197. Cranberry capitalism
MOST CHIEF EXECUTIVES spend the majority of their time hoarding cash, cutting costs and appeasing their boards. Not Randy Papadellis, CEO of the 85-year-old Massachusetts-based cranberry giant Ocean Spray. His days are spent not on calls with Wall Street analysts but talking to the company’s 700 growers—many of whom are small family farmers—who produce two-thirds of the world’s cranberry harvest. “I often say my title should be chief alignment officer, because most of my job is to make sure the interests of the growers are aligned with those of our suppliers, customers and
