthew D'Arrigo, Chief Executive Officer of D’Arrigo New York and Chair of PDA, shared more about the organization’s evolution.

“When it began, NAPAR was basically a terminal market-based association representing the industry issues and needs that would specifically fall to the terminal market operator. Since that time, there has been a large increase of wholesalers, distributors, service wholesalers, processors, and third-party handlers with deals that are happening away from terminal markets. So, we’ve spread our umbrella to encompass the full population of wholesalers that are in the industry today,” Matthew explained.

To continue supporting this wide range of industry members, the organization hosts its annual Pete Class Memorial Golf Tournament—the PDA’s major fundraiser of the year. This year's tournament will be held on Tuesday, May 13 at The Ballyowen Golf Club at the Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, New Jersey.

“The PDA relies on the proceeds of this tournament and members’ dues to fund the work we do in Washington representing our members’ interests with Congress, USDA, and regulatory agencies. The tournament also provides great networking opportunities for members, their suppliers, and customers,” Alan relayed. “Ballyowen is rated one of the top courses in New Jersey, and we hope to have over one hundred golfers plus a few additional folks participating in the reception.”

Registration and a pre-round brunch begin at 10:30 a.m., with a noon shotgun start. An awards reception and dinner follow golf at approximately 4:30 p.m. Special rates are available at the resort for tournament participants who want to stay overnight.

“For this event, shippers, service providers, and our membership all join together to raise funds for the association,” Matthew added. “Plus, there are a lot of members in the distributor and wholesaler world that sponsor the golf tournament, and even folks like truck brokers. So there's a nice mix of a lot of different segments of the industry that help make the golf tournament such a success. It has grown every year in the last three years, and we suspect it will grow again this year.”

The team at ANUK applauds PDA and its members for keeping the wholesale and distribution space alive and thriving. Stay tuned as we bring you more coverage from this sector and beyond.