Tenure from Archway is evident with most senior management. Of the two brands made at the plant, Archway cookies are baked-to-order because of shelf life while Stella D’oro products are baked-to-inventory. The 85,000-sq-ft distribution center adjacent to the plant handles the company’s private label and directstore deliveries as well as shipments to distributors. But Lance was one of the few that saw potential to keep the plant running and had great plans to move it forward at an accelerated rate,” Mr. “Dan (Streit) and I were the ones walking prospective buyers through the plant during that time, and we had some parties simply interested in selling off the assets for a profit. Joe Phinney, logistics manager, a 22-year veteran of Archway and several previous positions at Mothers, Beatrice and Parmalat, was responsible for relocating the distribution center to Ashland in 2005 and for liquidat- ing the $2.5 million of assets right after the bankruptcy. “We run autonomously as far as Archway products within the Lance organization and bring much needed capacity to the company’s Vista Bakery private-label operations at Burlington, IA.” “We’re full speed forward, with a list of projects and ideas, many originating from the hourly employees, that can keep us busy for a long time,” Mr. And that’s a great feeling for everyone.”Īt this point, the company still values the plant’s history and heritage, but it eagerly looks to its future. It seems sometimes that the plant can run itself, and managers are not needed. It really came down to the culture, and we see that every day. “I had heard so many good things about Lance, and after discussions with Blake Thompson, senior vice-president supply chain, I realized this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Jeremy Bowen, plant manager, came on board at the plant in February 2009, site unseen. Once hired, we set up new employees with mentors to acclimate them into our culture. “To the prospective employee, it showed the seriousness of the job they were applying for. “This was a volunteer opportunity, and it not only was an eye-opener for the employees but also really elevated them to a level of job ownership we had never seen before,” Ms. Part of the employee empowerment included involving current employees in the interview process for new employees. We are now back to about 200 employees, 137 of which are former Archway staff.” “Within one week after the acquisition, more than 30 Lance employees from corporate headquarters came in and met with all ex-Archway plant employees gave each one a check for $1,500 dollars as a goodwill gesture interviewed 265 people interested in returning to the plant, with the ability to only rehire 60 at the time hired, trained and restarted operations. 9,” noted Dan Streit, bakery services manager and a 37-year Archway employee. “What was even more astounding was the speed with which Lance brought the operations back on line after it signed the acquisition papers on Dec.
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