Faye Clack Communications Inc.'s Cory Clack-Streef succumbs to cancer
Faye Clack Communications Inc.'s Cory Clack-Streef succumbs to cancer
The Canadian produce industry is a close-knit group that can be compared to a large extended family. That family lost one of its more beloved and respected members on Nov. 8 when Cory Clack-Streef, president of Mississauga, ON-based Faye Clack Communications, died following a two- year battle with breast cancer. She was 46.
"Cory knew and was intimately connected to every facet of the food industry," Virginia Clack-Zimm, her sister and business partner, said in a statement. "Whether it was communicating with the trade or dealing with the complex network of U.S. and Canadian government agencies or the media, her skill and experience benefited each of our clients and their individual objectives. She cultivated the agency's unique ability to effectively execute meaningful campaigns that garnered results in a communications-saturated marketplace while still inspiring our team."
Ms. Clack-Zimm continued, "Cory had a really big heart. She took the initiative whenever she saw the need, often before others recognized there was even a problem. Her fundraising efforts for the victims of the flooding post [Hurricane] Katrina were only one example of many such selfless undertakings. We will all miss her immensely."
The company's client base has, over the past several years, grown to be as diverse as Ms. Clack-Streef's ability to identify key issues and objectives. The produce-related list of clients runs a gamut from the Washington Apple Commission to the Southern United States Trade Association -- with Food Export USA Northeast and the Food Export Association of the Midwest USA thrown in for geographical balance.
"Cory was a passionate, caring and dedicated member of our very close-knit fruit and vegetable family," said Art Smith, chief executive officer of the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers' Association. "Her absence will be felt throughout the industry because commitment like hers, with her enthralling personality, was very rare, welcomed and will be sorely missed."
"I first got to know Cory many years ago at one of our CPMA conventions," said Dan Dempster, president of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association. "I was immediately struck by her passion for the industry and the people in it. I could tell her commitment was genuine, and have over the years watched her give back so much to the industry and charitable causes. Whenever I met her, there was a hug and that beautiful smile. There is a large hole in the industry today; she'll be missed but not forgotten."
"She was a fabulous gal and this is really unfortunate," said Gord Love, vice president of sales and marketing for The Ippolito Group. "Cory and her group would always come up with different ideas to get outside of the box and do something innovative and different. She came up with a lot of really unique, refreshing and new ideas and was great at pulling everybody together from the growing sector to the retailers and wholesalers and being able to work with all of them. It's a huge loss to her family, the organization and the industry."
Ms. Clack-Streef served as a past president and was an honorary director of the Ontario Produce Marketing Association. She received the OPMA's Produce Person of the Year Award in 2005 for her fundraising efforts to aid the flood victims of Hurricane Katrina.
"Cory was a beautiful person, both inside and out," said Ian MacKenzie, the OPMA's executive vice president. "Her positive attitude toward life has rewarded all those around her with cherished memories. Her passion for the industry was manifested in her dedication and commitment to her work. She loved this industry and would give unselfishly of her own time to assist in planning events and activities that would showcase its importance. She was so giving to the industry, wanting nothing in return. We have lost a true icon of the industry."
"We have lost a true leader, whose influence within the industry will not be forgotten," said Hugh Bowman, general manager of The Ippolito Group. "As a former vice president of the OPMA, I had the privilege of working alongside Cory during her term as president. Her enthusiasm, positive attitude and goal-oriented drive helped move the OPMA to new heights. During our travels to various events, Cory loved to share her produce experiences and love for the industry. She always knew how to brighten my day and was truly a remarkable, giving and committed individual. She will be sadly missed."
"She was a good friend of myself, my family and the industry," said Mike Ecker, vice president of sales and marketing for Vineland Growers Ltd., who first met Ms. Clack-Streef through her work with the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers' Marketing Board over 20 years ago and later served with her on the OPMA board of directors. "She always stepped up to the plate. The industry is much better because of her - there is no doubt about that."
Mr. Ecker continued, "She fought this battle and never complained. This rotten disease can take her away from us, but it can never take her spirit away from us. That was something that it can never take away no matter how much it tried, and her sprit will live on."
Judy Chong, creator of the Foodie Smart web site and a personal friend of Ms. Clack-Streef, spoke for many others in the industry when she said, "Cory stood out in our industry for her physical beauty and even more for her inner beauty. Always beautifully groomed, she led by example. Always concerned with others, [she was] willing to offer assistance with an open heart. She was just as concerned about the recipients' emotional needs in addition to the obvious needs, and somehow she had the grace to make the recipients feel they were the ones doing her a favor by accepting her love."
Ms. Chong added, "Though her spirit will always be with us, I will miss her gentle strength in a hard world."
Even though produce played such an important role in her life, Ms. Clack- Streef's first priority was her commitment to her husband, Albert, daughters Sadie, Fallon and Jillian, and family. She loved being a mother and was the first to take charge when arrangements needed to be made for birthdays, holiday celebrations and family reunions, Ms. Clack-Zimm said.
"It is key for everyone to know how much the Streef family cared for Cory, how wonderful a person she was and what a fantastic marriage she had with Albert," Peter Streef, vice president of Streef Produce and her brother-in-law to Ms. Clack-Streef, told The Produce News. "She was just so optimistic and full of life. She wanted everyone to get along and everybody to love everybody, and that's just the type of person she was. She was the first one to welcome anybody new into the family. She was the first one to step up to the plate to organize anything that involved the family. In addition to being an equal partner, she was also a huge supporter of Streef Produce."
In addition to her husband, children and sister, Ms. Clack-Streef is survived by her mother, Faye Clack, and her husband, Ewing Rae; her father, Bill Clack, and his wife, Pat Damm; her brother, Scott Clack, and his wife, Kim; her niece, Lena Zimm; and her nephew, Erich Zimm.
The family has established a trust fund in her memory, The Cory Clack-Streef Memorial Fund, which is a registered charity with the Royal Bank of Canada and which will be used to fund scholarships in Ms. Clack-Streef's name at North American culinary schools to help support the culinary arts and to perpetuate the food industry in which she was so intrinsically involved.
Donation checks should be made payable to FCC in Trust for Cory Clack- Streef Memorial Fund and forwarded to Faye Clack Communications Inc., 170 Robert Speck Parkway, First Floor, Mississauga, ON L4Z 3G1.
"Cory knew and was intimately connected to every facet of the food industry," Virginia Clack-Zimm, her sister and business partner, said in a statement. "Whether it was communicating with the trade or dealing with the complex network of U.S. and Canadian government agencies or the media, her skill and experience benefited each of our clients and their individual objectives. She cultivated the agency's unique ability to effectively execute meaningful campaigns that garnered results in a communications-saturated marketplace while still inspiring our team."
Ms. Clack-Zimm continued, "Cory had a really big heart. She took the initiative whenever she saw the need, often before others recognized there was even a problem. Her fundraising efforts for the victims of the flooding post [Hurricane] Katrina were only one example of many such selfless undertakings. We will all miss her immensely."
The company's client base has, over the past several years, grown to be as diverse as Ms. Clack-Streef's ability to identify key issues and objectives. The produce-related list of clients runs a gamut from the Washington Apple Commission to the Southern United States Trade Association -- with Food Export USA Northeast and the Food Export Association of the Midwest USA thrown in for geographical balance.
"Cory was a passionate, caring and dedicated member of our very close-knit fruit and vegetable family," said Art Smith, chief executive officer of the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers' Association. "Her absence will be felt throughout the industry because commitment like hers, with her enthralling personality, was very rare, welcomed and will be sorely missed."
"I first got to know Cory many years ago at one of our CPMA conventions," said Dan Dempster, president of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association. "I was immediately struck by her passion for the industry and the people in it. I could tell her commitment was genuine, and have over the years watched her give back so much to the industry and charitable causes. Whenever I met her, there was a hug and that beautiful smile. There is a large hole in the industry today; she'll be missed but not forgotten."
"She was a fabulous gal and this is really unfortunate," said Gord Love, vice president of sales and marketing for The Ippolito Group. "Cory and her group would always come up with different ideas to get outside of the box and do something innovative and different. She came up with a lot of really unique, refreshing and new ideas and was great at pulling everybody together from the growing sector to the retailers and wholesalers and being able to work with all of them. It's a huge loss to her family, the organization and the industry."
Ms. Clack-Streef served as a past president and was an honorary director of the Ontario Produce Marketing Association. She received the OPMA's Produce Person of the Year Award in 2005 for her fundraising efforts to aid the flood victims of Hurricane Katrina.
"Cory was a beautiful person, both inside and out," said Ian MacKenzie, the OPMA's executive vice president. "Her positive attitude toward life has rewarded all those around her with cherished memories. Her passion for the industry was manifested in her dedication and commitment to her work. She loved this industry and would give unselfishly of her own time to assist in planning events and activities that would showcase its importance. She was so giving to the industry, wanting nothing in return. We have lost a true icon of the industry."
"We have lost a true leader, whose influence within the industry will not be forgotten," said Hugh Bowman, general manager of The Ippolito Group. "As a former vice president of the OPMA, I had the privilege of working alongside Cory during her term as president. Her enthusiasm, positive attitude and goal-oriented drive helped move the OPMA to new heights. During our travels to various events, Cory loved to share her produce experiences and love for the industry. She always knew how to brighten my day and was truly a remarkable, giving and committed individual. She will be sadly missed."
"She was a good friend of myself, my family and the industry," said Mike Ecker, vice president of sales and marketing for Vineland Growers Ltd., who first met Ms. Clack-Streef through her work with the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers' Marketing Board over 20 years ago and later served with her on the OPMA board of directors. "She always stepped up to the plate. The industry is much better because of her - there is no doubt about that."
Mr. Ecker continued, "She fought this battle and never complained. This rotten disease can take her away from us, but it can never take her spirit away from us. That was something that it can never take away no matter how much it tried, and her sprit will live on."
Judy Chong, creator of the Foodie Smart web site and a personal friend of Ms. Clack-Streef, spoke for many others in the industry when she said, "Cory stood out in our industry for her physical beauty and even more for her inner beauty. Always beautifully groomed, she led by example. Always concerned with others, [she was] willing to offer assistance with an open heart. She was just as concerned about the recipients' emotional needs in addition to the obvious needs, and somehow she had the grace to make the recipients feel they were the ones doing her a favor by accepting her love."
Ms. Chong added, "Though her spirit will always be with us, I will miss her gentle strength in a hard world."
Even though produce played such an important role in her life, Ms. Clack- Streef's first priority was her commitment to her husband, Albert, daughters Sadie, Fallon and Jillian, and family. She loved being a mother and was the first to take charge when arrangements needed to be made for birthdays, holiday celebrations and family reunions, Ms. Clack-Zimm said.
"It is key for everyone to know how much the Streef family cared for Cory, how wonderful a person she was and what a fantastic marriage she had with Albert," Peter Streef, vice president of Streef Produce and her brother-in-law to Ms. Clack-Streef, told The Produce News. "She was just so optimistic and full of life. She wanted everyone to get along and everybody to love everybody, and that's just the type of person she was. She was the first one to welcome anybody new into the family. She was the first one to step up to the plate to organize anything that involved the family. In addition to being an equal partner, she was also a huge supporter of Streef Produce."
In addition to her husband, children and sister, Ms. Clack-Streef is survived by her mother, Faye Clack, and her husband, Ewing Rae; her father, Bill Clack, and his wife, Pat Damm; her brother, Scott Clack, and his wife, Kim; her niece, Lena Zimm; and her nephew, Erich Zimm.
The family has established a trust fund in her memory, The Cory Clack-Streef Memorial Fund, which is a registered charity with the Royal Bank of Canada and which will be used to fund scholarships in Ms. Clack-Streef's name at North American culinary schools to help support the culinary arts and to perpetuate the food industry in which she was so intrinsically involved.
Donation checks should be made payable to FCC in Trust for Cory Clack- Streef Memorial Fund and forwarded to Faye Clack Communications Inc., 170 Robert Speck Parkway, First Floor, Mississauga, ON L4Z 3G1.
