Former Hormel Foods CEO joins Minnesota congressional race

(ABC 6 News) – Former Hormel Foods CEO Jeff Ettinger officially filed papers to enter the special election for Congress in Minnesota’s First Congressional District.

Ettinger filed to run as a candidate of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

Ettinger served as CEO of Hormel from 2005 until 2016.

“I’m not a politician,” continued Ettinger. “I’m a business leader and ran one of the largest companies in southern Minnesota. I’m proud of the work our team did at Hormel to grow the company and provide more opportunities for our employees but I’m equally proud of our work in making the Austin community a better place to live. I’d like to continue that work for all of southern Minnesota.”

Jeff Ettinger was the CEO of Hormel Foods from 2005 to 2016. Under Jeff’s leadership, Hormel grew in sales and earnings, added 3500 new jobs, and introduced universal stock option grants and expanded profit sharing, allowing Hormel team members to benefit from the company’s success. In 2016, Ettinger was named one of the World’s Best CEOs by Barron’s and in 2012 he was named Responsible CEO of the Year by Corporate Responsibility magazine. He currently serves as co-chair of Governor Tim Walz’s Minnesota Council on Economic Expansion. Ettinger holds a BA and law degree from UCLA and was a law clerk for the Honorable Arthur Alarcón, U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit.

Ettinger attended the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School. Ettinger chairs The Hormel Foundation, which provides community college scholarships for Austin high school graduates, enhanced music education to all area youth, and support for The Hormel Institute, a cancer research facility operated in partnership with the University of Minnesota. He also serves on the board of Better Futures Minnesota and teaches at the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota. He and his wife, LeeAnn, live in Austin, MN and have two sons, two daughters, and two granddaughters