And Now U Know, a leading produce trade publication, showcased the dynamic, long-standing partnership between Brighter Bites and Sysco and Fresh Point. The article featured Brighter Bites’ CEO Rich Dachman, along with Sysco and Fresh Point executives Neil Russell and Robert Gordon.
HOUSTON, TX – As a non-profit organization looking to increase produce consumption through education, Brighter Bites is working to fortify its leadership team with like-minded industry veterans. In line with this goal, the organization recently announced the election of three new members to its Board of Directors. The newly elected board members are Dr. Faiyaz Bhojani, Global Health Lead and Regional Health Manager for Shell in North and South America; Joel Grade, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Sysco; and Vic Smith, Chief Executive Officer of JV Smith Companies.
“I am so excited and honored to welcome these three newest members to our board of directors,” said CEO Rich Dachman. “They each have a unique background with diverse experiences that will make them an asset to the organization. Their membership will allow us to continue our strong momentum to expand the Brighter Bites program in our current cities and into new ones, improving the health of the families we serve through increased access to fresh produce and nutrition education.”
As a health leader for Shell’s North and South American business, Dr. Faiyaz Bhojani’s responsibilities include thought leadership, strategic planning, advocacy, benchmarking, and solution transferring across all business and community, in collaboration with HR, HSE, Business, and Social Investment. According to a press release, he is a graduate of the Dow Medical University of Karachi, Pakistan, has a master’s and a doctoral degree in public health, and is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, American College of Preventive Medicine, and American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Dr. Bhojani serves on numerous boards and is actively involved in academia, professional, and community organizations. He serves as an Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology and Environmental Sciences at UTSPH and Professor, Family, Community, and Internal Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. He is the CEO of MRZ Medical Practice, speaks at national and international meetings, and has published in multiple peer-reviewed journals.
Joel Grade became Sysco’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2015. The news release noted that he began his career at Sysco as a Staff Auditor in 1996 and has since held a variety of senior finance and commercial roles, including Chief Financial Officer of Sysco Chicago in 2002 followed by Chief Financial Officer of Sysco Canada in 2007. He was later promoted to President of Sysco Canada in 2010 and then became Senior Vice President of Foodservice Operations, north region and Canada in 2012. In 2014, Grade served as Sysco’s Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer before being named EVP and CFO. He earned an undergraduate degree in accounting and finance with a specialization in international business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993 and an MBA in finance, strategy, and marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2007.
JV Smith Companies is a diverse group of operations with farming, cooling, and distribution facilities and shipping capacities in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Baja, Mexico. The company farms several commodities including romaine, iceberg lettuce, spinach, celery, mixed leaf and organic spring mix, carrots, and green onions. Since 1991, Vic Smith has overseen all of the companies’ farming, packing, and cooling operations, including over 30,000 acres of vegetable production annually. Smith received his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in economics and business law and studied finance at Arizona State University. He is currently on the board of directors of Western Growers Association and Center for Produce Safety. He is also a member and previously served on the boards of both United Fresh Produce Association and Produce Marketing Association.
These three new board members join Brighter Bites Founder Lisa Helfman, Brighter Bites Co-Founder Dr. Shreela Sharma, Steven Graubart, Scott McClelland, Ben Samuels, Manolo Sanchez, and Sue Smith in overseeing Brighter Bites’ finances and strategic planning.
Congratulations to Dr. Faiyaz Bhojani, Joel Grade, and Vic Smith on their new roles!
Click here to see the article on the And Now U Know website.
Houston, TX (January 21, 2019) – Today, Brighter Bites announces the election of three new members to its board of directors. The newly elected board members are Dr. Faiyaz Bhojani, global health lead and regional health manager for Shell in North and South America, Joel Grade, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Sysco, and Vic Smith, chief executive officer of JV Smith Companies.
“I am so excited and honored to welcome these three newest members to our board of directors,” said Brighter Bites CEO Rich Dachman. “They each have a unique background with diverse experiences that will make them an asset to the organization. Their membership will allow us to continue our strong momentum to expand the Brighter Bites program in our current cities and into new ones, improving the health of the families we serve through increased access to fresh produce and nutrition education.”
Faiyaz Bhojani, MD, DrPH – Dr. Faiyaz Bhojani is a health leader for Shell’s North & South American business, his responsibilities include thought leadership, strategic plan, advocacy, benchmarking and solution transfer across all business and community, in collaboration with HR, HSE, Business, and Social Investment. He is a graduate of the Dow Medical University of Karachi, Pakistan, has a master’s and a doctoral degree in public health, and is board certified in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, American College of Preventive Medicine, and American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Dr. Bhojani serves on numerous boards and is actively involved in academia, professional, and community organizations. He serves as an Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology and Environmental Sciences at UTSPH and Professor, Family, Community, and Internal Medicine Baylor College of Medicine. He is the CEO of MRZ Medical Practice, speaks at national and international meetings, and has published in peer-reviewed journals.
Joel Grade – Joel Grade became Sysco’s executive vice president and chief financial officer in 2015. He began his career at Sysco as a staff auditor in 1996 and has since held a variety of senior finance and commercial roles, including chief financial officer of Sysco Chicago in 2002 followed by chief financial officer of Sysco Canada in 2007. He was later promoted to president of Sysco Canada in 2010 and then became senior vice president of foodservice operations, north region and Canada in 2012. In 2014, Grade served as Sysco’s senior vice president of finance and chief accounting officer before being named EVP and CFO. Grade earned an undergraduate degree in accounting and finance with a specialization in international business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993 and an MBA in finance, strategy and marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2007.
Vic Smith – Vic Smith is CEO of JV Smith Companies, a diverse group of operations with farming, cooling and distribution facilities and shipping capacities in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Baja, Mexico. JV Smith Companies farm several commodities including romaine, iceberg lettuce, spinach, celery, mixed leaf and organic spring mix, carrots, and green onions. Since 1991, he has overseen all of the companies’ farming, packing, and cooling operations, including over 30,000 acres of vegetable production annually. Mr. Smith received his undergraduate degree from University of Colorado in economics and business law and studied finance at Arizona State University. He is currently on the board of directors of Western Growers Association and Center for Produce Safety. He is also a member and previously served on the boards of both United Fresh Produce Association and Produce Marketing Association.
These three new board members join Brighter Bites Founder Lisa Helfman, Brighter Bites Co-Founder Dr. Shreela Sharma, Steven Graubart, Scott McClelland, Ben Samuels, Manolo Sanchez, and Sue Smith in overseeing Brighter Bites’ finances and strategic planning.
This exciting milestone for Brighter Bites was also reported by the following publications:
Today, Brighter Bites announces its top donor partners from across the produce industry.
Together these eight organizations helped donate produce that Brighter Bites distributed to 27,000 families in Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and Southwest Florida during the 2018-19 academic year.
Brighter Bites Top Donor Partners are:
• The Coastal Companies Foundation
• D’Arrigo Bros. of New York
• Hardie’s Fresh Foods
• Lipman Family Farms
• Mann Packing
• Southern Specialties
• Sysco Freshpoint
• Taylor Farms Texas
Brighter Bites would not be possible without the remaining produce and logistical support that come from our Feeding America Food Bank partners who include the Houston Food Bank, North Texas Food Bank, City Harvest, Capital Area Food Bank, and Harry Chapin Food Bank.
“Our ability to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to our families is completely dependent on the support of our partners,” said Brighter Bites CEO Rich Dachman. “The generous donations of produce from these partners and other suppliers, alongside our extraordinary partnerships with our food banks, allows us to achieve our mission of improving the health of our society, especially those who have fewer resources. I believe our industry has a responsibility to utilize its produce to fight the childhood obesity epidemic and improve health outcomes. I challenge all in the industry to get involved. Brighter Bites is a great place to start so we can scale our program to reach even more communities in need of fresh food and better health.”
A student at “Joe” May Elementary School in Dallas enjoys apples donated to Brighter Bites by Taylor Farms Texas.
This Brighter Bites announcement was reported by the following publications:
The Produce News
The Packer
Perishable News
And Now U Know
Rich Dachman, former VP of Produce for Houston-based Sysco, will lead the national nonprofit that teaches people how to incorporate more fresh food into their diets and tracks their behavior change.
Houston, TX (July 15, 2019) – Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that is changing behavior among children and their families to prevent obesity and achieve long-term health, announces today that Rich Dachman is the Houston-based nonprofit’s new Chief Executive Officer.
Dachman comes to Brighter Bites with more than 40 years of experience in the produce industry, 28 of them at Sysco, the world’s largest broadline food distributor. Dachman retired from Sysco last month as Vice President of Produce for the global company. He had been a member of the Brighter Bites Board of Directors for more than three years.
“I have loved being a Brighter Bites board member, where I had the chance to work closely with the organization during a crucial phase of its growth. When Brighter Bites came to me with the idea of taking a leadership position, I thought it was a great opportunity to begin the next chapter of my career,” Dachman said. “I look forward to assisting Brighter Bites expand the impact of a program that is increasing produce consumption by teaching families how to change their eating habits for improved health. In my new role, I will be able to continue working with my colleagues in the produce industry, but in a way that enriches underserved communities around the country. Who could ask for a better job?”
“Rich has been an integral part of our organization for so long, and we could not be more pleased to have someone with his passion leading the way,” said Brighter Bites Founder and Board Chair Lisa Helfman. “Rich’s guidance will take Brighter Bites to a new level of impact. The Brighter Bites staff will benefit from Rich’s authentic leadership style and mentorship, and the communities they serve will benefit from Rich’s relationships in the produce industry.”
A Denver native, Rich began his produce career there with his family-owned business. Following the sale of the family business, he and his father opened a new foodservice operation in Denver for Kraft Foods, Inc. before Rich joined Kraft’s corporate office in Chicago as National Director of Produce in 1987.
In 1992, he joined FreshPoint Inc. and was President of FreshPoint Operating Companies in Houston, Denver, Atlanta and the Company’s central procurement office in Salinas, California. When Sysco acquired FreshPoint in 2000, Rich was appointed to the position of Senior Vice President, Western Region, and in 2007 was promoted to Vice President of Produce for Sysco Corporation.
Rich has received multiple awards, including The Packer’s Foodservice Achievement Award, the Center for Growing Talent’s Jay Pack Cultivating Our Future Award, and Produce for Better Health’s Excellence Award. Rich was Chairman of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) in 2012, capping more than 10 years of leadership service for PMA.
Brighter Bites is an evidence-based, multi-component elementary school, preschool, and summer camp program that utilizes reliable access to fruits and vegetables, nutrition education, and consistent exposure to recipes and messages that feature fresh food. Each week families and teachers participating in Brighter Bites receive two bags containing approximately 50 servings of eight to 12 different fresh produce items along with the nutrition education materials.
Brighter Bites measures the outcomes of its program to determine impact. Research by UTHealth School of Public Health shows the Brighter Bites model provides consistent opportunities for children and their families to practice healthier behaviors in school and at home:
Children and parents participating in Brighter Bites reported a:
About Brighter Bites:
Brighter Bites is a nonprofit that creates communities of health through fresh food with the goal of changing behavior among children and their families to prevent obesity and achieve long-term health. Brighter Bites is an evidence-based, multi-component elementary school, preschool, and summer camp program that utilizes reliable access to fruits and vegetables, nutrition education, and consistent exposure to recipes and messages that feature fresh food. Since 2012, Brighter Bites has provided more than 22 million pounds of produce and 100,000s of nutrition education materials to more than 265,000 individuals (including teachers!) in Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, and Southwest Florida. The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) recently named Brighter Bites the winner of the 2018 PHA Impact Award. In 2016, Brighter Bites won the Texas Health Champion Award. To learn more visit BrighterBites.org.
This Brighter Bites announcement was also reported on by the following publications:
The Packer
Produce Blue Book
Produce News
And Now U Know
Perishable News
Local media website Austin.com featured the Brighter Bites Austin program in its nonprofit column today. The article tells the history of Brighter Bites in general and focuses on the Austin program in great detail, quoting our staff, utilizing our photos, and shining a light on the components of our unique program.
Read the story here.
Last month members of the Brighter Bites leadership team and Rich Dachman, Sysco’s Vice President of Produce and a Brighter Bites Board Member, traveled to Washington, D.C. for high-level meetings at the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. House of Representatives, and U.S. Senate. Founder Lisa Helfman and Rich Dachman had also been invited to participate in a panel on scaling grassroots programs through partnerships that week at the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) Building a Healthier Future Summit. Serendipitous meetings took place on the conference margins with leaders from PHA, Produce Marketing Association (PMA), Marathon Kids, JCC of America, The Food Trust, and other key organizations working to increase access to healthy food and physical activity.
Partnerships were the theme of the week and PHA set the tone with celebrity endorsements of fruit and vegetable consumption (FNV) and a humorous approach to drinking more water as they collaborate with Brita on Nalgene giveaways and others in the Drink Up campaign. The two-day Summit focused on building partnerships across sectors to make the healthy choice the easy choice.
Lisa and Rich, representing Brighter Bites and Sysco, joined Marathon Kids Executive Director Christine Pollei and Nike Senior Director of North America Community Impact Caitlin Morris for a panel discussion on Growing the Grassroots: Scaling Through Partnership. Ladan Manteghi, Executive Director of the Global Social Enterprise Initiative at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, moderated a lively discussion about how these for-profit and nonprofit businesses are working together toward building healthier futures.
Lisa and Rich’s comments focused on Brighter Bites and Sysco’s shared mission to deliver fresh food directly to those who need it. Rich highlighted his admiration for Brighter Bites “figuring out how to get food down the last mile to kids” and his wish to “help Brighter Bites so we can reach kids throughout the country.” Lisa’s key messages focused on her own individual and organizational growth experience that developed out of the knowledge she gained from conversations and partnerships with experts in the field. Lisa and Rich’s panel discussion with Marathon Kids and Nike was highly attended and resulted in lively follow up discussions and requests for meetings.
The summit’s closing plenary featured PHA Honorary Chair and First Lady Michelle Obama whose presence so close to our table and speech was one of the most thrilling moments of the week, after our White House tour. The First Lady focused her comments on her support for the new FDA-approved nutrition facts label she had revealed at a press conference earlier that morning, the people in the room working toward creating a healthier future, and remembering to always put our children first. These were fitting words for the Brighter Bites team and our partners who work to create healthy communities through fresh food every day.
