Rick Estess is more than a produce professional or a longtime veteran; he is a pillar of the produce community. I could testify to his sales savvy and his work ethic, both of which are renowned, but I think what it really comes down to is something his son Corbin told me: that he grew up knowing so many produce professionals as part of the Estess family.
“My dad was always inviting people to dinner. If customers or coworkers were around, we would all go out, or my mom would make a home-cooked meal,” Corbin shares. “RPE, part of Wysocki Family Companies, has been wonderful to my dad, and we were blessed by the opportunities they gave him. Without their support, he could not have accomplished all that he has over the last 16 years of SEPC’s (Southeast Produce Council) 24 years.”
Ours is an industry where you are made far richer by embracing the produce lifestyle rather than toiling away at the produce job. Rick Estess, regional Sales Manager at Wysocki Family Companies and former President of SEPC, Terry Vorhees Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, and a longtime member, announced his retirement last year, an occasion the council wanted to honor among his family and friends in the industry.
“SEPC has meant a lot to me and a lot to my family. I think it’s a wonderful thing to be a part of,” Corbin reflects, telling me that council events are something he’s gotten to be a part of most of his life. Describing gatherings in a context I can only associate with holidays and family reunions, Corbin remembers going to Southern Innovations and ceremonies. “It’s something I’m so thankful for, it’s allowed me to meet wonderful people and have great experiences. I can’t thank SEPC and Mr. David [Sherrod] enough for the opportunities they’ve made possible for me and for my family.”
When Corbin took the stage at his father’s retirement party at the 2025 Southern Innovations, our President and Chief Executive Officer, Robert Lambert, sat in that room on the warm afternoon with his son, Max—the first time his then-19-year-old had experienced such an event. The magnitude of camaraderie, joy, and partnership that emanated from the crowd was palpable as Robert recalls, a moment his son could truly begin to understand what it means to be a part of this industry.
“My dad was always there for the big things, but couldn’t always be there for the small, everyday things because of how much he had to travel for work until I was in about ninth grade,” Corbin later shared with me, recalling times when his father showed up to baseball games in his business attire, having come straight from the airport. “Growing up, I never realized how well-known he is in the industry. To me, he was just my dad. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized he’s been a part of a lot of things that have changed and shaped the industry for the better.”
Expanding on this, David Sherrod, President of SEPC, pointed out Rick’s pivotal role in programs like the STEP-UPP program and Southern Roots, relating to me how much joy Rick has taken in supporting the next generations of produce and empowering women in the industry.
“Rick has played such a big role in the structure of the council, and we can’t ever repay him for all he’s done,” David shares.
It is a side I first learned of Rick when connecting with Westfalia Fruit USA President and Chief Executive Officer Raina Nelson on her key mentors in the industry.
Almost four years ago now, she shared how she calls Rick her produce dad, explaining he was the catalyst to her involvement in STARS—Southeast Top Agricultural Recruits Scholarship.
“He truly is a visionary who was there at the beginning of SEPC’s Southern Roots and advocating for something like it long before. Rick was and is one of the major supporters of women in the industry,” she shared at the time.
Rick himself was the one who told me that a good mentor is a person who has seen the value of mentorship firsthand and is willing to give back and pass on their experiences and knowledge by mentoring others.
This, more than anything, is at the heart of everything fueling the SEPC culture I’ve come to know in my 11 years in this industry. And as a parent can no more “retire” from a family, David assures me Rick will be joining SEPC’s lifelong members, always invited and enjoying events without having to worry about the behind-the-scenes.
“He is one of my best friends, and he’ll never retire completely—you can’t retire from family,” David jokes. “Rick and those like him always become lifetime members—we give back to them and be sure they know they are welcome until they won’t or can’t come anymore to show our gratitude for all they’ve done and put into the council over the years.”
It falls short to say Rick’s pivotal role, at RPE, at SEPC, and in our industry at large, reaches beyond business.
“My family has expanded from produce. Ours is, in a sense, small, with my parents and siblings. But when you add in Mr. David, who’s been a second father to me, his children—Henry, Hudson, Hanna—who I’ve grown up with, Raina Nelson, who has also become a part of the family, there are so many you don’t realize you’re gaining as a kid. I’ve gotten to know so many people through the produce industry—people calling and checking in, looking out for me and having my best interests in mind,” he reflected. “SEPC has meant a lot to me and a lot to my family. I think it’s a wonderful thing to be a part of.”
“SEPC [Southeast Produce Council] has meant a lot to me and a lot to my family. I think it’s a wonderful thing to be a part of.”
-Corbin Estess
We all try in the moment to help those in our lives understand the deep ties in fresh produce that blur the lines between business and life, and we all hope that one day they understand the way Corbin shared he now does.
“What my dad did has inspired me,” Corbin says. “Seeing my dad and his accomplishments has driven me to want to provide and be for my family what my dad did for us and for so many more. If I can be at least half the man my father has, then I’d be doing great.”
If done right, as David shared with me, anyone who retires from our industry should do so with more than an understanding of produce operations; they should carry a connection that lasts throughout, even beyond, their lifetime.
For Rick Estess, it has meant that if a customer, coworker, or acquaintance of fresh produce was in town, they were invited to dinner. 
