Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative has named Lukas Rust as its new president and chief executive officer. Rust will assume the role on March 30, following the retirement of current president and CEO Paul Fry. Rust joined Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative in 2022 as chief operating officer and helped lead operational improvements that resulted in record production at the Renville facility and the Spreckels Sugar plant in California. Before joining SMBSC, Rust held leadership roles with Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative, Western Sugar Cooperative, and VEI Global. Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative is a shareholder-owned producer of refined sugar and sugar products.
