Longtime produce industry great, Ron Carkoski, passed away at the age of 69 surrounded by his family on January 5, 2023. Ron was known as a strong leader with a big heart, for his sense of humor and musical talent, and as someone who made an impact on lives and careers of so many.
Ron served as the CEO of Four Seasons Family of Companies from 2002 through 2018 when he retired. His career at Four Seasons Produce in Pennsylvania started in 1994 as the Director of Procurement after previous leadership roles at Gateway Foods in Wisconsin. Ron grew up around the produce business with his father but pursued a music degree and was a music teacher before making the career change into wholesale distribution.
Throughout his career, Ron was active in the produce industry serving as Chairman of the United Fresh Board of Directors, and Chairman of its Wholesale Distributor Board. Ron received the United Fresh Lifetime Achievement award in January of 2019. In his community, he faithfully served on the Board of Directors of the Delaware Valley Floral Group, was on the Peninsula Music Festival Foundation Board of Trustees in Wisconsin and was a member of the Make-A-Wish of Philadelphia and Susquehanna Valley Board of Directors.
The Carkoski family remembers him “as a loving husband of nearly 47 years, an inspirational father to three children, a nurturing and energetic mentor and leader, a grandfather who absolutely cherished his two grandkids, and a father-in-law who loved two more children as his own.”
His family continues, “Of the many accolades Ron achieved over his lifetime, nothing meant more to him than his family and friends.”
