Steve Gill, president of Gills Onions, Oxnard, Calif., was named chairman of the board of the International Fresh-cut Produce Association (IFPA) during the association's 14th Annual Conference and Exhibition in Phoenix.

Gill succeeds Chairman Lorri Koster, who was most recently director of marketing for World Commerce Online in Salinas, Calif.

Gill is a partner with his brother David in Gills Onions, an onion processing facility, and Rio Farms, both in Oxnard. The brothers started farming in 1979, and were the first to grow bulb onions in Oxnard. The processing facility opened in 1983, at the request of La Victoria Salsa, for whom the Gills were already growing peppers and onions.

“We are honored to have someone with Steve's experience and wide knowledge of the produce industry at the helm for IFPA,” says Edith Garrett, IFPA president. “His understanding of fresh-cut produce from growing to packaging will make him an excellent leader for the fresh-cut association.”