May 17, 2016
Pear Bureau Northwest presents display contest winners

The results are in for the 3rd annual “Pear Up with USA Pears” display contest sponsored by Pear Bureau Northwest. Produce personnel submitted creative and educational USA Pears displays featuring Green Anjou, Red Anjou, Bosc pears, and more. Entries across the U.S. and Canada were on display for at least one week during the contest period from Jan. 1 to April 15.

Entries were judged on appearance, creativity and educational value to produce shoppers. Five bonus points were added to entries that included second, smaller sized fruit in bulk, bags or totes. Each entrant received an Amazon gift card in appreciation of their display.

Pear Bureau Northwest awarded first, second and third place winners and ten honorable mentions in three categories, for a total of 39 cash prizes.

Winners in each of three store categories received:

1st Place: $1,000
2nd Place: $750
3rd Place: $500
10 Honorable Mentions: $150 each
Mirbitos IGA, Hannibal, New York. Photos: Pear Bureau Northwest

Winners for the 1-5 cash registers category are:

1st Place: Tammy McEachron, Mirbitos IGA, Hannibal, New York
2nd Place: Holly Mathis, Neighborhood Co-op Grocery, Carbondale, Illinois (second year placing in top three)
3rd Place: Margie Hansen, Nilssen’s Foods, Baldwin, Wisconsin

Winners for the 6-9 cash registers category are:

1st Place: David Scarlett, KVAT Food Stores, Knoxville, Tennessee (second year placing in top three)
2nd Place: Casey Erlacher, Hy-Vee Food Store, Canton, Illinois
3rd Place: Al Poland, Chucks Produce, Vancouver, Washington

Winners for the 10+ cash registers category are:

1st Place: John Weber, Hy-Vee Food Store, Worthington, Minnesota
2nd Place: Ken Marske, Schmitz’s Economart, Spooner, Wisconsin (second year placing in top three)
3rd Place: Doug Van Til, Van Tils Supermarket, Hammond, Indiana

For a list of honorable mentions and photos of the winning entries, visit the Display Contest website.