AUSTIN, Minn. – Hormel Foods Corp. recently awarded 75 suppliers from a variety of areas including contractors, pork procurement, provisions, ingredients, packaging and transportation with its 2011 Spirit of Excellence Awards. The awards were presented to the companies for their roles in Hormel’s continuous improvement process throughout the last year.

Suppliers that qualified for the Spirit of Excellence Award maintained a minimum supplier rating index score of 92 throughout a 12-month period. This score is determined by a universal measurement system that began in 1990 to ensure each supplier is held to the same standards. Award criteria include meeting performance requirements, making on-time deliveries and providing high-level customer support, according to a Hormel press release.

“We look forward to presenting the annual Spirit of Excellence Awards as a way to show how much we appreciate these outstanding suppliers,” said Melanie A. Faust, director of purchasing at Hormel Foods. “We’re honored to partner with these distinguished suppliers who truly make a positive impact on our business.”

In addition to the Spirit of Excellence Award, suppliers compete for the Hormel No. 1 Award every five years. Last year, the company announced the Hormel No. 1 Award recipients, who were honored for providing long-term, consistent, superior performance during the five-year period from 2006 to 2010. One of the criteria for the award requires recipients to have received a Spirit of Excellence Award during four out of five years.

Here is a list of the Spirit of Excellence Award winners in the areas of contractors, pork procurement, purchasing and transportation:

Contractors: A.J. Lysne Contracting Corporation; Allweather Roof; East Penn Manufacturing; Environmental Land Management LLC; Fehr Solutions LLC; Fox Electric; Gleeson Constructors & Engineers LLC; Hyster Company; The Joseph Company Inc.; Kestner Electric Inc.; KOFAB; Lou Rich Inc.; Multivac Inc.; Preston Refrigeration; Rockwell Automation; Superior Companies of Minnesota Inc.; Weber Inc.; Werner Electric Supply; and Wolf-Tec Inc.

Pork procurement: Blue River Pork; Classic FM LLC; David Reuter; East Ridge Pork; Edmundson Hog; Farms LLC; Hufford Bros.; Jason Fett; JBS Hogs LLC; John Regier; Josie’s Pork Farm Inc.; Ken Winsel; Lake Country Pork LLC; Lost Island Inc.; Marzolf Swine Inc.; Midway Hogs LLP; New Fashion Pork; Paris Foods; Ron Nykamp; Spronk Bros. LLP; Stan Schaefer Inc.; Vander Maten Farms Inc.; Warren Alleven; Wilbur Pig Provisions; and Fieldale Farms Corporation.

Purchasing: Airlite Plastics Co.; Ampac Packaging LLC; Bunzl Processor Division; Crown Foods North America; Curwood Inc.; Dickson Industries Inc.; DXP Enterprises Inc.; Ecolab Inc.; Gamer Packaging Inc.; Hydrite Chemical Co.; International Paper; Kalle USA Inc.; The Meyers Printing Companies Inc.; Minnesota Corrugated Box Inc.; Multisorb Technologies Inc.; Newly Weds Foods Inc.; Progressive Packaging Inc.; Red Arrow Products Company LLC; RR Donnelley; Sargento; Sealed Air Corporation Cryovac Division – Bags & Film; Sensient – Dehydrated Flavors; Silgan Containers LLC; Smyth Companies; Viscofan USA; Walter G. Anderson Inc.; and xpedx.

Transportation: Dickey Transport Inc.; Holiday Express Corporation; ICS Logistics Corporation; McFarland Truck Lines Inc.; and MCT Transportation LLC.