RiceTec Inc. has created a new group to focus on business planning and development and has named Richard Long as Vice President of the new division.

For the past two years, Long has served RiceTec as Vice President of Communications, Planning and Marketing. In his new role, Long will be responsible for strategic planning and development of RiceTec's business units - including planning, reporting and overall business development.

Long joined RiceTec in 1992 from JMS Specialty Foods, a division of the J.M. Smucker Co. He has a master's degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin and broad experience in the food industry, with emphasis in marketing and strategic planning.

Jim Walker, RiceTec's director of human resources, and Melanie Roebuck, director of information technology, will join Long in the newly formed business planning and development division.

RiceTec Inc. is an integrated rice company specializing in the breeding, development, production and marketing of high-value rice products. Headquartered in Alvin, Texas, the company operates the primary rice research center for RiceTec AG, an international rice technology venture. RiceTec Inc. is the first company to commercialize hybrid rice seed in the United States and is a leading producer, miller and marketer of specialty consumer rice products sold in more than 20,000 supermarkets in North America. The company has 180 employees.