Findlay chief wants to lure more vendors.(Corporation for Findlay Market, Bob Pickford)(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)

More vendors, more food, more commerce, more noise.

Bob Pickford, new executive director of the Corporation for Findlay Market said he'll push for all of the above, as he prepares to manage the city-owned market.

"There's a saying in the grocery industry: Pile it high, watch it fly," said Pickford, 49, chosen to run the city-owned market after a five-month search. "Abundance is an important part of the psychology of selling. My job, will be to bring more products and more vendors. And I expect that will bring more customers."

Pickford is the son of a city planner who spent most of his career managing food cooperatives, most notably the Federation of …