Editor's note: The following is one of the issues highlighted in The Packer's Year in Produce 2023 review.
Leaders, innovators and industry stalwarts were among those who died in 2023, with their peers remembering their professional contributions and impact on the produce industry.
January
Ron Carkoski
Ron Carkoski, 69, retired CEO of Four Seasons Produce and a past chair of United Fresh Produce Association, was the “epitome of a volunteer with a servant’s heart and approach to helping the industry improve,” the International Fresh Produce Associaiton said. Carkoski was The Packer’s Produce Person of the Year in 2015 and received UFPA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
Jim Matiasevich
California produce veteran Jim Matiasevich, 76, was co-founder and president of Fullerton, Calif.-based Veg-Land Sales Inc. and its subsidiaries, including JBJ Distributing and Flowerland. Dominic Etcheberria, general manager of Veg-Land Sales, praised Matiasevich’s passion for the industry and care for his employees.
February
Craig Fox
Craig Fox, 62, executive vice president for Fox Packaging, was celebrated for his vigor and enthusiasm. Fox, with his family, pioneered packaging solutions that have greatly and positively affected the fresh produce industry. With great respect toward agriculture and a dedication to industry relationships, Fox served the produce industry for over four decades, the company said.
March
Dan Branson
Dan Branson, 57, was senior director of business and product development for Mucci Farms. Branson joined Mucci Farms in August 2021 after a long career in the produce industry, most notably with Loblaw Cos. Branson was remembered as a “forward-thinker and thought-leader” who served as a board member for the Canadian Produce Marketing Association.
“Dutch” Gay
Longtime Tom Lange Co. leader Farrell Cole "Dutch" Gay, 89, served as president and chairman of the Tom Lange Family of Companies before retiring in 1997. “Dutch was a wonderful man and mentor,” current Tom Lange Co. President and CEO Greg Reinauer said. “I could always count on him for the background on our business.”
April
David Whitmore
Canadian produce veteran David Whitmore, 60, had been a longtime and employee at Winnipeg, Manitoba-based Peak of the Market, having recently retired, said CEO Pamela Kolochuk. She added that Whitmore began his career in the company as a sales representative to eventually become vice president of product and business development.
Stew Leonard
Stew Leonard Sr., 93, was the founder of Norwalk, Conn.-based Stew Leonard’s supermarkets in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. Throughout the course of his life, Leonard was consistently recognized by his peers and the media for excellence in retailing and entrepreneurship.
Matt Pandol Jr.
Matt Steve Pandol Jr. of Pandol Bros., 60, was remembered for his dedication to his family and farming. Pandol worked separately and in conjunction with his family in their farming and produce marketing businesses. He also served on the Delano Grape Growers Co-op Winery board of directors.
May
Kurt Dramm
Kurt W. Dramm, 85, was the longtime head of the Dramm Corp. During his 45 years of ownership, the Dramm Corp. grew to a four-segment business that included commercial greenhouse equipment and other products, the company said, calling him “a born salesman and friend to all in the horticulture industry.”
June
Yvonne Morales
Yvonne Morales, a longtime employee of Little Bear Produce, played an instrumental role in the daily operations of J&D Produce beginning in 1988, serving as a trusted right hand for co-owners Jimmy and Diane Bassetti, the company said. She was widely known and loved by many in the produce industry, especially by J&D’s customers, growers, vendors and suppliers.
Fred Van Zandt
Fred Van Zandt had “a great career” in agriculture and the produce business starting with his time at Calamos Investments, B&B Imports Inc. President Mike Bowe said of his colleague. As his career progressed, Van Zandt was most active in the citrus part of San Joaquin Valley agriculture.
July
Pam Dasher
G&R Farms co-owner Pam Durrence Dasher, 79, was known as a prominent farmer, businesswoman and Vidalia sweet onion pioneer. Throughout the years, Dasher worked side-by-side with her husband and his brother as they grew the farm and helped build a leading year-round global sweet onion empire.
September
Al “Buzz” Horton
Longtime Kentucky produce industry veteran Al “Buzz” Horton, 79, was recalled as an incredibly sharp businessman who cared deeply for his associates, said Horton Fruit Co. President Mike Wise. After joining the family business in 1968, Horton served as chairman and CEO of the Louisville, Ky.-based Horton Fruit Co. for nearly three decades.
Robert “Bob” Bassetti
Produce industry veteran and B&B Produce owner Robert “Bob” Bassetti, 83, was remembered as an innovative and forward thinker. A statement announcing his death said he had a passion for produce and lived and breathed the business. After co-founding B&B Produce, he eventually became the sole owner and expanded to locations in Hammonton and Benson, N.C.
Marianne Santo
Marianne Santo, 61, was a three-time president of the Eastern Produce Council and senior category manager of produce and floral at Wakefern Food Corp. Santo worked more than 38 years at Wakefern, a retailer-owned cooperative with 362 retail supermarkets under various banners.
Jeffrey Nagelberg
Panorama Produce founder Jeffrey Nagelberg, 78, was known for his wisdom in both the produce business and in life, including an ability to find the middle ground in a disagreement or discussion, his son, Eric Nagelberg, told The Packer. “He always was my sounding board, always my voice of reason. I find myself quoting him every day,” Eric Nagelberg said.
November
Ed Boutonnet
Former Ocean Mist Farms president and CEO Ed Boutonnet, 83, was remembered as a visionary and devoted grower-owner of the company for over 40 years. As a farmer, he was a proud and steadfast steward of the land and understood the many facets of farming; as a leader, his had a passion for farming, the community, and developing and mentoring employees, the company said.
— Amy Sowder, Tom Karst, Wayne Hardy, The Packer Staff