People First: Setting an Example in Agriculture. Hector Lujan, CEO, Reiter Affiliated Companies

Mexican born Hector Lujan is now at the helm of the largest fresh multi-berry producer in the world. RAC) was founded by Garland Reiter as a 5-person farm house on the Oxnard plains and has now expanded to an impressive farming acreage and investment in the United States, Mexico, Portugal and Morocco.

However RAC’s history of investing in their people has left an indelible legacy of its own. Reiter established the first U.S. private primary health care clinic, La Clínica FreSalud, exclusively for farmworkers and collaborated with the University of California Davis and Berkeley to fund and implement an obesity and diabetes prevention program known as Sembrando Salud among Reiter’s ranch communities.

The food industry is largely dependent on Latinos who have been disproportionally affected by COVID-19. At a time when so many workers in agriculture are denied basic healthcare we are honored to showcase an organization and leader that is setting an example by putting its people first.

Latino Leaders: What is your current role and how did you arrive at this position?

Hector Lujan: I first joined Reiter Affiliated Companies (RAC) in July of 2002 as Vice President of Central Mexico Operations for their affiliate BerryMex. During that time, I spearheaded the establishment of a strong leadership team that would provide winter berries to the North American market, enabling year-round supply and unprecedented growth in the berry industry. In July 2010, my responsibilities expanded to include California and by August of 2011 I relocated with my family to California. In 2013, I was named Chief Operating Officer of Reiter Affiliated Companies and became responsible for all of the Mexico and U.S. business units. Starting January 1, 2017 I assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer overseeing business operations in the United States, Mexico, Peru, Portugal and Morocco. In 2019 we also expanded our operations into China and Germany.

LL: What is the difference that investing in primary healthcare for farmworkers has made?

HL: We understand our success is directly tied to the commitment, passion, and dedication of our employees. For this reason, we believe that by investing in primary healthcare for farmworkers we are helping enrich their lives and the lives of their families.

We recognize the importance of having accessible and affordable health care that is close to home ensuring our employees have access to quality care in their community. Not only does this method provide a culturally competent approach to intervention, prevention and maintenance of health care through consistent and comprehensive services but it also empowers farm workers and their families to make educated choices that lead to improved health and happiness.

LL: How has COVID-19 impacted agriculture?

HL: It has highlighted farm labor as essential workers that feed populations across the globe. It’s important to be able to build an industry within each country that provides a secure and healthy environment that guarantees the ability to provide the nutrients that feed families around the world. This pandemic has demonstrated the importance of the food chain and all of the people that allow for each piece of fruit and produce to be on display at the supermarket. Our heroes today are many of whom had been invisible in the past, bringing them to the light can undoubtedly be the greatest change in U.S. agriculture in the last thirty years.

LL: How do you see the farming industry post COVID-19? Which innovations will help with this transition?

HL: Post COVID-19, we see an invigorating farm industry, one that will not need a crisis to stimulate change, but rather one that will work closer together with all stakeholders to guarantee a safe and effective work environment. By working closer together within the supply chain, we can deliver a fresher product and maintain technological advancement in order to improve connectively, share knowledge and reduce bureaucracies.

What responsible farming looks like: Across our global operations, we proactively implemented several measures to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, which include:

• Conducted educational COVID-19 outreach to all our ranches and offices, via flyers, social media and crew leader/manager training's.

• Implemented social distancing policies (6 feet apart) on our ranches, reduced crew sizes, split up crews where necessary and alternated breaks to avoid large congregations of people at once. For example, in the strawberries we asked harvesters to work in every other row, and have adjusted our harvesting practices in the blueberries, raspberries and blackberries to limit one or two harvesters only per tunnel row.

• Enhanced sanitation practices at our field trailers, bathrooms, and all ranch offices. Provided additional hands free washing stations and increased hand-washing frequency protocols on ranches.

• Shared information regarding COVID-19 prevention, existing state and federal benefits available to employees who are sick or must care for a sick family member, and provided influenza vaccinations.

• Implemented a company-wide work-from-home policy for all applicable roles, and deployed the highest level of travel restrictions across the company.

LL: What do you say to those essential workers who throughout the pandemic have allowed for all Americans to continue to have food on their tables?

HL: First off, I would like to say Thank You! We are grateful and fortunate to be surrounded by so many hard working, dedicated and caring employees. Your relentless pursuit to continue to provide for your families, while safeguarding your health and the health of your co-workers is truly impressive. Our agriculture community is a united family, and I was both humbled and proud to see how strength and resilience shined through the hardest months of this pandemic. Thank you for helping support our nation’s food supply. It is now time for us to provide the same level of commitment demonstrated to the American people, by continuing to advocate for the passage of the Farm Labor Modernization Act, which will provide U.S. status to all farmworkers.

LL: What has made you most proud during these last 13 months?

LL: What is the main lesson you have learned through this experience both personally and professionally?

HL: Personally, I have learned to stop and smell the roses, take one day at a time and develop greater empathy throughout. Professionally, I would say that I learned you don’t need a crisis to change and solutions are found by working together within your organization, industry and with all stakeholders. Our values of Honesty, Fairness and Respect have guided my decision making in providing solutions during a crisis that will undoubtedly keep us on course with our long term vision.