Local Agriculture Business Announces Transition as Co-Founders Retire

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." Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc. CNS-05-11-2022 13:21