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 Ohio River Co-operatives in Columbus until 1999; Co-operatives are wholesalers owned by the restaurant and retail customers they serve. By expanding into frozen food products, Pickford grew his co-op to a $12 million enterprise.

Pickford then relocated to College Hill to be closer to his wife. Linda Harig is branch manager at the Cincinnati Central Credit Union in Over-the-Rhine. The couple married last year.

The Corporation for Findlay Market is a nonprofit that's expected to manage the market after the city completes its $5.7 million renovation. Pickford said he's already sure of one thing The market's future will depend on playing to its strengths.

"There are lots of examples of retailers that work to replicate what is a natural part of the Findlay Market experience," said Pickford. The market's strength is "the energy that comes from the market environment. Individual vendors with individualistic retail approaches. You're dealing directly with the owners who are selling you the food. It's kind of a loud, raucus, wheeling and dealing. It's really business at its most basic level."