Seaboard Triumph Foods, a joint venture between Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods, recently marked its seventh anniversary of operations in Sioux City, Iowa. The state-of-the-art STF pork processing facility has become a cornerstone of the local economy, as it is the largest employer in the city.
STF processes about 22,000 hogs per day, producing a wide range of pork products that are sold domestically and internationally. The facility exports to 26 countries and supplies a substantial amount of product to its sister company, Daily’s Premium Meats, which produces premium bacon products using raw materials from the Seaboard Foods connected food system.
STF has 2,800 employees. There are two production shifts, along with about 120 people on third-shift sanitation.
In addition to its product offerings, STF places a strong emphasis on employee satisfaction and community engagement. The company has implemented various initiatives to improve employee retention, including training programs, communication channels and community outreach.
Deanna Wiedner, VP of human resources for STF, said the company is committed to creating a positive and supportive work environment, as well as promoting diversity and inclusion.
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Diverse, inclusive workforce
One of the key factors contributing to STF’s success is its diverse workforce. The facility’s employees hail from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds. About 30 languages are represented, with eight major languages spoken.
About 50 percent of employees speak English. Of the non-English speaking workers, about 70 percent speak Spanish.
“From a diversity perspective, we have a lot of initiatives, but what we try to do is make sure that moments matter, and being able to communicate with people in their native language is important,” Wiedner said. “We work very hard to make sure that all things are communicated in various languages and available to all, so everyone feels a sense of belonging here. Part of our diversity strategy is to focus on our similarities. Our similarities far outweigh our differences.”
She noted that they focus on talking to employees daily and resolving any issues they may have.
“You can see it’s a very difficult area to navigate with a lot of equipment and things to put on. When English isn’t your first language, it can be difficult,” Wiedner said.
STF has a number of different ways to communicate with team members. An intranet system is used to post information such as schedule changes. A texting system is available to send information to all employees or just certain areas of the plant, in various languages. TV screens that display information are located throughout the facility.
“We have a three-person team that manages every piece of internal and external current communications that we have going on here,” she said. “We do monthly newsletters and a lot of bulletins; any way we can to encourage communication and get it in people’s languages, the better and more involved people are going to be.”
Translators also are on the processing floor, identified by dark blue hardhats. STF tries to ensure there are interpreters for all of the top languages employees speak. A translation service also is available, with everyone having the app on their phone, Wiedner noted.
Growth, development
STF also has prioritized employee development and career advancement.
Sixty-nine percent of management and management support are minorities, along with 17 percent of the facility’s leadership team. Within the latter, 38 percent are women. Eighty-eight percent of the STF population are minorities, with a 60-40 split male to female.
“Getting to see people that look like you in senior leadership roles is an awesome thing to see and aspire to be,” Wiedner said.
Last year, STF had 219 internal promotions among team members.
“To go from an hourly production worker, basically a non-skilled job, to a lot of different management levels is quite the initiative, and people can do that here. We’re excited to help make that happen,” she said.
In the past two years, Wiedner said they have seen about a 40 percent reduction in turnover. STF has implemented more in-house training and development for frontline supervisors and middle management.
“I think that’s been a huge factor in people having a real sense of belonging here,” she said.
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Community engagement
Beyond its operations, STF is actively involved in the Sioux City community. The company supports local initiatives, sponsors community events and works to address the needs of employees.
Wiedner said STF strives to partner with all of the major populations that have resettled in the area that have their own communities and leadership.
“We’ve tried to really have a connection with those groups,” she said. “We sponsor a lot of events.”
STF recently participated in the community’s African Fest, along with celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Celebrando Siouxland.
“When we get a new group of people, we want to make sure that we do a deep dive on who they are, what’s important to them,” Wiedner said. “We do an annual survey in all the different languages to make sure that we understand what they like, what they do not like.”
The company has a fund where it donates to organizations and sponsors different events. This year, she said STF asked in what areas the employees thought the company should spend money in the community.
This year, they suggested donations to mental health and educational organizations.
STF also offers an employee assistance program to help with counseling, legal aid or other needs.
“We try really hard to do everything we can to help people manage,” Wiedner said.
