Alan D. Ritacco, 67, of Eagan, Minn., died of an apparent heart attack at a lake cabin home, company officials said. His death came months short of an intended retirement and before he could show the ropes to a successor.

Neil Rudeen, a Bird Island, Minn., farmer and chairman of the co-op's board, is serving as acting CEO, a source close to the company said. Ritacco's death came as a shock to the co-op's board of directors, who last week hired John Richmond of the Sugarland, Texas, area, to serve as president under Ritacco, who would retain the CEO title until Ritacco would retire this year.

Southern Minnesota is one of four companies -- with American Crystal Sugar Co. of Moorhead, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative of Wahpeton, N.D., and U.S. Sugar Corp. of Clewiston, Fla., who market sugar together as United Sugars Co. of the Minneapolis area.

As president of Southern Minnesota Beet, Ritacco served on the United Sugars board. Prior to coming to Southern Minnesota, Ritacco was an executive with International Multifoods.

Under Ritacco's leadership, Southern Minnesota had completed a major plant expansion. Recently, he'd dealt with a financial blow from frost damage on the 2000 crop. The process to recover losses from insurance companies is ongoing. The beets were harvested and thought to be sound, but 450,000 tons of a 2.3 million ton crop had to be discarded, and other beets were processed but damaged.

In a memo to grower-shareholders last week, Rudeen said Richmond brings to the co-op 28 years of experience in the sugar industry, holding various positions with Holly Sugar and the Imperial Sugar Company.

Ritacco had lived in Eagan, with his wife, Joan. He is survived by his mother, Margaret Rossi, and his five children, 16 grandchildren, two sisters and a brother. The family asked that memorials be sent to the Franciscan Retreat House, Conventual Franciscan Friars, 16385 Francis Lane, Prior Lake MN 55372.