Source:  NCDA&CS, 4/17/15

Ronnie Best, manager of the State Farmers Market, was named Market Manager of the Year by the National Association of Produce Market Managers. Best received the award earlier this month during the association’s annual meeting in Fort Myers, Fla.

“Ronnie is very deserving of this award, and I couldn’t be more proud of the job he is doing at the State Farmers Market,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “He has helped shape the market into a world-class destination for consumers looking for locally grown produce and agricultural products.”

Best has worked for the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for 27 years, and has managed the State Farmers Market since 2001.

He is the fourth manager of the State Farmers Market to be named Market Manager of the Year, joining Charles Edwards (1991), Charles Murray (1974) and Jim Graham (1964).

A native of Garner, Best still lives there with his wife, Linda. The couple has two adult children and two grandchildren.