Access to the Acre

When Kent Shoemaker was hired as CEO of Immokalee-based Lipman in September 2010, one of his mandates was to diversify the company's operations.

Lipman, formerly known as Six L's, bills itself as the largest tomato producer in Florida. While the privately held company doesn't disclose sales, its operations span 23 locations nationwide and 4,000 employees.

Under Shoemaker, a food-distribution veteran who hailed from corporate giant Sysco, family-owned Lipman plans to diversify geographically and seasonally to locations such as California and Mexico.