Ron Carkoski, who has served as the chief executive officer of Four Seasons Family of Cos. since 2002, will be retiring on Dec. 21. Carkoski started his career at Four Seasons Produce in 1994 as the director of procurement after previous leadership roles at Gateway Foods in Wisconsin.
David Hollinger, founder and chairman of Four Seasons, quickly noticed Carkoski’s capacity for leadership. “Four Seasons was growing rapidly, and I realized Ron had the passion and leadership to take us to the next level," he said. "Ron had earned my trust as well as the management teams’ trust, and he had the keen ability to effectively communicate the vision of the company.”
In 2006 Carkoski formed three new companies to respond to opportunities within the produce industry. Earth Source Trading, Sunrise Logistics and Sunrise Transport, along with Four Seasons Produce now make up the Four Seasons Family of Cos. Under Carkoski’s dynamic leadership, the Four Seasons Family of Cos. experienced tremendous growth. “Ron carried on the entrepreneur spirit of David Hollinger, and that spirit is alive and well throughout our team today,” said Jason Hollinger, president. “One of his favorite lines in the early years was, ’Say Yes’ and we will figure out how to do it later.”
A lasting contribution to Four Seasons was formalizing the company’s mission and core values. Nelson Longenecker, vice president of innovation remembers that process: “We had a cumbersome mission statement and core values that no one could remember. Ron led us through steps to more clearly articulate both. That effort has further shaped our culture for the past 15 years.”
Known as a strong leader with a big heart, Carkoski always put the team at Four Seasons first. Loretta Radanovic, vice president and chief and chief financial officer shared that “Ron sincerely cares about people, and is interested in who you are, how you’re doing, and how to make your work experience meaningful and rewarding.” Through both challenging and good times, Carkoski put people first and protected the culture of the company.
Throughout his career, Carkoski has been active in the produce industry serving as chairman of the United Fresh board of directors, and chairman of its wholesale distributor board. In his community, he has faithfully served on the board of directors of the Delaware Valley Floral Group and chairman of the Delaware Valley Floral Group’s Talen and Human Resources Committee. Most recently, Carkoski was elected to the Peninsula Music Festival Foundation board of trustees and is a member of the Make-A-Wish of Philadelphia and Susquehanna Valley board of directors. Carkoski will also be receiving the Untied Fresh Lifetime Achievement Award in January of 2019.
After living for 24 years in Pennsylvania, Carkoski and his wife, Patricia, will be relocating to their home state of Wisconsin on the Door County Peninsula. In retirement, Carkoski plans to spend time fishing, playing the piano and staying involved in the produce industry.
