Coast to Coast's Peter Sticco dies at 55
Coast to Coast's Peter Sticco dies at 55
Peter Sticco, founder of Coast to Coast Produce LLC, headquartered in Cheshire, CT, died Monday, Sept. 1 at his home in Cheshire following what was described as a long illness. He was 55 years old.
Mr. Sticco was born Dec. 31, 1952, in New Haven, CT. He graduated from Notre Dame High School and attended Sacred Heart University.
Coast to Coast is primarily a broker and distributor of fresh fruits and vegetables, but it is also a grower, an aspect of the firm that Mr. Sticco particularly enjoyed considering his roots in the produce industry. He grew up on his father's 50-acre produce farm in Orange, CT, called Peter Sticco & Sons, which grew a variety of items, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, cauliflower, endive and escarole, he told The Produce News back in the fall of 2006.
He worked there from age 9 until he turned 21, then worked from 1974 to 1985 at Bozzuto's Inc., a wholesale grocer headquartered in Cheshire, as produce director. He left there to start his own company.
Today, in addition to its headquarters, Coast to Coast has satellite offices in Boston; Miami; Westerly, RI; and Monterey, CA.
Coast to Coast was a produce supplier to Bozzuto's right from its start in 1985, and Bozzuto's twice named the company its produce supplier of the year, according to Greg Veneziano, director of produce and floral for the wholesale grocer. Mr. Sticco also received the Adam Bozzuto Award in 2007, one of only two recipients not employed by Bozzuto's to receive the award.
"Peter was really easy to work with," said Mr. Veneziano, a longtime business associate. "He would always help you -- whatever he could do. I know one thing: When he told you something, it happened. When he said something, you could bank on it. If he made a commitment, you knew you didn't have to worry about that commitment."
Mr. Sticco is survived by his mother, Mildred Marangell Sticco, of New Haven, and his aunt, Ann Sticco, of Cheshire. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to St. Aedan's Church, 112 Fountain St., New Haven, CT 06515.
In his many interviews over the years with The Produce News, Mr. Sticco never failed to mention his employees around the country as the source of his company's success. As he said in 2005, the year that marked the company's 20th anniversary, "The company has a very good reputation. We try to keep to ourselves and try to keep everybody happy. I'm very happy with the progress this company has made in the last 20 years. Some people have been here all 20 years. I think that's a tribute to this company."
Beverly Grove, who worked with Mr. Sticco at the company headquarters for nine years, told The Produce News a few days after his death, "He was so much fun. He certainly knew the business well. He was a great person, a great boss, a great man. The world is just not spinning the same way anymore."
Mr. Sticco was born Dec. 31, 1952, in New Haven, CT. He graduated from Notre Dame High School and attended Sacred Heart University.
Coast to Coast is primarily a broker and distributor of fresh fruits and vegetables, but it is also a grower, an aspect of the firm that Mr. Sticco particularly enjoyed considering his roots in the produce industry. He grew up on his father's 50-acre produce farm in Orange, CT, called Peter Sticco & Sons, which grew a variety of items, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, cauliflower, endive and escarole, he told The Produce News back in the fall of 2006.
He worked there from age 9 until he turned 21, then worked from 1974 to 1985 at Bozzuto's Inc., a wholesale grocer headquartered in Cheshire, as produce director. He left there to start his own company.
Today, in addition to its headquarters, Coast to Coast has satellite offices in Boston; Miami; Westerly, RI; and Monterey, CA.
Coast to Coast was a produce supplier to Bozzuto's right from its start in 1985, and Bozzuto's twice named the company its produce supplier of the year, according to Greg Veneziano, director of produce and floral for the wholesale grocer. Mr. Sticco also received the Adam Bozzuto Award in 2007, one of only two recipients not employed by Bozzuto's to receive the award.
"Peter was really easy to work with," said Mr. Veneziano, a longtime business associate. "He would always help you -- whatever he could do. I know one thing: When he told you something, it happened. When he said something, you could bank on it. If he made a commitment, you knew you didn't have to worry about that commitment."
Mr. Sticco is survived by his mother, Mildred Marangell Sticco, of New Haven, and his aunt, Ann Sticco, of Cheshire. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to St. Aedan's Church, 112 Fountain St., New Haven, CT 06515.
In his many interviews over the years with The Produce News, Mr. Sticco never failed to mention his employees around the country as the source of his company's success. As he said in 2005, the year that marked the company's 20th anniversary, "The company has a very good reputation. We try to keep to ourselves and try to keep everybody happy. I'm very happy with the progress this company has made in the last 20 years. Some people have been here all 20 years. I think that's a tribute to this company."
Beverly Grove, who worked with Mr. Sticco at the company headquarters for nine years, told The Produce News a few days after his death, "He was so much fun. He certainly knew the business well. He was a great person, a great boss, a great man. The world is just not spinning the same way anymore."
