Brian Reichart (right in picture) is the President and CEO of Red Gold, LLC. Red Gold is a family-owned and operated tomato processing company headquartered in Orestes, IN. Brian graduated from Culver Military Academy as a member of Black Horse Troop Lancers and from Purdue with a B.S. in Industrial Management.
Red Gold was founded by Brian’s grandfather in 1942. Brian worked at the cannery throughout high school and college before joining the staff full time as Plant Manager and Chief Engineer. When he became President and CEO, Brian took on the challenge of growing the company from a small regional and seasonal packer to a national supplier of tomato products. With Brian leading the company, Red Gold expanded into institutional food service supply and private labeling for grocery store chains across the U.S. Additionally, full-time employees grew from 170 to 1328. The physical plant expanded to three production facilities, a distribution center, a corporate office, and a trucking company. The company now processes over 10,000 acres of tomatoes. Today Red Gold is the largest privately owned tomato-processing company in the world, distributing tomato products to all 50 states and exporting to 16 countries.
Community involvement is also important to the company and its leaders. Red Gold has partnered with the Indianapolis Colts and each time the Colts score within the 20 yard line, Red Gold donates tomatoes to Indiana food banks. Since 2008, 10,000 pounds of tomatoes were donated by Red Gold to a Hunger Task Force and 34,000 pounds of Red Gold products were donated to Gleaners. Additionally, Red Gold along with WQME sponsored a healthy cooking school for people in Madison County to help raise money for the Madison County 4-H Association. Red Gold has also donated products to help people affected by disasters, including 9/11, Katrina, and Indiana flood victims.
On a more personal level, Brian works hard to serve the agricultural industry and his own community. He was President of the Indiana Canners Association, a member of the Board of Directors for the national Food Products Association, and was named the Mid-American Food Processors Association Man of the Year. In his community he is a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, the Elks Club of Elwood, and the Alexandria Church of the Nazarene. 1994, the Elks Club in Elwood named him Citizen of the Year and in 2004 was presented with the Indiana Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the Outstanding Food Science Award from Purdue.
