Pet Food Processing - January 2024 - 54

OPERATIONS
Kemin's Global
Winner's Circle
members participate
in an annual leadership
training designed for
the company's up-andcoming
future leaders.
Kemin Industries
nity, friendship and fun; creates a diverse and inclusive
workforce, where the sharing of ideas and oneself create a
community of understanding, trust and respect; gains advantages
at all levels of the organization through equitable
hiring and promotion practices; and provides a foundation
for security and wellbeing through fair compensation,
comprehensive benefits, and employee resources. "
While employee programs have always been important
to CRB, the COVID-19 pandemic created a unique need
for more employee support in and out of the workplace.
" Our employees were dealing with the challenge
of balancing the stressors of work and the demands at
home with a turbulent macro environment, " David said.
As a result, the company implemented several programs
focused on enhancing connections at work through
employee-resource groups, providing access to additional
resources through its Employee Assistance Program
(EAP), and amplifying its overall focus on wellbeing.
Diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace has
become a corporate mission spreading across all industries
including those representing pet food. The acknowledgement
that an accepting work environment
will lead to increased productivity, employment retention
and job satisfaction has become more than a corporate
responsibility; it's become a necessity.
" True innovation arises from having many different
perspectives and backgrounds in all roles and at all levels
of the organization, " said Jennifer Weber, chief people
and diversity officer at ADM.
ADM now has a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion council
in each of its regions with leaders who manage four strategic
pillars: leadership engagement, training and communication;
recruiting; advancement and retention; and
networks and sponsorship.
Scoular also has a corporate Diversity and Inclusion
Council that sets the tone for the company's D&I
mission.
" It's a journey - there's never an endpoint, " said Kate
Pitschka, corporate sustainability manager for Scoular.
" We are constantly evolving and trying to improve. "
54 PET FOOD PROCESSING | January 2024 | www.petfoodprocessing.net
Scoular now has four employee resource groups that
provide programs, education and support to all employees.
The company first started SWIC (Scoular Women
Influencing Culture) to help female employees overcome
some of the challenges of being in a male-dominated agriculture
industry. SPAN (Scoular Proud Ally Network)
and SEPOC (Scoular Ethnicities and People of Color)
were formed to support the LGBTQIA+ and ethnic communities
at the company. The most recent addition is
SELO (Scoular Emerging Leaders Organization), a network
designed to support young Scoular professionals.
" D&I is important to every corporation these days,
but for some companies it's a 'check the box' type of
thing, " said Chad Kucks, vice president of sales, supply
chain and R&D for Seward, Neb.-based Petsource,
a Scoular subsidiary. " But at Scoular, we are highly engaged
in it - it's a daily part of everything we discuss
and everything we do. "
Community outreach
To many companies, being a good corporate citizen goes
beyond supporting the people employed by the company,
it means supporting the communities in which the
companies reside.
Kemin partners with Habitat for Humanity in the
United States and globally. The company and its employees
have volunteered on Habitat builds in various communities
in the United States, Nepal and Brazil.
The company also supports communities in its home
state of Iowa by partnering with the governor's STEM
Advisory Council and sponsoring STEM Teacher Awards.
The award honors one teacher from each of the six STEM
regions in the state for their contribution and dedication
to STEM education in Iowa. Each winner receives $1,500,
as well as another $1,500 for their classroom.
" As a global company with customers in more than
120 countries and employees around the world, Kemin
uses the philosophy of thinking globally and acting locally
to support employees and communities they call
home, " Burt said.
https://iowastem.org/regions https://iowastem.org/regions http://www.petfoodprocessing.net
Pet Food Processing - January 2024

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