With the Nov. 30 retirement of Richard L. Knowlton after 32 years on the Hormel Foundation Board of Directors — the last 16 years as chairman — the following changes have been announced:
The board of directors elected Gary J. Ray as chairman and Bonnie B. Rietz as vice chairwoman at its annual meeting last week. Jerry A. Anfinson and Steven T. Rizzi Jr. were re-elected as treasurer and secretary, respectively.
Ray retired as president of the refrigerated foods group from Hormel Foods Corp. in December 2009, after being with the company for 40 years. He's been on the Hormel Foundation Board for 16 years, being elected as a director in January 1996 and as vice chairman in December 2010. He has been a resident of Austin since 1980 and has been active in the community in various capacities. He is serving as chairman of the Vision 2020 steering committee, on the board of directors for the Hormel Institute, Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin and Community Bank.
Rietz is a former Austin mayor (1997–2007) and has been a director since April 2008. She has been a resident of Austin since 1979 and also has been active in the community in various capacities. She is serving as president of the Riverland Community College Foundation Board of Directors, co-chairwoman of the Austin Area Drug Task Force and Austin Page Turners, co-founder of Amis Austin, and a member of the steering committee for Vision 2020.
In addition to those moves, Larry J. Pfeil was elected as a director. Pfeil retired as vice president of engineering from Hormel Foods in May 2009, after 37 years with the company. He's been a resident of Austin since 1972. He's been involved in the community and is a registered engineer with unique skills in construction planning, analysis and execution.
