Annual Community Leadership Award Dinner 2006 Recipient

Sonny DiCrecchio

Sonny DiCrecchio grew up in South Philadelphia. At the age of 6, he started working at his father's produce store in the Italian Market on 9th Street. He did not have a typical carefree childhood; when he was not in school he was working with his father including summers and holidays. His father always had a tremendous influence on his life and continues to mentor him today. This upbringing positively impacted Sonny's character and poised him to become a community leader.

Sonny stayed in his family business until age 18. After high school, he had a desire to learn the building trades including plumbing, electrical and home remodeling. In construction he realized he had an interest in refrigeration. In 1982, he attended the Philadelphia Wireless Institute for Refrigeration and from 1982 to 1984 he worked at Drexel University in the Facilities Department.

In 1984, Sonny started his own refrigeration business in New Jersey named Specialty Refrigeration which specializes in servicing refrigeration equipment. He quickly added major fast food accounts such as McDonalds and Burger King to his business. In 1998, he moved his business to the Food Distribution Center in Philadelphia.

In 2000, Sonny was approached by the Philadelphia Regional Produce Market to become its General Manager. Shortly after becoming General Manager, he recognized that due to industry regulations, he needed to upgrade his facility or build a new one. In 2005, he was able to successfully convince the City of Philadelphia and the State of Pennsylvania to contribute a grant and land for the construction of a new $200M produce terminal at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. This facility is currently under design and will begin construction in 2007.

Sonny is a board member of NAPMM, the National Association of Produce Market Managers. In March 2006, he was named one of the Packer 25 which is the top 25 businessmen in the produce industry nationwide. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Regional Produce Terminal.

Although very active in his career, Sonny has always taken the time to give back to his community. One example is his dedication, along with his wife, Michelle with the Samaritan Hospice of New Jersey. Another example is Sonny's leadership in founding the "Produce Rescue Program" for Philabundance. His involvement in this program was directly responsible for increasing the amount of food donated to homeless persons from 200,000 lbs to three million lbs annually.

Sonny has also adopted the Sharswood School, located at 3rd and Wolf Streets, and established a Produce Program at this K through 8 school. He donates fruit to the school and gets the students involved in learning about nutrition and the business of produce. Once a month, the school hosts a fruit sale where students raise funds for their school to buy computers and other needed supplies.

Through his leadership efforts at the Produce Terminal, Sonny actively sponsors just about every charitable Run or Walk event in Philadelphia including: Red Cross, American Diabetes Association, Magee Rehabilitation Center and Fox Chase Cancer Center.

In addition to his professional and charitable accomplishments, Sonny is most proud of his family. He has one daughter, Darla and one granddaughter, Veronica. Sonny and his wife currently reside in Voorhees, NJ. When taking time to relax, Sonny enjoys listening to Elvis Presley.