It is with mixed feelings that Rainier Fruit Company announces the retirement of their President, Randy Abhold on August 31st.
“It’s difficult, if not impossible, to sum up his achievements over the last 26 years,” Mark Zirkle, CEO of Rainier comments. Randy has a long history in the industry and an origin story worth reading.
Starting his career in his hometown of Yakima, WA, Randy’s first job was working at a local restaurant. From that humble restaurant job, he was recruited by a hardware store and placed in a position that had him working the floor doing whatever needed to be done. Dedicated to the work and willing to put in the hours, he quickly moved to the sales floor. His competitive-bent mind thrived in sales. Just as before, he was recruited from the hardware store to work in sales at a local appliance store.
Things got interesting when Bill and Linda Zirkle, owners of Rainier Fruit, came in to purchase appliances for their new apple facility opening in Selah, WA. It was a serendipitous moment in Randy’s life, he was completely unaware of the long-lasting impact it would have on the rest of his career. Bill took a chance and left his phone number with the young appliance salesman. Randy made the call, and with little reluctance, made the switch to Rainier. He once again quickly showed his worth in salt and made record-breaking sales at Rainier.
After only 4 years at Rainier Fruit, he achieved Domestic Sales Manager and led the company to being a retail focused and data driven organization. That momentum propelled Rainier into one of the largest tree fruit sales groups in the United States.
“It was a different time in apple sales. It was the dark ages, back when Red Delicious reigned as king, but they were becoming increasingly hard to sell,” reminisced Randy.
Though it was a rough time to be an apple salesman, that didn’t deter him. Using data to drive decisions and a willingness to try new things, he pressed on, ushering in the next era of apple sales. One of the first believers in Honeycrisp, Randy held onto the infamously hard-to-grow apple, betting on the game that it would one day be a success. And it was an overwhelming success.
He leveraged the apple’s triumph and cemented it in as one of Rainier’s signature items that stood head and shoulders above the rest. Rainier became known for their Honeycrisp program: a reliably available apple that was in a quality league all its own. Rainier’s current year-round Honeycrisp program can trace its roots back to Randy’s determination and faith in the apple.
Working in apples, pears, cherries, and blueberries tends to steal your summers. After many years spent grounded by cherry season, Randy plans on utilizing his retirement to travel and see places that he has only flown over going from point A to point B. Hiking the Grand Canyon, going to Moab, and spending time with his children and grandchildren. “I am so grateful to be part of this and, in a small way, to have contributed to Rainier and the standard of excellence we represent,” said Randy.
Mark Zirkle, current CEO, will reassume the position of President, and Blake Belknap will continue his responsibilities as Vice President of Sales and Business Development. Rainier sends Randy off into his next season with gratitude and the best of wishes. “Good luck, Randy, from your colleagues and customers alike,” concluded Mark.
