Apr 24, 2023

Domex Superfresh promotes Conner O’Malley to president

Domex Superfresh Growers has promoted Conner O’Malley to president.

In his new role, O’Malley will lead sales, operations, marketing, production management and grower relations. O’Malley succeeds predecessor Tim Lane, who plans to retire later this year after leading Superfresh for 25 years.

O’Malley is an expert in produce, with experiences in farming practices, fruit specifications, manifests, technology, and variety development. He specializes in strategic planning for Superfresh and its long-term sustainability, looking ahead to five, 10, and 20 years, according to a news release.

O’Malley excels in all operational aspects of retail support, including forecasting, promotional activities, merchandising, replenishment, quality control, logistics and accounting. During his time on the sales team, he built transparent and trust-filled relationships with customers across the Superfresh business, including retail, food service, wholesale, e-commerce, and export, Robert Kershaw, Domex’s CEO, said in the release.

“Conner is a gifted leader and has an unparalleled work ethic,” Kershaw said in the release. “He has a unique knack for seeing the bigger picture and planning for the future with people, customers, and growers in mind. As the Kershaw family’s sixth generation and other emerging leaders of this company move into management, he is the bridge to the future.”

O’Malley has been instrumental in cultivating a team-centric mindset. Kershaw characterized O’Malley as empathetic, a clear communicator, and embraces the company’s “servant leadership” culture.

“This is when the organizational chart is turned upside down, and the president works to serve everyone else,” Kershaw said in the release. “This culture permeates how we treat teammates, growers, and customers. It takes humility to embrace this culture and genuinely enjoy helping and seeing others succeed. If you truly enjoy seeing your growers, customers, and teammates around you successful, then magical things can happen. Conner thrives in this culture, and I enjoy seeing how others have embraced his leadership.”.

As president, O’Malley plans to continue collaborating with farming operations, marketing, and sales. He noted Lane’s contributions.

“Tim has been a mentor, coach, and friend throughout my career,” O’Malley said in the release. “I certainly would not be where I am in my career today without him, and I don’t think I will ever have the knowledge he possesses. His competitive drive will continue to fuel me and many others.”

O’Malley credited his colleagues. “I have the privilege of standing on the shoulders of some industry veterans that came before me,” O’Malley said in the release. “It is an honor to support and work alongside such a hard-working team of men and women. I look forward to the great things we will accomplish in the years ahead, aiming towards the common goal that we share with our grower and retail partners: to increase consumption and feed more people fresh fruit.”

Domex SuperFresh grows organic and conventional apples, pears, cherries, apricots, blueberries and kiwi berries.