New bosses at Lundberg

There’s been some big news lately at Lundberg Family Farms, the pioneering rice-growing and -processing operation in Richvale.

First came a report that the Employer Resource Institute had named the business the 2007 California Workplace of the Year, the grand prize among ERI’s Great California Workplaces awards. The award recognizes the way Lundberg supports, rewards and retains its employees. Among the employee perks: free fruit and vegetables, reduced-fee gym memberships, free flu shots and blood-pressure screening, and 100 percent tuition reimbursement.

The company also has an open-door policy and offers generous bonus and profit-sharing programs.

The other news is that Homer and Wendell Lundberg, the last two members of the second generation to operate the 70-year-old business, have given up their seats on the Board of Directors. They’ve been replaced by cousins Ingrid and Alysicia Lundberg, completing the transition to the family’s third generation. The older Lundbergs, like their two brothers, will remain actively involved with the company.