Landec Corporation (Form: 8-K)  

 


UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

     
Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported):   January 7, 2008

Landec Corporation
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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

     
California 0-27446 94-3025618
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(State or other jurisdiction
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(Commission
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(I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation) File Number) Identification No.)
      
3603 Haven Ave. Suite E, Menlo Park, California   94025
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(Address of principal executive offices)
  ___________
(Zip Code)
     
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:   650-306-1650

Not Applicable
______________________________________________
Former name or former address, if changed since last report

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[  ]  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
[  ]  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[  ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))


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Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On January 7, 2008, Landec Corporation ("Landec") announced that Ron Midyett has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer of Landec’s subsidiary, Apio, Inc. ("Apio") as of January 7, 2008, replacing Nicholas Tompkins , who has been elected as Chairman of the Board of Apio as of January 7, 2008.
Ron Midyett, age 42, has served as Apio’s Chief Operating Officer since May 2005 and as Apio’s President since August 6, 2007. Prior to joining Apio, Mr. Midyett was the Senior Vice President of Operations for Dole Fresh Vegetables.
A copy of the Company’s press release announcing Mr. Midyett’s appointment and Mr. Tompkin’s election as Chairman of the Board of Apio is attached to this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.





Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits
Exhibit Description
99.1 Press Release Dated January 7, 2008






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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

         
    Landec Corporation
          
January 7, 2008   By:   /s/Gregory S. Skinner
       
        Name: Gregory S. Skinner
        Title: Vice President and Chief Financial Officer


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Exhibit Index


     
Exhibit No.   Description

 
99.1
  LANDEC ELECTS NICK TOMPKINS AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF APIO AND RON MIDYETT PROMOTED TO APIO CEO
EX-99.1
     
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information:
 
At the Company:
  EAS & Associates:
Gregory S. Skinner
Vice President Finance and CFO
(650) 261-3677
  Liz Saghi
(805) 967-0161

LANDEC ELECTS NICK TOMPKINS AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF
APIO AND RON MIDYETT PROMOTED TO APIO CEO

MENLO PARK, CA – January 7, 2008 — Landec Corporation (Nasdaq: LNDC), today announced that Nicholas Tompkins, a member of Landec’s Board of Directors, has been elected as Chairman of the Board of Apio, Inc., Landec’s wholly-owned food technology subsidiary. Landec also announced that Ron Midyett, a 20-year veteran in the produce industry, has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer of Apio, a role previously held by Mr. Tompkins.

“Ron possesses 20 years of technology and operations experience in the produce industry with nearly three years as Apio’s Chief Operating Officer. Ron’s focus at Apio is on integrating technology, operations, marketing and sales to advance and lead Apio’s future growth,” said Nick Tompkins, Chairman of the Board of Apio.

Gary Steele, Chairman and CEO of Landec commented, “We have a strong senior leadership team in Ron Midyett and Nick Tompkins that will continue to profitably grow Landec’s food business based on innovation, quality and key partner relationships.”

Ron Midyett, 42, joined Apio in May 2005 as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Apio, Mr. Midyett was Senior Vice President of Operations for Dole Fresh Vegetables.

Nick Tompkins, as the newly elected Chairman of the Board of Apio, will continue to focus on Apio’s strategic growth opportunities, including new business and partner development. In addition, Mr. Tompkins remains a valued member of Landec’s Board of Directors.

About Apio, Inc.

Apio was founded in 1979 by Nick Tompkins and is headquartered in Guadalupe, California. Apio, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Landec, markets a complete line of fresh-cut vegetable products using Landec’s proprietary BreatheWay® specialty packaging under the Eat Smart® Brand. The proprietary BreatheWay packaging technology provides a unique optimal atmosphere within the package to extend the shelf life and preserve the freshness of the produce. In addition, Apio provides its BreatheWay packaging to strategic partners in select areas of perishable produce.

In 2004, Apio entered into an exclusive agreement with Chiquita Brands International, Inc. to supply Chiquita with BreatheWay proprietary banana packaging technology on a worldwide basis for the ripening, conservation and shelf-life extension of bananas. In 2005, Apio formed the Apio Packaging group to commercialize BreatheWay packaging solutions with partners for additional applications.

About Landec Corporation

Landec Corporation designs, develops, manufactures and sells temperature-activated and other specialty polymer products for a variety of food, agricultural and licensed partner applications. The Company’s temperature-activated polymer products are based on its patented Intelimer® polymers which differ from other polymers in that they can be customized to abruptly change their physical characteristics when heated or cooled through a pre-set temperature switch.