Sargento earns Manufacturer of Year

Tri-County News

Kiel's largest employer was honored Thursday as the Wisconsin Manufacturers of the Year among companies with more than 1,000 employees. Sargento Foods Inc., headquartered in Plymouth, was named the winner in the largest of nine categories. Sargento operates one of its food packaging plants at Persnickety Place in Kiel.

63 Wisconsin businesses were nominated for the 20th annual Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Awards for outstanding achievements in manufacturing. On Thursday, the nine winning Wisconsin companies were announced at a black-tie awards dinner and program at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee.

Sargento Foods, Inc. of Plymouth was recognized as the 2007 Manufacturer of the Year in the Mega Company category. The Mega Company category is defined as organizations with 1,000+ employees.

The Manufacturer of the Year Awards recognize Wisconsin companies that demonstrate a commitment to business excellence which has a positive impact on the company and the state, making Wisconsin a better place to live, work and play. "We were nominated by St. Nicholas Hospital, and they truly have been a valued and trusted partner for Sargento" said George Hoff, Chief Financial Officer at Sargento. "Our employees will be absolutely delighted about receiving this award. They will be happy about the recognition that this award brings from their peers. The people of Sargento are truly special. The work ethic of our employees is outstanding, and the enthusiasm and excitement that they exhibit make Sargento what it is."

"Choosing this year's winners was exciting, as well as challenging," said Steve Levy, president and CEO of Bell Laboratories, and one of 15 judges who selected the nine winners for this year's event. "We received 63 very qualified nominations, the second highest number in the event's history. I appreciate the time each judge spent in reading each nomination in detail, and the subsequent discussion time used to select the top manufacturers. The winners we chose are truly the best of the best, as this year's nomination pool was very competitive."

Sargento Foods Inc. is the second largest cheese brand in the United States. Sargento's core business is natural shredded cheese, sliced cheese and snacks, also producing high quality appetizers and sauces. Sargento is the top producer of sliced cheese in the United States. The company was started in 1953, and has always been fueled by three factors: Family, Passion and Cheese. Sargento employees are like a close-knit family, passion drives their excellence and innovation, and cheese is their love.

Over the past five years, Sargento has had solid top line performance during a period of significant volatility in raw material costs, the single largest factor in its cost of goods. During this time, Sargento's ability to manage its business with a long-term perspective has resulted in a period of steady financial growth.

Sargento uses a number of proprietary, specialized manufacturing processes to produce its wide variety of products. As a leader in innovation Sargento was the first company to introduce zippered resealable packaging for cheese. The company views efficiency as a way to be environmentally responsible. Equipment runs at the highest yields with optimized mean time between any production issues, minimizing its environmental and carbon footprint. The result is a need for less machinery, less overall production space and less packaging scrap materials.

As the official cheese of Lambeau Field and Green Bay Packers, Sargento partnered with the Packers to create the "Touchdowns for Charity" program. Through this program Sargento donates $1,000 to the Milwaukee-based Hunger Task Force for every Packers offensive touchdown scored, and $2,000 for every defensive and special teams touchdown scored. Since 2003, Sargento has contributed more than $217,000 to the Hunger Task Force.

An independent panel of judges, with representatives from business, education, government and the media, selected the 2007 Manufacturer of the Year Award winners. More information about the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Awards program can be found at www.wimoty.com.

The statewide recognition program is co-sponsored by Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, a preeminent Midwest-based law firm; Virchow, Krause & Company, LLP, the nation's 15th largest accounting and consulting firm; and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state's largest business association.

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