One of the British fresh produce industry's most familiar faces is celebrating entering his 41st year as an employee of Produce World.
George Rivers, supply chain and site director at Produce World Isleham and Yaxley, and, due to his sporting prowess, known to some as 'Rivelino' after the Brazilian football superstar, officially celebrated forty years of service to the company yesterday (1 July).
He joined the Produce World Group in the days of Greens of Soham, and since then, has also worked under the company name of Hassy Ltd, Isleham Carrot Growers, Clem Tompsett and now Produce World Group.
Although trained in business law and accountancy, Rivers' first job was as a management trainee at The Co-operative in Newmarket, Suffolk.
From there, he joined Greens of Soham as assistant transport manager, before working his way up through the distribution and supply chain ranks of the business.
In all, Rivers has seen the site at Isleham under the management of three major fresh produce families.
He said: “During my time at Produce World, I have really seen some developments, both in terms of technology and business. I have been able to work in all areas of the company from commercial to logistics, distribution, management and technology, which have helped me to work in my position of site director today.
“I am enjoying my work today as much as I did at the time I started. Things may have developed and faces may have changed, but the product remains as dynamic as ever.
“What I love most about the fresh produce sector is the people. Everyone has such a great attitude and passion for their work; I love it.'
Not only is Rivers an experienced carrot producer, but also a keen sportsman with much success. In his heyday, Rivelino Rivers was a semi-professional footballer, playing for Newmarket Town, before going on to manage several local clubs.
He also once ran the London Marathon in an impressive 2 hours and 49 minutes, enjoyed other sports including road cycling and water skiing, and, more recently, can be found partaking in speed canoeing and golf.
Rivers added: “I would encourage anyone to pursue a career in veg. For any youngsters looking to get involved, I'd recommend that they get as much experience at every level as possible to understand other people’s jobs.”
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