Category: Community

Full Employment = Labor Challenges in Food Production Industry

Posted on by Jessica Allen

Views on full employment and the health of an economy differ but typically focus on the same underlying variables. In the United States, full employment is categorized as an economy with an unemployment rate falling below 5%.

The June unemployment rate of 3.7% remains one of the lowest in the last 50 years and consensus among experts is that the economy is in a state of full employment.

https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/unemployment-rate

These strong employment numbers have created challenges for recruiting and retaining labor in the food processing industry.

Below are some of the challenges the pork and poultry industry are facing:

Pork:

  • Employee turnover at slaughtering facilities has doubled in the past two years, peaking at 220,000 workers this past February.
  • Many new and existing processing plants are clustered together in the same geographic region resulting in job loyalty and new employee relocation difficulties.
  • Unfriendly immigration policies and growing competition from the construction, oil and landscaping industries raise serious concerns for the meat processing sector, which has become increasingly reliant on a large immigrant labor pool over the past three decades.

Source:

https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/19603-pork-poultry-industries-face-supply-and-labor-challenges

https://www.provisioneronline.com/articles/106969-state-of-the-meat-poultry-industry-workforce-2018

 Poultry:

  • An incremental increase of capacity of 10 percent in the chicken industry is expected, which is fueled by nine new plants coming on-line in the next two years.
  • About 58% of workers quit their job within 90 days, another 28% quit between 90 days and 180 days, and only 14% stay longer than 180 days.
  • Absenteeism and high turnover are estimated to add 4% to processing costs.

Source:

https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/19603-pork-poultry-industries-face-supply-and-labor-challenges

https://www.poultryworld.net/Meat/Partner/2019/1/Combatting-labour-shortages-in-the-poultry-industry-386807E/

So, what does this mean?

With labor accounting for 60 to 70 percent of a plant’s expense, companies will need to find creative ways to address some of the challenges.

Some options include:

  • Focus and improvements in operation efficiency
  • Technology and automation options
  • Wage increases
  • Training and onboarding improvements
  • Benefits packages

Interested in learning how JRW can help?  Click here to schedule a call.

Rising Costs: An Outlook on Tariffs, Supply Chain and Logistics

Posted on by Jessica Allen

Is your organization dealing with increases in spending?

You are not alone!

Spending on transportation, inventory-carrying costs and other shipping-related expenses as a share of gross domestic product last year reached its highest level since 2014.

Tariffs

  • Tariffs have created sourcing challenges and raw material price increases. While the trade war continues to create guessing for procurement departments, one thing that is certain is that material and input costs have gone up for many organizations. Over $200 billion worth of Chinese products are subject to a 25% tariff and are raising inventory carrying costs throughout the supply chain.

Supply Chain and Logistics

  • Businesses spent $1.64 trillion on transportation and logistics services in the United States in 2018, a jump of 11.4% from the prior year, as companies retooled supply chains in response to the growth in online sales and tight freight hauling capacity drove up shipping rates.
  • The market was also affected by government regulations on driver hours of service and labor shortages that boosted wages for truck drivers and warehouse workers, according to an Annual State of Logistics Report released June 18 by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.
  • Logistics costs rose across the board in 2018, with inventory carrying costs leading the way with a 14.8% jump to $493.7 billion.

Citation: Bearth, Daniel P. (2019, June 20). US Logistics Costs Rise 11.4% in 2018, Report Says. Ttnews.com. Retrieved from https://www.ttnews.com/articles/us-logistics-costs-rise-114-2018-report-says

Rising costs to challenge supply chain in 2019

JRW Birmingham, AL

Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) said in the survey conducted for the report that the most important logistical challenge by far for their customers was in reducing costs, at 61.7%. This was followed by visibility issues (46.8%) and achieving a good customer experience (33.3%). The percentage of LSPs that also said that the costs of cross-border trade were set to rise was extremely high, at 83.2% of respondents.

Citation: editor (2019, March 19). Rising costs to challenge supply chain in 2019. Eft.com. Retrieved from https://www.eft.com/supply-chain/rising-costs-challenge-supply-chain-2019

How do you deliver results when the industry at large is experiencing increases?

How do you present your organization with a plan to combat these challenges?

Fortunately, JRW has a solution. Our Inventory Management Platform. 

Click here to learn about our coming Platforms.

Fill in your information to be the first to learn about our Inventory Management Platform.

Coming Soon… JRW Platforms

Posted on by Jessica Allen

JRW Birmingham, ALThe John R. White Company is excited to introduce customers to a series of focused growth opportunities called: Platforms

What is a Platform?

A platform is a step by step process and specific set of actions designed to solve an industry problem or reveal a new profit driving opportunity. Platforms utilize industry expertise and educate on needed ingredients, processes and procedures.

What’s Up First… JRW Inventory Management

What is Inventory Management?

An Inventory Management platform is a structured approach to adding cash back to the operating budget through proven experience, demonstrable results, and adaptable approaches that work for any size organization. Through this process, companies will have access to structured cash flow optimization opportunities. It is a tool to achieve corporate, departmental, and personal goals as well as KPI’s.
We will be providing:
  • An Education eBook
  • Specific Case Studies
  • And More…JRW Birmingham AL

 

Interested in seeing how the JRW Inventory Management Platform can benefit your organization?

JRW Inventory Management eBook

Sign up to be the first to receive our JRW Inventory Management eBook once it’s released.

 

Check back in the coming weeks to get all of this information and more!

Spot Pricing vs. Contracting

Posted on by Jessica Allen

The Big QuestionJRW Birmingham, AL

Many raw materials, ingredients and commodities fluctuate in pricing throughout a calendar year. Some daily, some monthly, and others once or twice a year. For many of these items, buyers have the option to contract a product or ingredient for a finite period and set volume or purchase product at the current market price. These decisions add up and often contribute significantly to the overall ingredient spend of a company.

What is the best option?  How do I make the decision?

There are several important considerations when making a spot vs. contracting decision.

  1. Is this a product category that I or my team feel like we have equal or better familiarity with than my competition or the average buyer in this market?
  2. Is this a product category that is a big portion of my companies overall spend?
  3. Is this a product category that historically has shown volatility?
  4. Is this a product category that is in a variety of our finished goods?
  5. Does my end customer expect fixed pricing for the year or do they understand the fluctuation in pricing of raw materials?
  6. Do I have multiple sources for this product?
  7. Do I trust the opinions and research of my supplier?
  8. Is my team able to quickly respond and implement price changes?
  9. Does the ingredient contract period align with my customers contract period?

How to Decide

If your company is able to pass along price increases based on raw material fluctuations, spot pricing is generally an effective strategy. It allows you to support your customer to their satisfaction and capture some margin advantages if prices begin to increase.

If your company is expected to offer a fixed price for a year, contracting can mitigate the risk of margin fluctuations and lock in an acceptable price for both you and your customer.

There is no one size fits all approach, but if you communicate to your customers, define the options, and set expectations, your team will succeed.

Practical Examples

Tale of Success
  Recently the Red Pepper market experienced a price decrease. Organization A had locked in their price for the year while organization B decided to buy spot. Both organizations were able to keep their end customer happy even though they booked red pepper differently. Customer A’s end customer had a fixed price for the year and expectations were set on the front end that market pricing could go up or down, but their price would not change throughout the year. They were okay that the market price went down because of the communication and expectations set on the front end. Organization B passed along the price decrease to their customer ensuring loyalty and satisfaction.   

 

A Tale of Caution
The Garlic market experienced a price increase for a variety of reasons. One organization had contracted pricing for the year and experienced no price increase. They were able to keep their end customers happy.  Another organization decided to risk the spot market despite their end customers needing fixed pricing for a year. The second organization experienced margin loss and internal frustration because they were not able to pass along the increase to their end customer.  

 

 Contracting is a very tricky game, but if handled properly, can be profitable to your organization and advantageous for your customers.

Curious about what may work best for you and your company? We would love to talk to you about it! Click here to contact us or fill out the form below.

Building Trust

Posted on by Jessica Allen

JRW Trust Birmingham, ALWhy is it that in sales we see so many interactions in low trust environments?

Sound Familiar?

The scenario seems all too common: a buyer offers their ingredient list in the form of an RFP or RFQ. Then they ask for the best price possible. We as sales professionals beat up our purchasing team to try to offer a cheap price and then submit back to the buyer. And then what…crickets or perhaps a cold, corporate response of “please consider any final pricing concessions” or “please revisit and offer your best pricing”.

Ever heard these statements?

“We are under a lot of pressure to reduce price”
or
“I need you to sharpen your pencil on that item”
(um…does anybody even use a pencil anymore?)

Of course, corporations both large and small have a fiduciary obligation to offer their shareholders value,
but is the cheapest price the best way of doing so?

Is Cheaper Always Better?

I think the perception is that cheaper is always the best way to save. If we want to cut costs, we just put pressure on the seller to give us a better price.

But what if supplier A could deliver once a week at a cheaper price where supplier B could deliver any day for a slightly higher price? How do we factor in the cost of money, carrying cost, inventory prices, lost sales opportunities due to availability of raw materials?

Of course, all these evaluations require hard work and, more importantly, trust. Without a consistent and constant display of integrity and continuously building trust, buyers have no reason to try things differently or to reveal more information than they have in the past.

Consider This:

What if we could change the landscape of always asking for the best price baring consideration of other total cost factors? What if we could create a harmonious environment of low stress and high trust? What if the new norm was to find opportunities where both parties expressed their personal and corporate goals? Would this help them to find a win-win environment?

That to me sounds like something more than distribution. It sounds like a partnership built on trust.

Looking for a trusted food ingredient distributor? We would love to talk with you! Contact us here.

The 2019 IPPE – An Interview with Dr. Benjy Mikel, PhD

Posted on by Jessica Allen

IPPE

IPPE Atlanta, Georgia
JRW Accepting KeyStar Supplier Sustainability Award

The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) is the world’s largest annual poultry, meat, and feed industry event of its kind. A wide range of international decision-makers attend this annual event to network and become informed on the latest technological developments and issues facing the industry.

The 2019 IPPE, February 12-14th, brought together more than 1,200 exhibitors and 30,000 visitors to Atlanta, Georgia.

IPPE is important for networking and learning from others within the food space. That is why the John R. White Company makes it a point to send some of our own every year. We send excited individuals who are eager to connect with others and learn all they can from this event. The John R. White Company was even honored with the KeyStar “Contributing to Communities” Supplier Sustainability Award for the 25,056 meals we packaged and donated to Hurricane Florence Relief efforts during our 2018 Hunger Project. Along with CEO Donny Patton, Director of Sales Richie Bruce, and others, highly seasoned veteran of IPPE for over thiry years now, Dr. Benjy Mikel, PhD attended the event.

Dr. Benjy Mikel, PhD

JRW Birmingham, AL
Dr. Benjy Mikel, IPPE Product Development Panel

For 25 years, Dr. Mikel has served at three academic institutions with predominant roles related to meat safety and quality.

Benjy Mikel has also recently served as the President of Phi Tau Sigma, the American College of Animal Sciences, the American Meat Science Association, and the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Department. He has been honored with the American Meat Science Association Achievement Award, Distinguished Industry/Extension Award, Meritorious Service Award and was named an AMSA Fellow.

Product Development

At this year’s IPPE, Dr. Mikel discussed Case Studies in Product Development. Here are a few of the key topics he hit on during the panel:

Q: In what ways do you see consumer demand shifting? How will a focus on product development benefit companies trying to stay ahead of consumer demand?

A: Consumer demand is constantly shifting as new ideas arise and consumer lifestyles change. The interest of today’s consumers focuses on natural, non-GMO, organic, and clean label concepts. Companies with aggressive Research and Development efforts are capable of staying ahead of consumer demands and meeting the challenges of expanding market opportunities.

Q: Of the potential impact of functional ingredients discussed, which do you see being of the greatest demand to consumers? Which of these do manufacturers struggle with the most?

A: Consumer segments often want various conflicting items. While they prefer less ingredients, they also want long shelf lives, safe foods, and cheaper unit cost. The challenges most food processors have are to produce a food item that incorporates all these features while maintaining the cost effectiveness demanded by the marketplace.

Q: Of the potential functional ingredient liabilities discussed, which poses the greatest threat to manufacturers?

A: Increased unit cost with higher price point functional ingredients is always a challenge. However, it is one that can be overcome with marketing efforts geared towards more value-added retail and food service outlets.

Q: How does pursuing product development directly and indirectly affect a company’s ROI?

A:  While many companies consider R&D to be overhead, an aggressive and effective R&D effort can always play a positive role in both short and long term return on investment.

At JRW, we are thankful for the many knowledgeable people on our team who are available to all the customers we serve.

Looking for a food ingredient distributor with a knowledgeable sales team that can help you with your new product development and more? Call us today! Click here for our contact information.

JRW – A Certified Great Place to Work

Posted on by Jessica Allen

Aristotle once wrote, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

JRW Birmingham, ALExcellence is a Habit

Every day, JRW, just like many other businesses, experiences the ebbs and flows of business life. We repeatedly receive orders, analyze data, forecast, load trucks, verify quality documents, interact with customers, and so much more. Day in and day out, we have become what we repeatedly do: a food ingredient distributor. And a good one at that. Each one of our employees works hard every single say to ensure that they complete those repeated tasks with excellence. Excellence in itself has become a habit here at JRW, an essential part of our every day.

Company Culture

JRW Birmingham, AL

That excellence filters into all aspects of what we do as seen in our four pillars: world class service, more than distribution, trust, and community. Those who live and breathe these pillars most are our employees. All of which work hard to go above and beyond our customers’ expectations. As a business with more than seventy years’ experience, we know that a company is only as good as the people that work there. Our company culture means a great deal to us.

We continuously seek new and improved ways to continue to serve not only our customers, but our employees as well. We want to ensure we are a workplace that people wake up every morning excited to drive to. A place that cares about empowering people to collaborate, grow, and truly thrive. We strive every day to be a great place to work.

Great Place to Work Certified

That being said, one cannot improve what one does not measure. Thus, JRW takes periodic measurements to stay up-to-date on how our employees are doing and how they are experiencing the culture within our company. We then have actual data on areas that could use improvement and areas where we are doing well. We are committed to being a great place to work, and our most recent survey has proven that to be true.

Thanks to our employee input, JRW has officially been deemed a certified Great Place to Work by Great Place to Work US. The John R. White Company has earned this credential based on extensive ratings provided by its employees in anonymous surveys.

Special Thanks to Our Employees

Thanks again to all of our employees for completing Great Place to Work’s Trust Index© Survey and helping our company get recognized for our great culture.

Check out our Great Place to Work profile here. Get to know a little bit more about what makes JRW different here.

Capitalizing Time

Posted on by Jessica Allen

Tips to Reduce Time Wasting Habits

JRW Regional Sales Manager Brandy Cleveland

Time is the only resource everyone, from every walk of life, has in common. Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of being able to choose what they do with that time. This luxury is often taken for granted.

Can you imagine if you took the 10 minutes you spent flipping through your phone over your lunch break and decided to do something that is productive, kind to others, or even self-improving?

Not only do you have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others, but you will feel much more accomplished at the end of the day. What someone does with their spare 5, 10, 30 minutes of time is what establishes their legacy!

Tips to reduce time wasting habits:

  1. Time Yourself

    • Set a timer for 5 minutes when you begin to browse on your phone (or anything habit you have that takes precious time). Stick to the timer!

  2. Prepare

    • Set out everything you need in the morning the night before. Getting outfits, breakfast prep, and all work materials together can make your mornings go much smoother.

  3. Plan by the Hour

    • Plan out your day in hour long increments. Allow some flex room for unforeseen circumstances and miscellaneous tasks. You can even carve out an extra five minutes to read our blog to stay up-to-date on the latest in the food distribution industry and the markets we serve. Check it out here.

  4. Accountability

    • Have an accountability partner! You are much more likely to stick with something if someone is following your progress. If you work in a communal space, make it a team effort.

  5. Excellence is a Habit

    • Make it a habit to ask yourself if whatever you are doing is actually helping you accomplish your goals.

  6. Just Put it Away

    • Lock away any items that are contributing to wasted time (phone, video game controller, etc.) for a specific period of time. You can buy something like this online.

  7. Look at the Bigger Picture

    • Determine what motivates you. Keep track of how the task at hand is helping you to accomplish your motivations. For example, I am motivated by recognition. Therefore, I understand that not making the best use of my time will result in less productivity. When I am less productive, I am less likely to complete tasks and objectives that could lead to acknowledgment and credit from those around me. So by understanding myself and my motivations, I am able to not only accomplish more, but also feel better about my accomplishments.

Your priorities are jealous of your time wasters!
Use these tips to help make those priorities, priorities again.

Psalm 90:12 – So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

The Four Pillars of JRW

Posted on by Jessica Allen

Four Pillars grounded in a Firm Foundation.

JRW Birmingham, AL

Merriam-Webster defines the word “pillar” as a firm, upright support for a superstructure.

It is a foundation upon which great things can be built.
Without it, nothing worthwhile can stand.

Here at JRW, for over 70 years we have built our business and our culture on four pillars:

World Class Service, Trust, More Than Distribution, & Community

World Class Service

The customer experience is the daily focus of our business. Upon recent surveys, current customers have overwhelmingly responded that “service” is why they continue to partner with JRW. They cite “dependable”, “reliable”, and “helpful” as core to what they find when they partner with us.

By going the extra mile, we work every day to serve the companies, both big and small, that have entrusted their business to us. We strive to ensure their unique, dynamic business needs are fully met.

Trust

There are no relationships that can grow and thrive without trust. To earn trust, one must be reliable, consistent, and unwavering in the pursuit of truth. Unfortunately, modern culture continues to move away from the code of ethics that has historically produced moral integrity, economic prosperity, and true freedom.

We believe that transparency with both our customers and our vendors leads to the valuable and meaningful relationships that are critical to success.

More Than Distribution

We are the partner with deep industry knowledge and scientific expertise to help your business innovate and grow.

We offer creative solutions, beyond distribution, in the areas of inventory management, formulation advice, quality, and compliance. We are the partner that looks out for your interests, so you can sleep well at night.

Community

We believe that business is first and foremost about people, and we are committed to making a difference in the lives of those around us. We are interested in improving the lives of our Customers, Employees, and our Community.

As this year comes to an end, we here at JRW want to continue in our devotion to serving you well. We are fiercely committed to our Four Pillars, and, because of that, we are fiercely committed to you, our customer.

Have any questions about our company? Looking to partner with us? Please give us a call or contact us here. 

JRW Hunger Project 2018

Posted on by Jessica Allen

At JRW, we know food.

We’re all about it. We are devoted to distributing the best food ingredients possible to our customers, partnered with ensuring deep trust, providing industry expertise, and delivering world class service. At JRW, not only do we know food, but we also understand the power food can have in the world, our own community, and to those affected by disasters.

On October 27, 2018, JRW had the opportunity to partner with an organization called Feeding Children Everywhere and host our second annual Hunger Project.

What is a Hunger Project you ask?

A Hunger Project is an organized meal packaging event. In separate teams, volunteers form assembly lines, filling bag after bag with first lentils, then white rice, dehydrated vegetables, and finally pink Himalayan salt to finish it off. All of which were carefully measured, funneled into their own baggies, and heat sealed when completed. So many of our friends, family members, and complete strangers all gathered at the JRW corporate headquarters in Birmingham, AL on a Saturday morning to volunteer for the event, and, after a few minutes of getting to know each other, with hair nets and gloves strapped on, we were off!

We filled each bag, dancing along with the music and turning strangers into friends. Before we knew it, our time had come to an end, and, after filling up the last bag, we had packaged 25,056 meals. That was 5,056 more meals than the year before!

With the opportunity to distribute either locally, nationally, or internationally, we decided to donate the meals to those who had been affected by Hurricane Florence. Several of our customers and vendors work and live in the communities that were heavily affected by this disaster. On November 2nd, our very own Johnny Sheppard, a driver who just celebrated his 40th year here at JRW, so graciously volunteered to drive the meals over 600 miles to New Bern, NC. An area where at least 4,325 homes and 300 businesses are damaged due to Hurricane Florence. There, he was able to deliver the meals to a local church, Latitude Church, where volunteers were eagerly awaiting. From there, the Latitude volunteers were able to go out into the community and distribute the packaged meals to those in need.

Food is powerful.

It can make the difference between life or death to those in need. With the power of four simple ingredients, we were able to help make a difference in the lives of those affected by Hurricane Florence. And we had a little fun along the way too!

BBQing for Charity—No ifs, ands, or butts about it!

Posted on by Jessica Allen

BBQing for Charity—No ifs, ands, or butts about it!

As a food ingredient distribution company, food is always on our minds. Day in and day out, we are committed to supplying our customers, and eventually the consumer, with the best ingredients available. Our meat scientists and technical director are devoted to be the thought leaders in our space, always creating and pushing the status quo. JRW is also fiercely committed to the well being of both our employees and our community as a whole. Food is always at the forefront of our efforts, so why would charity be any different?

One area of community outreach we love to participate in are local BBQ competitions. Each support a local charity, all of which have become dear to our hearts since we began competing. A few of our recent competitions have supported Habitat for Humanity, Breast Cancer Research of Alabama, and Children’s Harbor of Alabama. At each of these competitions, all of the proceeds go directly to the charities themselves. The combination of a heart for outreach in our own community and the love of fun and healthy competition drives each JRW employee that participates in our BBQ competitions.

Our most recent competition, on October 19th, supported Children’s Harbor of Alabama. This fantastic organization serves seriously ill children and their families through unique, no-cost services at both the Family Center located at the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children in Birmingham, AL, and at the Lake Martin retreat facility in Alexander City, Alabama. Children’s Harbor has been in service since 1989. Through their BBQ competitions and other fundraisers, Children’s Harbor is able to offer their retreat facility to patients and their families as a place to come together and reconnect, often outdoors, in a safe environment for children with various diagnoses at no cost to them. It is an organization we, at JRW, are privileged and thankful to support.

Our BBQ competitions are spearheaded by our own Andrew Allen, our lead Buyer here at JRW. Often winged by JRW Business Development & Technical Director, Benjy Mikel, and JRW Regional Sales Manager Amy Taylor. Not to mention the numerous JRW employees who also put in lots of time and effort to keep our ship running at our competitions. If you know BBQ, you know it takes a lot of patience and a lot of determination to get it just right. Andrew, Benjy, and Amy, along with others, have stayed out all night at times to make sure our hand rubbed butts are burning just the way they need to be.

And it seems like they’re doing something right. At our last competition, we won best butt, best ribs, best tent decoration, and overall grand champion for our division. Not to mention we had a lot of fun doing it. Our theme this year was John RRRR White, the pirates of Children’s Harbor, and most all of our employees committed to the bit, dressing up in their pirate best.

We served each of those who came out to the competition with a hearty smile and an eye patch. We even offered fried alligator to those who dared to try it. Here at JRW, we genuinely enjoyed participating in our community and had a lot of fun doing it. Stay tuned for our next BBQ competition.

Donny Patton: A Lifestyle of Leadership

Posted on by Jessica Allen

Donny Patton

JRW Owner and CEO Birmingham, AL

CEO Donny Patton has been with the JRW Company for what seems like his entire life. After the original founder of JRW, John R .White, passed the company along to Donny’s father L.Q. Patton, Donny began tagging along to the office at an early age. He spent Saturdays at the office with his father, learning the ropes and absorbing the atmosphere of the place. Donny moved into an actual position with the company well over thirty years ago.

Having started the second generation of family-ownership, Donny recently moved into the role of CEO, having been President of the company since his father passed away in 1992. From this role, Donny is able to cast vision and lead the company he has known his entire life. We were able to sit with him a while to ask him a few questions on what it takes to be a great leader.

Question: Why do you think leadership is important?

Answer: It is hard to know when you arrive if you don’t know where you are going. Men, especially, are prone to wander aimlessly through life unless they understand a clear purpose and established goals. It takes a leader to define those.

Question: What’s the best leadership advice you ever received?

Answer: My dad, L.Q. taught me that leadership is about consistency. You have to show up every day with a positive attitude and a willing spirit.

Question: Who are your biggest influences? Who do you admire most? Why and how did this person impact your life? 

Answer: My dad, of course, had a huge influence on me. I really admire the grit of the greatest generation, and have great respect for the men and women of the armed forces who defend our country.

Question: What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?

Answer: Leadership is really about trust. To build trust you have to be vulnerable, and willing to let others in. Unfortunately, modern culture associates leadership with power and authority. I think the ability to be vulnerable and humble are essential for successful leadership.

Question: What is the biggest challenge facing leaders today?

Answer: The biggest challenge to leaders today is understanding those whom we are called to lead. We see a diversity of cultures and world views in our team members today and bringing them to function together as a team requires new skills and the ability to adapt quickly.

Question: What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a leader?

Answer: There are terrific resources available, so I try to read and absorb as much as I can. I meet groups of other business owners and discuss best practices, and we challenge each other and hold each other accountable.

Donny continues to lead JRW everyday, continuously working to build up other leaders around him. 

Sifting Through the Noise (Part 3 of 3)

Posted on by Jessica Allen

So what is Cultured Dextrose?

We recently took a look at some of the confusing terms in the food ingredient and manufacturing space.

(If you missed the beginning of our series: Sifting through the Noise, check out the blog HERE)

As we explore shelf-life extension, we will look at cultured dextrose this week.

Cultured Dextrose

Cultured Dextrose is a powder often used to replace benzoates and sorbates. It is made up of an undefined mixture of fermentation metabolites, lactic acid, and peptides.

Essentially, it’s a combination of amino acids and organisms used to help the body break down food for energy, growth, reproduction, and maintaining health.

Cultured dextrose is very effective in controlling the physico-chemical, microbiological, and organoleptic properties of food and is great at controlling yeast and mold. Manufacturers of soups, sauces, salads, hummus, dairy products, and beverages often find the application seamless and value the clean label.

In addition to shelf life extension, improved flavor and aesthetic quality often are a result of using a cultured dextrose.

Interested in learning more about cultured dextrose or any of our other clean label products? Contact your JRW Regional Sales Manager today!

Thank you for joining us in this series: Sifting Through the Noise.
If you missed any of the previous posts in this series, click HERE.

Reciprocal Meat Conference 2018 – The Family Reunion

Posted on by Jessica Allen

Reciprocal Meat Conference 2018 – The Family Reunion

Paraphrased from Dr. Dana Hanson at North Carolina State University:
“Something you’ll never hear at the Reciprocal Meat Conference – I sure would like some more kale salad!”

Brandy Cleveland, Mark Frenzel, and Benjy Mikel at Reciprocal Meat Conference

The Reciprocal Meat Conference (RMC) is an annual conference that allows any and all members of the meat industry to discover the innovations of our industry and discuss solutions for day-to-day challenges. Whether you were just there last year, or it has been 10 years since you last went to an RMC, you always pick right where you left off! One would be hard-pressed to find a conference where direct competitors sit side by side in scientific collaboration and fellowship. Here is the technical program of speakers and session overviews. Reciprocation sessions will be posted soon if you want to check it out!

JRW Clean Label Workshop

This year, JRW sponsored the session “Clean Labeling Workshop”, where clean label processed meat products were compared to conventionally produced products. Clean ingredient solutions, labeling procedures, food safety, and emphasis on both conventional and clean label products for safe consumption were hot topics of discussion during this session.

Paul Hargarten with Hawkins, Inc. and Brian Metzger with Wenda America and Prosur both enlightened the audience on the progress of clean label ingredients and the application of these products. Through Q&A discussions, we were able to lay the groundwork for what challenges these type of products could face in production, all the while providing a tasty, wholesome product for families of different economic backgrounds.

Ingredients discussed included buffered vinegar, fruit and spice extracts, potassium carbonate, celery juice powder, sea salt, meat broths/stock, and yeast extract.

If clean label products are on your project list, we at JRW would love to help!

The JRW365 Wellness Plan

Posted on by infomedia

Whitney Houston once sang “learning to love yourself, it is the greatest love of all”.

JRW takes great pride in providing excellence of service by caring for each of our customers. With “world class service” being true to our foundation, it stands to reason that we must also see the importance of caring for our employees. This serves as the foundation for our 2018 wellness plan, JRW365.  To encourage complete participation by every employee, we have incorporated competition and teamwork into this year’s wellness plan. The desired outcome of JRW365 is better overall health for every employee. We will strive to achieve this goal via four primary avenues:

1. Activity

The goal of JRW365 is not to produce Olympic caliber athletes. Rather it is to encourage all JRW employees to avoid a sedentary lifestyle. The primary way to do this is by simply encouraging people to walk.

  • Take a longer path to the restroom.
  • Get up from your desk a few times a day and walk for one or two minutes.
  • Park a few steps further away from the door.

There are many creative ways to increase your daily step count without it being too strenuous. In addition to step related activities, we also encourage employees to seek out other modes of exercise that can be measured in the amount of time spent training. As is the case with any health plan, it is always encouraged to consult with your physician before beginning any kind of exercise program.

2. Preventive Care

The old saying states, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Routine physical exams can identify potential risk factors before they become problems. Routine dental care can help a person avoid gum disease. Studies have linked gum disease to an increased risk of heart disease. Cancer screenings may sound scary and uncomfortable, but most forms of cancer can be effectively treated and eliminated when they are diagnosed early enough. We want to encourage all of our employees to be proactive when it comes to their health.

3. Education

We have established the JRW Wellness Track through Pryor Learning, an online business training center. There are several hours of videos that pertain to a variety of health-related issues. Employees are encouraged to watch these videos to gain a better understanding of health and wellness. Our hope is that these videos will teach employees some simple ways to improve their health at all levels.

4. Nutrition

Nutrition is a vital part of a person’s total health. Are you eating a balanced diet? Are you eating appropriate portion sizes? Are you drinking enough water? All of these factors play a vital role in maintaining the proper nutrition to achieve your desired fitness goals.

The JRW 2018 motto is

“The Best Get Better”.

Through JRW365, we hope that we make this motto true for our health as well.