40 Under Forty

Four Seasons is proud to announce Brian Dey, Produce Merchandiser, as one of Produce Business’ 40 Under Forty winners, a recognition program driven by industry mentor votes. Brian Dey’s passion and commitment to this business is unanimously contagious and challenges each of us to push harder to be the next team member to raise the bar.

Produce Business defines 40 Under Forty winners as ‘those who are exemplified by an outstanding array of community involvement and demonstrate an extremely high degree of giving back to the people and places that have helped them reach their current positions.’

“We’re extremely proud of Brian’s 40 Under Forty award – it’s a reflection of his exceptional work and of our team’s work as a whole,” says Ray Taglialatela, Retail Services Manager, Four Seasons Produce. “Brian is undoubtedly recognized within the company as a young and talented person who is innovating the industry – Produce Business’ recognition makes his accomplishments an even sweeter celebration.”

You’re Only As Good as the Company You Keep

This past Monday evening, Four Seasons was honored to attend Central Penn Business Journal’s sixth annual Business of the Year Awards. This year, we were proud to be one of five finalists for Corporate Citizen of the Year – an award for individuals showing exemplary commitment to employees and community. Pride turned to sincere surprise when were awarded this prestigious title while in the company of such outstanding leaders.



Now that the reality of this recognition has settled in more, the adage, “you’re only as good as the company you keep” comes to mind. The entire Four Seasons Family of Companies doesn’t have the words to express our humble appreciation and thankfulness for this esteemed award. The companies and individuals that stood alongside us are some of the strongest and most respected in the category. Many thanks to our supportive partners who continually help us meet our goals in uniting and improving the community. It is a result of our surroundings that makes Four Seasons what it is today. Thank you.

What Customers Want & How to Deliver It

When you cut through all the extraneous information and data, quality is ultimately the name of the game and the goal of each customer walking through retailer doors. To deliver what customers want, it is crucial to employ the four cornerstones of retail success; display, variety, promotion and price.

• First, display – consumers are highly visual. The more saturation or presence of the item, the more apt the item is to be handled, evaluated and in the long run, purchased.
• Maximize display by highlighting variety, the second retail cornerstone. Utilized properly, large, organized quantities have no other choice but to effectively pique customer interest, drawing them in.
• Promotion continues the vital pattern of product saturation. Cross-promote with a separate product. Provide recipe cards. Plan sales. Hold contests. Offer demonstrations. Each of these tools allows the customer to further interact with and evaluate the product.
• The fourth and final cornerstone, price – as we were taught in Sales 101 – is the biggest influencer. Multiples pricing is an excellent way to drive sales and get customers to pick up two instead of one.
  

Focus on these points and it is a near-guarantee that customers will see quality produce on their next trip. To learn more, please contact our expert sales team.

A Community Connection

Community service is an important focus within the Four Seasons Family of Companies, which is why we continually work with quality organizations – like Feeding America – and support high quality causes, such as eradicating hunger. As part of our commitment to that ideal, Four Seasons recently held its 21st annual Customer Appreciation Golf Outing, which benefitted the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Susquehanna Valley – our longest standing charity partner.

Producing a successful community partnership or event is a rewarding process for any motivated executive looking to boost not only their company but their community – put these two tips to work for guaranteed success in any local event.

• Partner Up. A good meal goes great with a good cause. Outback Steakhouse was more than happy to help out by catering the post-golf dinner and ceremony.
• Connect The Neighborhood. When possible, involve volunteers not only within your organization but also local community members. This will spread the word and goodwill.

In executing the above tips, the 21st annual Customer Appreciation Golf Outing was a hit. Nearly 200 customers, vendors and suppliers from around the country came together for a round of golf, for a nice dinner and for a worthy cause. This year, with the help of like-minded business allies, Four Seasons proudly raised $25,000 and pushed our lifetime Make-A-Wish Foundation donations to more than $300,000.

The produce industry has many intricacies that make it one of the toughest businesses to be in today, yet the rewards of successfully navigating those intricacies are even sweeter. Factors like climate control, food safety, traceability – to name a few – are some of the daily, ever-changing concerns that must be balanced with the simple yet essential tasks of maintaining and growing a company. To achieve success, companies must first deliver reliability to customers and that means making smart partnership choices from the get go. Smart third party logistics partnerships are a vital component of this. Here are some tips our customers have found useful in achieving such relationships.

1. Balance the need for speed with the need for process.
Extreme time sensitivity is an ever-present challenge in the produce world. It also creates the need for a formalized process that manages inventory and delivers quick reports, fast thinking and customer solutions. Availability of reports on inventory and/or daily stock status allows decision makers to feel in control and minimizes anxiety over the unforeseen.

2. If these four walls could talk ...
No exception to the rule of "you never get a second chance to make a first impression", produce facilities and professionals should show care for appearance and health standards. With perishable product, the customer needs to feel confident that their deliveries will be kept at the correct temperature throughout the cold chain and that all food safety and handling practices are certified, standardized and consistently executed.



3. Put food safety in the driver's seat.
At the core, a food logistics partner is in the business of transporting precious, perishable cargo. Period. Consistency, experience and the ability to adapt quickly are good traits of great partners. The challenge here lies in system capabilities, electronic records and clear processes for identifying and separating recalled items as well as minimizing the loss of produce that is still viable. Preparing for and capably dealing with these safety concerns proves the value of smarter partner.

For more information on Smart Partnerships – and to learn what's new at Four Seasons, check out our news page.

Start At The Foundation…

In architecture, if a building’s core foundation isn’t stable then everything built upon it is subsequently shaky and subject to collapse. The same is true in business. Four Seasons, “core foundation” is to provide top quality produce and customer service. We have top quality down pat – Four Seasons works with the finest in the industry. Our mission statement “Growing Ideas and Producing Excellence” has provided a culture of continuous improvement and a driver for our sustainable efforts as, we started implementing green initiatives for the very walls of our own facilities.

Reducing and harnessing our energy use has been of high on our list of priorities for some time. Commercial buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR energy label, like Four Seasons’, use an average of thirty-five percent less energy and carbon dioxide than typical buildings. In terms of our facility, we’re running a multitude of sustainability initiatives focusing on energy, water and resource conservation that further ensure our core foundation of providing truly sustainable service.

Our energy initiatives include a range of projects from energy management and lighting retrofits, to power quality and dock door retrofits. Our young energy management project reduced consumption of electricity by more than half a million kW per year by implementing refrigeration-system software. We also installed a power quality system to improve power quality and lower energy costs. Last, Four Seasons’ lighting retrofit project – which replaced metal halide with T8 fluorescent lamps – yields an annual reduction of over 900,000 kWh, provides a 40% increase in lighting levels and has paid for itself in less than two years … a sustainable return on investment.

Most recently, Four Season’s office was retrofitted with an HVAC controls upgrade, making the building “smart” with CO2 sensors and precise control of ventilation for heating and cooling. Natural gas and electricity savings to date have already placed this project on track to match the payback of the lighting retrofit. So I ask this question: what are you doing to increase the sustainability (if not profitability) of your business?

Feeding America Wrap Up

Did you know?...
• From June 26 to July 4, Four Seasons Produce, Inc. donated $0.10 for every case of produce sold in an effort to help local families and individuals faced with hunger.
• In total, $33,247.30 was raised to aid several regional food banks.
• A one-dollar donation can translate into seven meals.

That last fact bears repeating when you consider the following information: It was a proud day for our family of companies recently when the total amount raised for Feeding America was revealed. Some $33,000 dollars later, we are so proud of our Four Seasons family team as well as our 13 suppliers, customers and partners who contributed to this worthy cause. We would personally like to thank Graul's Market, Karns Foods, Cornucopia Natural Foods, RMG, Fresh Express, Earthbound Farms/Advantage Sales and Marketing, Dole Fresh Cut Vegetables, Mother Earth, McKonly and Asbury, Lift Inc., First National Bank, AFS and Office Service Company.

More than 202,000 cases of produce were sold during the Feeding America fundraiser, equating into more than $20,000 contributed by Four Seasons Produce along with in-kind donations of $1,500 and $5,000 from sister companies Earth Source Trading and Sunrise Logistics.

The collective step forward made in this effort to combat hunger was virtually painless and the right thing to do given our position in the produce industry. The fundraiser may be over, but Four Seasons Produce and its family of companies plan to support the regional food banks through donations of fresh produce as we have done for many years.

Community Responsibility

Did you know?…
• One in six people don’t know where they’ll get their next meal.
• Nearly 15% of all American households are food insecure.
• A one dollar donation can translate into seven meals.

Working in the produce industry has afforded FSPI to be more aware of food availability (or lack thereof) and those communities grappling with hunger. This is a recurring problem in our country that isn’t improving – so we’re stepping up to do what we can. Driven to take action and represent our core values, our family of companies recently had the good fortune of being able to partner with the non-profit organization Feeding America. With so many being food insecure in our state alone, it will take an effort from all of us to make a difference. Faced with this reality, we have an opportunity to make a difference to reduce the number of families that go hungry this summer…as well as feel good knowing we took action. You, too, can help.

Our fundraising partnership with Feeding America, running June 26 through July 4, will donate $0.10 for every case of produce sold and delivered. Participating food banks in the D.C. and Pennsylvania area include Philabundance, Central PA Food Bank, Greater Berks Food Bank and Capital Area Food Bank in D.C. Not limited to just FSPI, additional brands within our family of companies including Sunrise Logistics and Earth Source, will also contribute. Focusing on local and surrounding communities first, we aim to demonstrate corporate and community responsibility. Like many other industry members, sustainability is a large focus for the FSPI companies – but we perceive sustainability to be comprised of both environment and neighbor. I encourage suppliers and partners to make a difference as well. Ask us how.

Ron Carkoski