The People Behind the Produce

Pete Lombardo, to borrow a phrase from James Brown, is on the team of the hardest working men (and women!) in the produce industry! He's on our night crew and helps put together customer orders and gets them ready for our drivers to deliver. He sets the orders for the north Scottsdale and west Phoenix deliveries. Pete is originally from Hurley, Wisconsin. He's married with 3 children and 3 grandchildren. Pete splits his time between Payson, where he lives, and Phoenix where he helps take care of his mother. If that's not enough to keep him busy, he also has a garden with cucumbers, tomatoes and corn that he tends to in Payson.

What is your favorite part of the job? I really enjoy making sure that the orders are put together correctly and that we have the best quality of product. Each customer has different things that they like and I want to make sure they all get what they're looking for. I've learned a lot about specialty produce here too. One day, we had some rambutans in the warehouse. They were the oddest fruit I had ever seen, so I took a picture of them to show my wife and son. When I went home that night and showed them the picture, we talked about where they were from and how they are prepared. The next week, my son went to school and his teacher brought a picture of a rambutan she had just gotten. She asked the class if anyone knew what it was and my son was the only one who knew! He asks me all the time now to take pictures of the specialty products we have here.

What is your favorite movie? I'm a big Sci-Fi fan so I'd say my favorite movie is Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. The special effects are amazing.

What is your favorite music/band? Country Western and the oldies are my favorite types of music. I go to the casino and have had the chance to see the tribute band for the Four Tops and really enjoyed that show.

TV Show? Star Trek: The Next Generation, of course!

Food? A good steak, medium rare, can't be beat! Of course working here, I also like fruit too. Cantaloupe and honeydew are probably my favorites.

What was your first job? I worked at a restaurant as a dishwasher and salad maker at the old Joe Hunt's in the Scottsdale Fashion Square before they tore it down.

If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? My father passed away a few years ago, so I'd like to have dinner with him again.

What do you do in your leisure time? I like to work with wood and make cabinets. My friend works at one of the casinos and we bought a poker table. We took it apart and studied it and now we make poker tables to sell.

What is your favorite quote or piece of advice you'd like to share? Do a good job and give positive feedback. People respond so much better when they have someone telling them when the do the right thing.

Well Pete, we think you do a great job and our customers appreciate the care and attention you give them on all of their orders! Thanks for making our start of the day the best it can be.