Around CGC
In this issue:
Wayne Farms Managers Earn CQE Certification
As part of an ongoing program, twelve Wayne Farms managers have passed exams to become Certified Quality Engineers (CQEs), a widely recognized certification sponsored by the American Society for Quality (ASQ). The certification demonstrates superior individual achievement in quality assurance and manufacturing operations, while also providing significant benefits to the company and its customers.
The rigorous five-hour exam consists of 160 questions and covers a broad range of topics, including quality systems development, quality improvement, risk management, problem solving, and statistical methods. To receive the Quality Engineer Certification, applicants must also have the equivalent of eight years on-the-job experience in a related professional area, with a minimum of three years in a decision-making position.
Most Wayne Farms candidates prepared for the exam with the help of an in-house course--two days a month for six months--at the Oakwood office. They also spent considerable time outside of class reading and doing practice questions.
Dobson QA Manager Curtis Stell, who earned the certification this summer, says he spent 70-80 hours on homework plus in-class assignments. He notes that it was a major commitment, and that the exam itself was more difficult than he expected.
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Curtis Stell (center), Quality Assurance Manager at Dobson, being congratulated by Tim Holmes and Sandy Bishop after earning his Quality Engineer Certification. Curtis took the CQE exam on June 7 after completing a six-month course.
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"I had heard that the exam was very very hard, and I wanted to see if I could do it," says Curtis, adding that he finished with just two minutes to spare. He explains that he pursued the CQE both for personal reasons, as a means of building his career, and as a qualification that would be useful to the company. "I thought that getting certified would be something I could offer Wayne Farms and I'm grateful that they gave me the opportunity."
The CQE program has attracted people from Quality Assurance as well as from Production, Sales and other functional areas.
Eight people earned their CQEs last year: Sandy Bishop, Brad Blackmon, Robert Coleman, Don Dubnik, Scott Forsythe, Lee Goldin, Rick McQueen, and Jimmy Wong.
Four people have earned the certification so far in 2003. In addition to Curtis, they are Denise Cameron, Myke Gregg, and Jerry Kowalke. Congratulations to all the Wayne Farms Certified Quality Engineers.
Grant County Completes Two Safe Years
As of the close of business yesterday, Grant County Feeders completed two years without a lost time accident.
Please join me in congratulating the team at Grant County on accomplishing this outstanding achievement. At Grant County, 95 people provide feed & care to approximately 100,000 cattle each day, and manufacture 530,000 tons of feed each year. Grant has a long tradition of excellence in cattle performance and facility profitability.
Hats off to the Grant County team on their outstanding safety record and best wishes on Year Three!!
--John Rakestraw
Safety Milestone: XIT Mill Makes it Eleven!
At the close of business on July 30, the Feed Mill at XIT Feeders completed 11 years (4,015 days) without a lost-time accident. The XIT mill manufactures 360,000 tons of feed annually and runs 365 day a year. The team has a long-standing record of excellence in feed quality, housekeeping, cost control and safety. Congratulations to Daryl Stull and the entire Mill team at XIT.
Enterprise Complex Supports 'Relay for Life'
Wayne Farms & Friends, a thirty-two member team from the Enterprise complex, raised $10,578 for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in Coffee County, Alabama this spring. The team placed third out of seventy teams in total monies raised for the Coffee County Relay. The County’s total was about $208,000.
Some of the fundraising events included selling steak plates, candy and candles, baked goods, and Boston butts. The most successful event was an auction, which raised more than $5,000. In addition to the dollars raised for cancer research, Wayne Farms employees reaped benefits by improving their teamwork and communication skills. The effort also strengthened Wayne Farms’ reputation in our communities.
Wayne Farms & Friends was composed of members from the processing plant, the complex office, the hatchery and the feed mill, along with a few relatives of employees.
--Rod Reynolds
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| Enterprising Spirit--Wayne Farms & Friends at this year's Relay for Life. The team raised over $10,000 dollars for the American Cancer Society. |
Janie Carver, Coronado Feeders
Janie Carver, long-time Accounting Manager at Coronado Feeders, passed away on September 12 in Amarillo. Janie had an accounting degree from West Texas A&M University and had been Accounting Manager at Coronado since 1988. Two years ago she also took on additional responsibilities as Accounting Manager at Hartley Feeders.
"Janie was a very capable and talented manager who enjoyed her work," says Coronado GM Dick Chumley. "She did a terrific job for us, and she will be missed by everyone at Coronado and ContiBeef."
Foundation Update: Scholarship Season
Get $20K for Four Years of College!
CGC parents, please note: If your son or daughter is taking the PSAT/NMSQT this fall, they may qualify for the ContiGroup Foundation National Merit scholarship.
This year, the scholarship has been doubled.
It now provides up to $5,000 a year--$20,000 for four years--for qualified students beginning college in the fall of 2005. Please see the program guidelines and application form more information.
The Foundation also offers matching funds for contributions by CGC employees to U.S. colleges and universities. See program description and application form for details.
As always, the ContiGroup Foundation would like to support your volunteer work and help in your community. Please send your ideas and suggestions to Susan.McIntyre@conti.com.
PSF Receives Second Annual Taste Award
Premium Standard Farms has received the 2003 Gold Medal Taste Award in the natural premium fresh pork category as judged by the American Tasting Institute (ATI). This is the second consecutive year the company has received the ATI gold medal.
"This award is a testament to our efforts to produce a consistent product of the highest quality just as we state in our vision," said President Bo Manly.
Independent, professional chefs perform double-blind judging for food and beverage products for ATI to determine the gold medal award recipients. Food and beverages are judged on many criteria, including taste, aroma, freshness, mouth feel and overall impression to determine the best product in a given category.
ATI, located in San Francisco, Calif., is a division of Quality Institute International. According to the Quality Institute/ATI website, ATI is an independent organization dedicated to honoring the "Best of the Best" in food, beverage, and culinary products.
John Rakestraw Leads FFA Sponsors' Board
As a high-school student in the 1970's, ContiBeef CEO John Rakestraw gained lifelong skills and lasting friendships from his involvement with National FFA. Today, he's giving something back to this important organization.
The new chairman of the National FFA Foundation Sponsors' Board, John will lead the organization's multimillion-dollar fund-raising effort for 2004. He'll also work closely with other board members to support National FFA programs, which currently serve over 460,000 members throughout the United States.
John begins his term next month in Louisville, where he will speak before an audience of 22,000 at the the group's national convention. He will also host National FFA officers at his home and at ContiBeef offices in Boulder in February.
Twenty-five years ago, as an FFA member in northeast Mississippi, John found an important mentor in his agriculture teacher, Travis Ellis, who later became a close friend.
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| John Rakestraw |
He also gained valuable experience participating in FFA competitions, interacting with peers at state meetings, and learning practical skills such as welding and woodworking.
"I learned to use my hands to create something. And when you build a cedar chest or kitchen cabinet at 17 and you do it well, you gain a lot of confidence," he says, noting that FFA is really about giving young people a sense of achievement and confidence in their own abilities.
John renewed his ties to FFA three years ago when he was asked to join the Sponsors' Board. What he found was a very different organization than the one he remembered from high school--both much larger and more diverse. Young women accounted for about half the group's members and half of all state officers. In addition, about two-thirds of the members came from urban and suburban areas and had little direct experience with agriculture.
"FFA had the reputation of being a farm kids' organization," says John, "but they've changed a lot and kept very current."
In many ways, this growth has resulted from FFA's consistent effort to broaden the scope of its programs. Rather than focusing simply on crops and livestock, the organization has expanded the curriculum to include such areas as food science, environmental science, horticulture, and forestry. "They've grown as modern agriculture has grown," says John. "At the same time, they continue to help students develop the kinds of basic leadership and communication skills that can help them to become more marketable."
Despite this success, FFA does face challenges, including the need to find qualified teachers and maintain sufficient funding for its wide range of programs. In addition, it must stay relevant both to current members and to the many companies and former members that serve as sponsors.
Last year, it launched a major campaign, FFA Reconnect, to help former members renew their contacts with the organization. This has particular interest for ContiGroup, says John, since the company has been a sponsor for many years and has many FFA alumni.
"FFA is providing people with valuable experience that they might not get anywhere else," he notes. "When you look at some of the students now in college who been with the FFA, you can see that it's making a huge difference in the lives of lots of young people."
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