Lester inducted to Citrus Hall of Fame

W. Bernard Lester, the former president and CEO of Alico, will be inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame March 2.

Before joining Alico, Lester was a research economist at the Florida Department of Citrus and in 1979 became its executive director. While in that position, he helped guide the industry through some of the worst freezes in Florida history and new competition from overseas.

In addition to serving as chief executive at Alico, Lester also served on the Fort Myers-based agribusiness company's board of directors for nearly 20 years. The company owns nearly 140,000 acres in Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Polk counties.

Lester will be inducted at the 50th Anniversary Citrus Celebration Luncheon at Florida Southern College in Lakeland.