Lynda Resnick

Here is a comprehensive, SEO-optimized biography of Lynda Resnick — American businesswoman, marketer, and philanthropist — along with key lessons from her life and enterprise.

Lynda Resnick – Life, Business, and Legacy

Lynda Resnick (born ca. 1943/44) is an American entrepreneur, co-owner of The Wonderful Company, and marketing pioneer behind brands like POM Wonderful and FIJI Water. This article traces her early life, marketing breakthroughs, philanthropic work, controversies, and lessons for aspiring business leaders.

Introduction: Who Is Lynda Resnick?

Lynda Rae Resnick is an American businesswoman, marketing strategist, and philanthropist who, with her husband Stewart Resnick, built a diversified agricultural and consumer goods empire under The Wonderful Company. Her marketing innovations turned underappreciated agricultural products—pomegranates, pistachios, citrus, bottled water—into household brands.

Often dubbed the “POM Queen,” she has overseen the brand development and promotional strategies for key lines such as POM Wonderful, Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds, FIJI Water, Teleflora, Halos mandarins, and others.

Beyond business, Resnick is deeply involved in philanthropic, educational, environmental, and community initiatives, especially in the agricultural regions where her companies operate.

Early Life and Background

Family and Upbringing

• Lynda Rae Harris (later Resnick) was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a Jewish family.

• Her father, Jack H. Harris, worked as a film distributor and producer (famously involved with the cult film The Blob).

• Her mother, Muriel (née Goodman), was a designer.

• As a child (around age 4), she appeared on The Horn & Hardart Children’s Hour on WCAU-TV in Philadelphia (a local children’s variety show), reflecting early exposure to media.

Education & Early Career

• Resnick attended Harriton High School in the Philadelphia area.

• After a brief stint at a local college, she began working for an in-house advertising agency (for a catalog company, Sunset House).

• At age 19, she founded her own advertising agency, Lynda Limited, growing it to serve multiple clients.

This entrepreneurial start in marketing would become the foundation for her later success.

Career & Business Ventures

The Pentagon Papers Involvement (Unindicted)

In the late 1960s/early 1970s, Lynda Resnick played a controversial—but ultimately not criminally prosecuted—role in the Pentagon Papers affair:

• Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the secret U.S. Vietnam War documents (the Pentagon Papers), used her agency’s Xerox copy machine during nights and weekends to duplicate the documents distributed to The New York Times.

• She was designated an unindicted co-conspirator in the case, and prosecutors pursued legal action for approximately two years, though charges against her were dropped.

This episode illustrates her early proximity to high stakes, complex moral situations—and her willingness to support causes she believed in.

Entry Into Agriculture & Brand Building

Her transition into agriculture and branded consumer goods emerged through partnership with Stewart Resnick:

• The Resnicks acquired Teleflora in 1979. At that point, Lynda left her advertising work to lead marketing at Teleflora, eventually becoming Vice President of Marketing and later President.

• At Teleflora, she introduced the concept “Flowers in a Gift”—delivering flowers in decorative collectible containers. That campaign won a Gold Effie Award.

• Over time, the Resnicks expanded their portfolio. Under The Wonderful Company (formerly Roll International / Roll Global) they now own or control brands including:

  • POM Wonderful (pomegranate juice and related products)

  • Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds

  • Wonderful Halos (mandarin oranges)

  • FIJI Water

  • Teleflora

  • JUSTIN / Landmark / Lewis Cellars wines and other brands

• Resnick is deeply involved in worldwide marketing and product development for The Wonderful Company.

• She designed or originated many of the branding elements: for example, the hourglass-shaped bottle of POM Wonderful (resembling two pomegranates), as well as the “double bubble” design concept.

• Her marketing campaigns helped convert what were previously commodity or niche agricultural products into mass consumer lifestyle brands (e.g. making pomegranate juice a “health” drink, turning pistachios into a trendy snack).

Recognition & Wealth

• According to Forbes, as of October 2025, the combined net worth of Lynda and Stewart Resnick is estimated at ~US$5.4 billion.

• Forbes also notes that she dropped out of college to start her own ad agency and that she was an unindicted co-conspirator in the Pentagon Papers matter.

• Her business acumen, especially in brand creation and agricultural scaling, has earned her ranking among America’s self-made businesswomen.

Philanthropy, Community & Social Impact

Lynda Resnick’s business success has been paired with intensive philanthropic efforts, often focused on communities tied to their agricultural operations and broader environmental and social goals.

Focus Areas & Initiatives

• Through The Wonderful Company, the Resnicks commit to place-based investments—providing support in health, education, community development in the regions where their employees live (notably California’s Central Valley) and in Fiji.

• Their philanthropy surpasses US$2.5 billion, funding initiatives in education, health, affordable housing, sustainability, and climate research.

• Major gifts include:

  • A US$750 million pledge to Caltech for global environmental sustainability research (one of the largest gifts to that institution).

  • Gifts to UCLA Medical Sciences, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and other universities supporting sustainability centers.

  • Investment in education in California’s Central Valley: their charter schools (Wonderful College Prep Academy in Lost Hills and Delano), scholarships, dual enrollment, teacher pay, community health programs.

  • Health and wellness programs: free primary care and medicines to employees and families, reductions in prediabetes in populations served.

• She holds trustee or board roles in cultural and philanthropic organizations like LACMA, the Aspen Institute, Milken Family Foundation, UCLA Medical Sciences, among others.

Accountability & Approach

• Resnick has spoken about “rolling up your sleeves” rather than simply writing checks—meaning more direct involvement in execution rather than distance philanthropy.

• Their philanthropy often aligns with business interests: improving the social determinants in communities where their agricultural workforce lives—creating a synergy between business success and social well-being.

Controversies & Criticisms

No large enterprise is free of criticism, and Resnick’s operations and choices have provoked debate in several arenas:

Water Use & Environmental Impact

• The Resnicks’ agriculture (especially almonds, pistachios) in California’s Central Valley is water-intensive. Critics point out that during droughts, their operations demand billions of gallons.

• They own a majority stake in the Kern Water Bank, one of California’s largest underground water storage facilities. Their water purchases and management have raised concerns about equitable water allocation and environmental sustainability.

• Some critics have questioned the logic of importing Fiji Water (a bottled water business) while operating extremely water-intensive agriculture in California under drought stress.

Marketing Claims & FTC Rulings

• The POM Wonderful brand has faced scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In 2010, the FTC challenged claims that POM could treat, prevent, or reduce the risk of diseases (e.g. prostate cancer, heart disease).

• In 2012, a federal court agreed that some of the ads were misleading; appeals by the Resnicks were denied, and in 2015 the Supreme Court declined to hear their case.

These issues illustrate the tension between brand storytelling, health messaging, and regulatory standards in consumer food & beverage products.

Personality, Strategy & Approach

Lynda Resnick’s career reflects a blend of creativity, strategic branding, discipline, and integration. Some key traits and approaches:

• Marketing orientation: Her background in advertising and branding remains central. She treats each agricultural product as a brand with narrative, packaging, and emotional connection.

• Eye for the “hidden gem”: In her book Rubies in the Orchard: How to Uncover the Hidden Gems in Your Business, she argues for finding undervalued assets and transforming them via brand vision.

• Hands-on leadership: She emphasizes operational involvement, not just high-level directives, in both business and philanthropy.

• Synergy between business and community: Her philanthropic work is often aligned with business geographies, reinforcing the link between enterprise success and community welfare.

• Resilience and reinvention: Starting with a small ad agency, pivoting into agriculture and consumer goods, navigating regulatory and environmental headwinds—her path illustrates adaptation.

Selected Quotes & Insights

Here are a few notable reflections attributed to Lynda Resnick:

• “It takes a nut to sell a nut.” (a play on branding Wonderful Pistachios)

• “Transparency is very new … you have to be a good citizen of the planet. You have to give back.”

• From her business philosophy: she encourages finding unique selling propositions (USPs) within constrained “boxes” rather than always trying to “think outside the box.” (Derived from her marketing writing)

These statements reflect her mindset: pithy, branding-savvy, and oriented to responsibility.

Lessons from Lynda Resnick’s Journey

1. Start early with what you know
   Her move to found an ad agency at 19 shows that building on core strengths (marketing) can open diverse future doors.

2. Brand is destiny
   No matter how “raw” the product—water, nuts, fruit—branding, packaging, and narrative can elevate it to consumer demand.

3. Vertical integration and control helps
   By owning farmland, water rights, processing, distribution, she reduces dependency and can ensure quality, sustainability & margins.

4. Align business and philanthropy locally
   Focusing efforts on communities where your operations are located can generate both social goodwill and systemic improvements.

5. Expect scrutiny; act transparently
   Operating large agribusiness draws regulatory and environmental attention. Embracing transparency and accountability is both strategy and necessity.

6. Adapt to regulation and consumer demands
   The POM FTC case reminds that health claims in food business must be grounded in evidence and aligned with regulation.

Conclusion

Lynda Resnick is a rare figure in American business: a strategist who turned commodity agriculture into branded consumer goods powerhouses, and a philanthropist who intertwines business success with community investment. Her trajectory—from a young ad entrepreneur, through historic involvement in the Pentagon Papers, to leading global brand expansion—offers lessons about vision, consistency, and responsibility.