Alan D. Ritacco, 67, of Eagan, Minn., died of a massive stroke at his lake cabin home near Eveleth, Minn. His death came months short of an intended retirement and before he could show the ropes to a successor, who started July 1. Neil Rudeen, a Bird Island, Minn., farmer and chairman of the co-op's board, is serving as acting CEO.

Ritacco's death came as a shock to the co-op's board of directors who recently was hired a new president, John Richmond of the Sugarland, Texas, area. Richmond was to serve as under Ritacco, who would retain the CEO title until Ritacco would retire at some undetermined point, probably in the coming year.

The co-op

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

As president of Southern Minnesota Beet, Ritacco served on the United Sugars board and had served as chairman three years ago. Before coming to Southern Minnesota, Ritacco was an executive with International Multifoods, where he had spent the bulk of his career. He had an electrical engineering degree from the University of Minnesota.

Under Ritacco's leadership, Southern Minnesota had undertaken a $100 plant expansion, which is not yet complete. Recently, he'd dealt with a financial blow to shareholders from frost damage on the 2000 crop. The process to recover losses from insurance companies is ongoing.

Shareholders are organizing in groups according to about 10 insurance carriers to organize legal action, Rudeen says. "Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but we're in the process," Rudeen says of potential litigation. The company itself has no claim.

Year 2000 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.

The company also suffered damages to the 1999 crop because of a boiler failure that interrupted processing for two weeks. That matter also still is under negotiation between the co-op and its insurance carriers.

"I think now the executive transition period will be extremely condensed," Rudeen says. "I think Al's strong leadership and ability to weave us through adversity is going to be sorely missed."

New manager

In a recent memo to grower-shareholders, Rudeen says Richmond, 54, brings 28 years of experience in the sugar industry, holding various positions with Holly Sugar and Imperial Sugar Co. The board announced that Richmond would supervise Jeff Plathe, vice president administration and chief financial officer, as well as Mark Suhr, vice president of operations and Jimmy Widner, vice president of agriculture.

"John's last position with the Imperial Sugar Co. was managing director responsible for the beet sugar operations," Rudeen wrote. He says the co-op is pleased to have a manager of Richmond's talents and experience joining the management team.

Ritacco's funeral information did not include a full biography. Cron-Sheehy Funeral home in Eveleth released a death notice which says private services already have been held in Eveleth. Ritacco had lived in Eagan, Minn., with his wife, Joan. He is survived by is mother, Margaret Rossi, and of 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, Minn. 55372.