Produce Pioneer NatureSweet, Recognized for Employee Leadership Program
San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) June 25, 2014 -- NatureSweet, the leading grower of premium branded, best-tasting fresh tomatoes in North America, announces that its innovative Unleashing the Power of People leadership development program has received national recognition. Leadership Excellence magazine, presented by HR.com, has given NatureSweet a Leadership 500 Top 20 Excellence Award for large companies.
Unleashing the Power of People was created by NatureSweet when the company committed to reinventing its future: to be a company that provides the necessary support to allow each and every employee to have the confidence to reach his or her highest potential. This includes cross-training and year-round employment with salary and benefits.
“It is so important to us to provide year-round employment with benefits and long-lasting career opportunities to our associates. This is something that is extremely rare, if not unheard of, in the agricultural industry,” said Michael Joergensen, marketing director of NatureSweet.
Before the implementation of Unleashing the Power of People, associates working in our facilities would not readily engage when their supervisors would approach or walk by. This signified a lack of confidence and self-assurance, something NatureSweet became dedicated to rectifying.
“They now are encouraged to engage with their supervisors with confidence. Our associates can take pride in the fact that they are valued team members who work for a company who believes in giving them the necessary tools and support to be their best professional selves,” said Joergensen.
Unleashing the Power of People also makes it so teams are self-led and self-directed. The teams work together in order to determine their collective success. This helps to eliminate a sense of hierarchy within the company and holds the individual accountable.
“To unleash the power of people, first, I need to be the difference,” said Ignacio Lopez Garcia-Zapotlan, a tractor driver for NatureSweet. “That means leading by example and unleashing my own power.”
For 30 years, Leadership Excellence has identified and recognized the Top 500 leadership organizations and their strategies and solutions in a yearly ranking. NatureSweet ranked No. 18 in a category that included media giant General Electric.
Sustainability Coordinator Virginia Aguilar, who works at NatureSweet’s facility in Tuxcacuesco, Jalisco, Mexico, accepted the award on behalf of NatureSweet at the recent Global Leadership Excellence Forum in Vail, Colo.
To find out more about NatureSweet, please visit NatureSweet.com.
About NatureSweet®
NatureSweet Ltd. is the leading grower of premium, branded, best-tasting fresh tomatoes in North America. Always vine-ripened and hand-picked at the peak of freshness, only NatureSweet® tomatoes guarantee great taste all year round. NatureSweet tomatoes are carefully grown, harvested and packaged by more than 6,000 full-time associates, and are sold at major grocers, mass retailers, club stores and food service operators in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Known for award-winning quality and innovative packaging, NatureSweet is also committed to having a positive social, environmental and economic impact on the communities in which they operate. NatureSweet Cherubs®, SunBursts®, Glorys™, Cherriots™ and Jubilees® are trademarks of NatureSweet Ltd. For more information about NatureSweet tomatoes, visit http://www.naturesweet.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jeremy Belitsos
McFadden/Gavender
O: (520) 882-6262
M: (520) 332-3732
jeremyb(at)mcfaddengavender(dot)com
Alexis Kieft
McFadden/Gavender
O: (520) 882-6262
M: (520) 909-7343
alexis(at)mcfaddengavender(dot)com
Website:
NatureSweet.com
Jeremy Andrew Belitsos, MCFADDEN/GAVENDER, +1 5208826262, [email protected]
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