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Assisting Military Families

ourcommitments — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:02:27 +0000

America’s military families are getting another well-deserved helping hand, thanks to our fellow employees at Eckrich, a John Morrell Food Group brand.

Eckrich is partnering with Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency financial assistance to the families of United States service members and wounded warriors. Eckrich is donating a portion of the proceeds from certain product purchases to Operation Homefront, up to $200,000.

“Eckrich is proud and humbled to partner with Operation Homefront to help support America’s military families,” said Joseph Sebring, president of the John Morrell Food Group. “Creating special family moments is ingrained into our company’s mission and values. That’s why we’re giving back and supporting this cause.”

In addition to the cash donation, this spring and summer Eckrich will help host a series of Operation Homefront’s Military Family Thank You Days cookouts, which feature great food, outdoor games, and music for military families. The first cookout was held on April 28 in San Antonio, followed by events in Dallas, Oklahoma City, Fort Riley, Kansas, Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, and Bentonville, Ark.

The partnership also is supported with a broader Eckrich marketing campaign that features television, radio, online, and out-of-home advertising, as well as using Facebook, to further raise awareness of military families’ needs.

Bringing Attention to Women’s Health

ourcommitments — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:24:06 +0000

Many people are surprised when they learn that heart disease is the leading cause of death among American women. To help heighten awareness of the need for better heart health, Healthy Ones^®, a brand of our subsidiary John Morrell, teamed up with WomenHeart, the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, for American Heart Month.

Healthy Ones introduced red-themed packaging and other promotional materials on tub lunchmeat and deli products, certified “Extra Lean” by the American Heart Association, at grocery stores nationwide. In addition, five cents from each purchase of a participating product was donated to WomenHeart during February, totaling to a maximum donation of $50,000!

For more information on product offerings from John Morrell, please visit http://johnmorrellfoodgroup.com.

John Morrell and Krakus Support Polish Youth in Chicagoland

ourcommitments — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:57:57 +0000

Last month, Krakus, a brand of the Smithfield subsidiary, John Morrell, launched The Legend of Krakus, a unique program designed to enrich educational opportunities for the Polish-American youth, while also celebrating their heritage.

As part of the program, Krakus has commissioned Little Stars, the popular Chicago Polish theater group, to create and perform an original play titled “King Krakus & the Dragon” at Chicagoland Polish schools. The play is a modern interpretation of an infamous Polish fable and will feature seasoned Polish stage actors combining history with humor and song.

The Legend program will also sponsor both a multimedia art contest and a creative essay competition. Winning students and schools of the art contest, developed in conjunction with the Council of Educators in Polonia, will receive prizes and education grants. Participation in the essay competition is open to all high school and elementary school students in the Chicagoland area.

We wish everyone luck!

Revving Engines with NASCAR’s First Family

ourcommitments — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:18:58 +0000

Today, we announced a partnership with the legendary Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) team for the upcoming 2012 NASCAR season. As primary sponsor for fifteen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, including February’s Daytona 500, this year NASCAR fans will see variety of Smithfield brands adorning the legendary No. 43 Ford Fusion, piloted by Aric Almirola.

Aric was recently named as driver of RPM’s infamous No. 43 Ford and will make his Sprint Cup debut at Daytona. “I’m looking forward to representing the Smithfield brands,” Aric said. “They have some great things planned and I am happy to be a part of it.”

The Petty organization meshes well with our core values at Smithfield so this partnership arises as a very natural fit. “The Petty’s stand firmly for family values and demonstrate a strong regard and enthusiasm for helping others, which is something we’re thrilled to be a part of,” said C. Larry Pope, our president and chief executive officer. “We’re excited to explore the many possibilities in which we can give back through Helping Hungry Homes,^® our initiative focused on alleviating hunger across America.” In fact, Helping Hungry Homes^® will be Smithfield’s featured brand for the Daytona 500.

We’re all revved up to be on the track with such a great team!

Patrick Cudahy Receives Recognition From Department of Energy

ourcommitments — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:18:12 +0000

Our John Morrell Patrick Cudahy facility in Cudahy, WI received an official letter from the Department of Energy commending them on their energy efficiency accomplishments. As a partner of the DOE’s Save Energy Now LEADER initiative, Patrick Cudahy voluntarily committed to reduce energy intensity by 25 percent over 10 years.

Patrick Cudahy recently reported a 15.2 percent reduction in energy intensity in 2010, positioning them well on their way to meeting the target.

The Save Energy Now LEADER Program provides technical assistance and resources to companies that pledge significant improvements in industrial energy efficiencies. The DOE conducts assessments and audits to identify opportunities for energy and cost savings, and in return, participating companies have access to tools to implement change.

Smithfield Foods Hands Out 2011 Environmental Excellence Awards

admin — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:52:06 +0000

As Smithfield Foods becomes an industry leader, we know our collective progress is the result of individual ambition. Our employees desire to set the bar high is what makes this company thrive, and such dedication does not go unnoticed. Every year at our Internal Awards Conference, we recognize the outstanding efforts of our independent operating companies to make Smithfield’s operations more sustainable.

Close to 100 representatives of Smithfield Foods, John Morrell, Smithfield Packing Company, Farmland Foods, and Murphy-Brown, along with invited guests, attended this year’s program. Ian Olson, director of sustainability for Darden Restaurants, was the keynote speaker.

This year’s theme was “Our Commitments,” which reflected environmental management initiatives that altogether resulted in approximately the following:

• 128 million gallons of water saved

• 17,402,247 kwhs of electricity conserved

• 109,868 decatherms of natural gas not used

• 2,336 tons of solid waste materials not landfilled

• 3,397 tons of additional cardboard recycling

• 166,365 gallons of diesel fuel not used

A total of 168 projects were submitted, resulting in an annual cost savings of over $13 million that only required $5 million in capital expenditures. One President’s Award and 10 Environmental Excellence Awards were presented in a wide range of project categories representing Smithfield Foods’ strong commitment to sustainability.

The President’s Award was given to Don Butler and Rhonda Campbell, two employees of Smithfield’s hog production subsidiary, Murphy-Brown, LLC. These two employees produced a video series entitled “Taking the Mystery Out of Pork Production,” which is available at www.takingoutthemystery.com. As the first publicly available footage of its kind in the pork industry, the documentary series provides an inside view of the pork production process, from farrow to finish To date, the series has nearly 30,000 views, and it was awarded two Telly Awards this past year.

Brian Paulsen of Premium Standard Farms was selected as this year’s “Zero Hero” for his work addressing regulatory compliance while integrating a revolutionary odor management technology in Missouri as part of an agreement with the state.

“These accomplishments reflect our employees’ commitment to our proactive corporate social responsibility program that is working at every level of our company,” said Bill Gill, assistant vice president for environmental affairs.

Dennis Treacy, Smithfield’s senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer, added, “Our award recipients have achieved meaningful reductions in our environmental impact and deserve to be recognized for their hard work and innovation. Cost savings are great, but improving our processes will help preserve the environment for future generations, and that’s something to strive for.”

Fighting Fire with Appreciation

admin — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:11:36 +0000

Back in 2009, the Patrick Cudahy plant in Cudahy, Wisconsin, suffered the largest structure fire in Wisconsin’s history. The blaze was caused by a military flare launched by two brothers celebrating Independence Day. The fire burned for days, and 64 fire departments assisted in quenching the flames. When the dust settled, millions of dollars of damage was caused, but thankfully no lives were lost and few injuries were incurred.

Along with Patrick Cudahy and John Morrell, we wanted to show our appreciation for the tremendous effort those firemen put forth to save the lives of our employees—and to save the facility from total destruction. On March 21, we gave the local fire department a donation of $50,000 as a token of the thanks we have for their stellar assistance during that fire.

Both Larry Pope from Smithfield and Bill Otis from Patrick Cudahy attended the event. “I would like to extend my thanks again to the Cudahy Fire Department and all of the other public safety personnel from around southeastern Wisconsin and neighboring states who responded so quickly and professionally to the fire at our plant,” said Larry Pope, our president and CEO. “And I also want to thank the citizens of Cudahy, and our fellow business people, for all of their support during that difficult time,” Pope added.

“We are truly indebted to the Cudahy firefighters and all of the other fine public servants from more than 64 fire and police departments who worked tirelessly to save a local tradition,” said Bill Otis, president and chief operating officer of Patrick Cudahy. “Because of their expertise, bravery, and hard work, no one was injured during the fire at our plant nearly two years ago. And we’re so very grateful for that.”

Cudahy Mayor Tony Day thanked us for our “longstanding commitment to the city. Patrick Cudahy has been providing good jobs for generations of our citizens, and the company has been a vital and active member of our community since it located here in 1892.”

Water, Water, Everywhere as Smithfield Sponsors Annual Global Event

admin — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 14:27:20 +0000

In the past few months, Smithfield and our independent operating companies have sponsored many World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) events. This year we distributed 200 sampling kits and had over 750 participants! Sampling events were held across the country, including events in Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Kansas, Illinois, North Carolina, Minnesota, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Nebraska, Indiana, Iowa, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio, and Utah. We also had multiple events sponsored in Poland and Romania! World Water Monitoring Day reported that worldwide they had participation from over 200,000 people in 85 countries.

Here are some highlights of the events sponsored:

Animex sponsored events at eight different locations which included over 350 participants.
The Farmland Monmouth plant has participated every year, and this year (as in years past) they sponsored two events at local middle/junior high schools.
The John Morrell/Armour-Eckrich plant in Junction City had a program for over 20 teachers and 80 kids! They had a water-monitoring station, a water analysis station, a leaf rubbing station, a nature station, and an environmental scavenger hunt. All this was followed by grilling out some of their product and handing out WWMD t-shirts.

Thanks to Ferme, AgriPlus, Animex, Stefano’s, Murphy-Brown, Smithfield Packing, Farmland, and John Morrell for sponsoring events this year. We think it was a great success, and look forward to next year’s sampling.

Winning Green for Going Green with Environmental Excellence Awards

admin — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:28:55 +0000

Each year we give Environmental Excellence Awards to projects and initiatives by our facilities that both help the environment and save money. On September 14, 2010, we held our annual Environmental Excellence Awards banquet during our Environmental Training Conference in Omaha, Nebraska. Over 100 representatives of Smithfield Foods, John Morrell, Smithfield Packing Company, Farmland Foods, and Murphy-Brown attended. This year’s theme was “Sustainability in Focus.” Dennis Treacy, our chief sustainability officer, and Bob Toy, director of environmental for Union Pacific, both spoke about the importance of sustainability for today’s companies.

Three President’s Awards and eleven Environmental Excellence Awards were presented for a wide range of projects addressing Processes/Packaging, Resource Conservation, Pollution Prevention, and Environmental Management. Environmental Excellence Awards are given to specific people (or a team of people), and a President’s award is given when the project was the combined effort of too many folks to name. In total, over 137 projects were submitted.

In combination, the projects submitted resulted in a savings as follows:

378 million gallons of water
138,044 decatherms of natural gas
5,014,193 kWhs of electricity
34,689 tons of solid waste materials
1,575 tons of additional cardboard recycling
65,900 gallons of diesel fuel
15,000 trees planted

All the above was realized at a capital expenditure of $10.5 million and an annual cost reduction of $9.94 million.

The awards also resulted in donations to many charities, including Ronald McDonald House, National FFA, American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and more.

Carter Hanson of the John Morrell Patrick Cudahy facility in Cudahy, Wisconsin, was selected as this year’s “Zero Hero.” Carter was recognized for his preparedness and ongoing management of the environmental issues that were encountered as part of the fire that took place at the Cudahy facility in July of 2009.

“These kinds of results and cost reductions are the product of a corporate social responsibility program that is embedded throughout the company and supported at all levels,” noted Bill Gill, assistant vice president for environmental affairs. Dennis Treacy agreed, adding that “All those receiving awards and submitting projects are to be congratulated on the efforts and results they bring to the company year after year.”

Please direct any questions or comments regarding the Awards program to Robert ‘Buddy’ Harris (robertharris@smithfieldfoods.com).