SPRINGDALE, Ark. – Tyson Foods Inc. has announced the winners of its twelfth annual “Supplier of the Year” awards program. Tyson presented the awards at a luncheon attended by president of Poultry Operations Doug Ramsey, Senior Vice President of Procurement Melanie Russell and Senior Vice President of Corporate Research and Development Craig Bacon. The ceremony took place at the Tyson Foods world headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas.
Winners of the 2016 Supplier of the Year award include:
• Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, a national supplier of mechanical components, bearing power transmissions and fluid power
• POET Ethanol Products of Wichita, Kansas, a specialty supplier of liquid CO?
• ColorMasters, LLC, of Albertville, Alabama, a supplier of innovative flexible products
• Symrise, Inc., of Teterboro, New Jersey, a supplier of seasoning and flavor products
• Wabash Valley Produce, Inc., of Dubois, Indiana, a supplier of liquid eggs
Several companies at the luncheon were honored for excellence in specific areas as well.
• Select Technologies, Inc. of Belmont, Michigan, and Mid States Electric of Sioux City, Iowa, were named “Contractors of the Year” for their service in the Poultry, Prepared Foods and Fresh Meats divisions.
• Kerry of Beloit, Wisconsin, was recognized as “Innovation Supplier of the Year” for its strong commitment to culinary, consumer insights, research and development, application resources.
• Heartland Supply Company, Inc., of Fayetteville, Arkansas, a minority-owned supplier of food ingredients, along with a healthy distribution network, was recognized by Tyson’s Supplier Diversity program as “Diversity Supplier of the Year.”
Supply-chain performance, total cost of ownership, pricing programs, customer-service performance, innovation, sustainability initiatives, and other performance metrics observed throughout the year made up the criteria for the recognitions.
Ramsey, Russell and Bacon each addressed the winners, thanking them for their hard work as business partners with Tyson Foods throughout 2016 and recognizing their focus and effort on innovation and their ability to keep costs in check while increasing efficiency.
“We are deeply appreciative of our suppliers as they are critical to Tyson Foods’ success as a company,” Russell said. “The 2016 winners have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to helping us assure our customers and consumers of the safety and quality of our products.”
