YUBA CITY, CALIF.  —  Sunsweet Growers Inc., a maker of dried fruits and fruit juice, has elevated Brad Schuler from chief operating officer to chief executive officer. Schuler joined the company in March 1999 as vice president.

Schuler succeeds Dane Lance, who is stepping down after approximately 35 years with the company.

As CEO, Schuler will continue to re-invest in the company’s production assets, working toward new enterprise software with AI capabilities, and organizational training on the new tools, according to the company.

“Brad becomes the fourth consecutive CEO to be hired from within based on demonstrated performance,” Lance said. “Brad is clearly the right choice for CEO having observed and assimilated the collective learning of the previous three CEO’s. There’s no doubt Brad has a vision for the next decade and the personal drive to lead Sunsweet to its highest levels of performance ever. Brad embodies what we call the ‘Sunsweet Way’ of stretch for results, do the right thing, take personal ownership, and work together to win.”

Lance has been with the company since 1989 when he joined as president.

He became president and CEO in October 2013.