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LA QUINTA (CNS) – La Quinta-based Prime Time International — a grower
and marketer of premium fruits and vegetables — announced the retirement
of its founders today.

Carl Sam Maggio and Mark Nickerson — who founded the company in 1992
along with Chuck Hodges — retired from the business, passing ownership to Mike
Way and Jeff Taylor.

“Although we are not related, we are family and it is time for the
generations to transition so our company can continue to grow and prosper,”
said Taylor.

Way and Taylor previously worked at Sun World before joining Prime
Time International in the early 1990s.

Prime Time International moved its headquarters a few miles from its
original location in Coachella to La Quinta in March.

The company, primarily known as “The Pepper People,” is a prominent
year-round grower, packer and shipper of colored peppers. It manages farming
operations in Coachella, Bakersfield, Oxnard and various locations through Baja
California and Mexico.

“The produce business is ever-changing and to survive you must be
prepared,” Way said in a statement. “Prime Time is built on a solid
foundation and will continue to grow with the primary goal of providing premium
produce items to our valued customers.”

Local Agriculture Business Announces Transition as Co-Founders Retire