In the foodservice industry, Bryon’s is known for their dedication to perfecting the art of hand-pulled, hickory smoked pork products. But in their hometown of Gallatin, Tennessee, the hardworking Byron’s associates mean much more to the community than the great-tasting products they manufacture.

“The Gallatin facility is set in a beautiful location and the environment is flourishing thanks to the dedication of the associates who volunteer their time to take care of the natural habitat,” said Robert E. Rich Jr., Chairman, Rich Products. “The Gallatin associates live and breathe the Rich Promise, they’re passionate about BBQ and they’re passionate about their community.”

An outdoorsman at heart, Gallatin’s veteran plant manager, Charles Crutchfield, has been organizing the event since 2002 because he and so many other associates wanted to maintain the facility grounds. The annual clean-up celebrates Rich’s commitment to “Caring of Communities Like only a Family Can.” Gallatin’s Mayor and city councilors credited that commitment by unanimously agreeing to rename part of Town Creek after Rich’s chairman, Robert E Rich Jr., affectionately known as “Bubba.”

Gallatin Mayor, Jo Ann Graves, attended the event and officially proclaimed the creek’s new name in front of 60 Gallatin associates in attendance. A sign was placed creek side and now welcomes visitors and associates to Bubba’s Creek.

Town Creek is a 20-foot-wide creek that flows along the rear of the Byron’s facility. The pristine waters of the creek and the surrounding woodlands are home to various wildlife, including ducks, muskrats, beavers, raccoons, snakes and countless other species. Many associates enjoy breaks and lunch hours along the creek, appreciating the sights, sounds and serenity of nature.

“Each of our associates feels a connection to our natural environment – it’s our backyard,” said Crutchfield. “Renaming this section of the stream Bubba’s Creek only strengthens our bond with the community, making the creek a part of our family.”

So once again this year, Gallatin associates tended to the land around “Bubba’s Creek”, plucking thirty bags of debris from the waters. They tidied-up the facility grounds and planted flowerbeds, all in an effort to beautify the workplace and to preserve the land for the next generation of Rich’s Associates.

And some future associates may very well have been on-hand participating in Bubba’s Earth Day. The principle and seven students from local alternative school, RT Fisher, were present to help clean-up and celebrate the creek renaming. Gallatin has partnered with the school in the past, allowing students to conduct experiments and explore in the creek. Rich’s has also sponsored school activities.

“Partnering with RT Fisher is just another way Rich’s is working each day to better our community,” said Crutchfield. “We are proud to work with these students, to have the opportunity to positively influence these vulnerable lives, and to see the impact of our partnership.”

“I am honored that they City of Gallatin has acknowledged the hard work of our associates and the impact they continue to have on the community,” said Rich. “I’m proud of the Gallatin family and thankful for their efforts. I look forward to visiting the newly renamed Bubba’s Creek soon.”

“The Fort Erie plant has become the first Rich’s operation to be recognized as a ‘Zero Waste-to-Landfill Facility,’” Mario Stranges, the Continuous Improvement Manager for Rich Products of Canada, proudly stated.  “Official certification requires that at least 95 percent of all waste generated be diverted away from landfills.”

Thanks to its current recycling blitz, the Fort Erie facility is now successfully diverting 98 percent of its waste away from landfills, according to a recent study.

“During the past three years, Rich’s has made significant progress in energy efficiency and water conservation,” said Deb Gondek, Director of Sustainability, Rich Products Corporation.  “Waste reduction is another opportunity to reduce our company’s environmental footprint, and our Fort Erie plant has shown incredible leadership in this area.”

The results of a regulatory waste audit not long ago stirred Rich’s Fort Erie plant into waste-diversion overdrive.  The audit, conducted by Guelph Food Technology Centre (GFTC), a global food and beverage industry consultant, concluded the Canadian plant generated nearly 230 tons of landfill waste in 2010.  The report indicated that paper bags made up 34 percent of the landfill waste and plastic items accounted for another 25 percent.

“When we saw how much production waste we were creating, we sought a partner who could reuse or recycle it, rather than having it disposed,” said Stranges.  In July 2011, Fort Erie teamed up with Waste Management Inc., North America’s leading provider of integrated environmental solutions, to tackle the waste challenge head-on.

The move to large-scale recycling was relatively simple to implement, using Waste Management’s “Single Stream Waste Management Collection” program.

“One of the biggest drawbacks to recycling is the time spent sorting materials,” Stranges explained.  “With the Single Stream program, we don’t do any sorting at the plant.  All recyclable materials go into one container, which is removed by Waste Management and sorted at its facility.”

Raw materials packaging, by far the plant’s biggest source of waste, is now easily recycled.  In the past, the paper bags and cardboard boxes that held raw materials like sugar and salt, and even the plastic wrapping around the boxes, ended up in landfills.

Fort Erie also began generating revenue from some of its waste, selling used steel barrels as scrap and finding a buyer for its single-use pallets.  “All of these small changes add up to big environmental and bottom-line impacts,” Stranges noted.  “By taking a holistic approach to our waste management efforts, we’re able to substantially decrease our footprint.”

According to the most-recent GFTC study, the Fort Erie facility is now diverting 98 percent of its waste away from landfills – a staggering 90-percent decrease in the amount of its waste going to the trash heap.

“Green manufacturing initiatives like this waste diversion program not only drive cost savings, but also help the environment,” stressed Scott VeRost, Fort Erie Plant Manager.  “Doing what’s right for the environment ties in perfectly to the Rich Promise.”

The Rich Promise is the company’s pledge to treat its customers, its associates and its communities the same way:  like family.

On Aug. 9, 2012, Gondek and Fort Erie Mayor Doug Martin joined project team members from Rich’s and Waste Management to celebrate the environmental achievement.  The occasion on the Fort Erie plant campus was marked with the raising of a “Zero Waste-to-Landfill” flag designed by a Rich’s associate.

“Rich’s recycling efforts have helped us become more sustainable,” Martin said.  “When you see the impact on our landfills of just one company, you can see how much longer we could use our resources if everyone followed.”

“Fort Erie has shown great leadership in waste diversion and this successful project will inspire other plants to explore what can be done,” offered Gondek.  “We can all change something in our daily operations, so our natural resources will be used more effectively.  A collective effort really makes a difference.”

“Rich’s strives to be an environmental steward in the communities where we manufacture our products,” said Rich’s Director of Energy & Water Management Todd M. Musterait.  “We continually seek opportunities to do what’s good for business and good for the environment.  The tremendous waste diversion accomplishment by the Fort Erie plant was truly a team effort.”

Converted from an old meat-processing plant, Rich’s Waycross manufacturing facility primarily makes dough-enrobed appetizers and snacks – such as breaded cheese sticks and mini stuffed-pizza slices – for the company’s Foodservice Division and its Farm Rich consumer brand.

“Our philosophy is that every day begins with safety.  Safety is a huge priority and we’re very passionate about it.  It’s ingrained up and down the organization,” said Rick Maddox, a company veteran and, since January 2012, Plant Manager of the Waycross facility.  “Not only do we have a very conscientious associate safety team leading our efforts here, but all our people are amazingly engaged and always on the lookout – we’ve got lots of keen eyes identifying potential safety issues.”

To mark the outstanding safety achievement, Rich’s hosted its Waycross plant associates at a lunchtime celebration at the city’s historic Railway Express At The Depot.  Special guests and speakers included Rich’s first Waycross Plant Manager, James Shadrick; Rick Maddox, Plant Manager, Waycross Manufacturing Facility; Darryl Burgess, Director of Environmental Health & Safety; Dave Konst, Senior Vice President, Rich’s Global Operations; and Jack Kilgore, President, Consumer Brands & Canada Divisions.

During the ceremony, the five associates employed at the facility since its doors opened in 2002 received plaques in recognition of their 10 years of outstanding safety achievement.  Known internally as “the Fab Five,” they are Jason Belle, Shipping; Connie Grant, Sanitation; Ronn Music, Maintenance; Kamia “K.K.” Streeter, Production; and Anya Thomas, Production.

The Waycross facility has been diligent about keeping associate mishaps to a minimum, averaging about two minor injuries a year since 2004.  The facility’s eight-member safety team spearheads the cause at the plant floor level, and the privilege of wearing the clearly identified “Waycross Safety Team” helmet is one of the workforce’s highest honors:  26 associates volunteered for the five open slots on the 2012 team.

It’s indicative of how seriously Rich’s takes safety not just in Waycross, but throughout its worldwide system, said Darryl Burgess, the company’s Director of Environmental Health & Safety.

“We don’t compromise on safety – both associate safety and food safety,” stated Burgess.  “As an industry leader, Rich’s is cutting-edge on the safety front.  Our focus is on being consistent with safety programs throughout our global network.  As a result, we have more-stringent requirements that are applied across the board, plus the processes and training in place to ensure we meet those safety mandates.  Operations in Waycross began in this kind of proactive safety mode 10 years ago.  When we moved in, we designed the building and equipment to meet all local, state and federal requirements for food and associate safety.”

In April 2012, the USDA tightened some of the lunch program mandates, which affected, among other things, the maximum serving sizes for items such as bread and the definition of “whole grain-rich” products.  That left cafeteria operators scrambling, giving many of them less than four months to adjust their lunchroom menus before school bells would ring in the 2012-13 academic year.

Long before then, however, Rich Products Corporation had put the wheels in motion to deliver a customer solution that would set a turnaround record for a school project.  The company marshaled forces from across its foodservice and nutrition teams, including Dr. Shirley Brown, Rich’s Director of Product Training and a 38-year veteran of the organization; Marketing Manager Loraine Grimm, part of the pizza team  for Rich’s Foodservice Division; Jennifer Besing, Foodservice Marketing Manager for the K-12 segment; the Foodservice sales team; Research and Development; and associates from Rich’s largest frozen dough plant, in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Brown, appointed in spring 2012 to a USDA advisory team on school nutrition, jokes that baking is in her blood.  Both her grandmother and mother were bakers in her elementary school’s foodservice program.

“Shirley is our ‘ears to the ground,’ keeping everyone at Rich’s abreast of legislation governing whole grains,” said Grimm.  “When we realized that changes were coming to the school lunch program guidelines, we knew there would be a burgeoning customer demand for a product that not only meets the new government requirements, but also earns the children’s seal of approval.”

Tracking trends and staying ahead of the curve is just one of the ways that Rich’s cares for its customers like only a family can.  To help rescue school cafeteria operators racing to meet the demands of the new USDA guidelines, Rich’s launched one of the industry’s very first 14-inch, 51-percent whole grain, proof-and-bake, sheeted pizza doughs.  The creatively conceived dough product satisfies both the existing operational need of eight slices per pizza pie and a new dietary limit of no more than two bread servings per pizza slice.

Rich’s 51-percent whole grain pizza dough allows operators to make fresh-baked pizza from high-quality dough, without the challenges of stretching pizza dough balls.  Made with white whole-wheat flour – the nutritional equivalent of conventional whole wheat – Rich’s whole grain sheeted pizza dough comes untopped, making it an ideal base for toppings of all flavors and guaranteeing a perfect crust and delicious flavor that will satisfy even the ficklest of pint-sized school diners.

Introduced in July 2012 at the annual conference of the School Nutrition Association, Rich’s 14-inch, 51-percent whole grain pizza dough is the product of dedicated investment and a commitment to innovation and delivering viable solutions for customers.  The new dough packs a nutritional punch while satisfying the appetites of schoolchildren across America.

Rich’s recently swapped out more than 4,600 light fixtures at seven of its largest facilities, replacing or retrofitting older, less-efficient fixtures. This energy-efficient exchange, an element of the company’s energy- and water-saving sustainability strategy, supports Rich’s dedication to doing what’s right for its communities. The approach helps ensure the company’s manufacturing operations view and use energy through the lens of sustainability.

According to Rich’s Director of Energy and Water Management Todd M. Musterait, a LEED-certified Professional Engineer, dated metal halide and fluorescent technology fixtures were replaced with new, energy-efficient T5 and T8 fluorescent and LED lighting at key facilities, including two cold-storage warehouses and two plants in Morristown, Tenn., and facilities in Hilliard, Ohio; Arlington, Tenn.; and Murfreesboro, Tenn.

“In 2008, Rich’s took a more-formal approach to its sustainability efforts. To raise awareness of our environmental footprint, the company established the Rich’s Center of Excellence and developed a long-term, sustainability strategy,” said Musterait. “Our associates around the world look for ways to protect our earth, from minimizing waste and improving wastewater treatment to ensuring compliance with environmental regulations. It’s a team effort!”

The energy savings realized by Rich’s from this simple, yet effective, transition are substantial: carbon dioxide – or “greenhouse gas” – emissions were reduced by 2,843 metric tons per year. In the language of environmental equivalency, this stacks up to one year of 557.6 less cars on the road or 28.1 acres of woodlands protected from deforestation.

The new lighting also brought with it an unexpected upside.

“The new lighting not only cast a positive glow on our energy savings, but also improved the amount and quality of light in the work environment at our plants,” said Musterait. “Not to mention, Rich’s now dedicates far fewer associate hours to changing fixtures and far more to delivering the finest products for our customers.”

Just as they have each spring for the previous nine years, this past April Rich’s associates in Gallatin came together once again for an annual beautification ritual known as “Bubba’s Earth Day.” The activity coincides with worldwide Earth Day events traditionally held every April 22 – the date marking the anniversary of the birth in 1970 of the modern environmental movement.

Everyone at Rich’s in Gallatin has a role in getting ready for Bubba’s Earth Day, which was conceived during a 2002 plant tour by Rich Products Corporation Vice Chairman Melinda R. Rich and Chairman Robert E. (Bob) Rich Jr., who is affectionately called “Bubba” by their grandchildren. Bob suggested an Earth Day volunteer project for the plant, to spruce up the grounds and protect the usually pristine waters of Town Creek, a shallow, 20-foot-wide stream that runs behind the plant on its meandering way to Old Hickory Lake, a few miles beyond the city limits. The entire creek, including the 100-foot stretch that flows through the Rich’s property, is home to an abundance of wildlife, and Rich’s personnel regularly take advantage of the nearby picnic tables to enjoy the scenery while on their lunch breaks.

When the 11th annual Bubba’s Earth Day arrived this year Rich’s associates in Gallatin donned gardening gloves, outdoor boots and even some waders before taking aim on any refuse that had found its way onto the grounds or into the creek.

By day’s end, the Gallatin team’s “scavenger hunt” had collected more than 500 pounds of trash and debris – everything from beverage cans and plastic containers to sections of water hose and even large sheets of metal – which city workers then hauled away.

At the same time, some of the Rich’s crew were busy placing new shrubs, ferns and ornamental flower beds around the property. They also planted a new dogwood tree in a hallowed spot near the associate entrance. At the base of the nearly 8-foot-tall dogwood is a plaque with an inscription memorializing company founder Robert E. Rich Sr. (1913-2006).

“Without his innovative, forward thinking, all that we now do in Gallatin would not be possible,” said Charles Crutchfield, the veteran plant manager who has been the point man for the yearly Bubba’s Earth Day operation since day one. “The newly planted dogwood tree honors our founder and reminds us why we are here.”

Like Crutchfield, approximately two dozen other Rich’s associates have participated in Bubba’s Earth Day for 10 straight years. Crutchfield says company undertakings like its Earth Day initiative go beyond mere food manufacturing and reflect The Rich Promise “to treat our customers, our associates and our communities the same way, like family.”

“Sure, we’re making BBQ, but our presence is much bigger than that. We’re repaying a public that has given so much to us – that’s just the way we are,” Crutchfield stated. “What stands out more than anything is that the Gallatin plant has been able to give back to the community every year, while our associates are getting together and enjoying themselves through this team effort.”

Managed by the American Frozen Food Institute, the five-day conference brought together more than 300 senior environmental managers from food and beverage companies across the nation. These thought leaders shared with one another their perspectives and first-hand experience with sustainable practices, environmental compliance, new technologies and unique approaches to generate less waste, preserve resources and improve cost efficiencies.

As a member of a four-person panel, Musterait described the changes Rich’s has made to the wastewater treatment processes at its Hilliard manufacturing facility. In his presentation, he discussed how Rich’s leadership chose to install a new pretreatment system based on “dissolved air flotation” technology (DAF), when the easier and less costly option would have been to simply replace the existing grease trap. Less reliable than DAF technology, grease traps treat wastewater before discharging it into the municipal sewer system.

“The decision to install the DAF pretreatment system is a great example of how our leaders at Rich’s are committed to investing in sustainable wastewater treatment for the long-term,” said Musterait. “This advanced treatment system will reduce Rich’s environmental footprint by discharging cleaner wastewater, and it will more effectively maintain environmental compliance. What’s more, the new system will create efficiencies by significantly reducing the surcharges applied to water discharged from the facility.”

In his presentation, Musterait stressed the importance of engaging with regulatory authorities early and often when making sustainable upgrades at a facility.

“Updating to this technology seems simple, but there are numerous regulatory challenges which must be considered,” he said. “Each state and local jurisdiction has different requirements regarding the disposal of plant wastewater.”

“Conference attendees were keen to learn how Rich’s implemented a full-scale wastewater treatment system,” said Musterait. The ability to share Rich’s success story with a core group of environmental thought leaders was a true honor for me,” said Musterait.

The award was specifically given to Rich’s as a result of our participation in KBGIB’s Adopt-A-Highway program. Since 2009, Rich’s associates have surpassed the quarterly cleaning commitment by opting to pick up trash on their adopted street monthly.

“We volunteered to clean Mallery Street, located in the heart of the Village on St. Simons Island,” said Jennifer Besing, marketing manager, Foodservice. “We chose this spot because it’s high-traffic and a popular tourist area. Our associates wanted to adopt an area that would allow for us to make the biggest impact.”

Through this program, teams comprised of four to eight Rich’s associates put on their Rich’s safety vests and gloves, and use trash grabbers and garbage bags to clean their area with care.

“This program is a great way for us to play our part in keeping the island beautiful,” said Jennifer. “This also provides time for our associates to work together and get to know each other outside of the office. We are so thankful for Rich’s support in allowing us to spend time volunteering like this.”

The program, which has already educated more than 350 high school students and 35 adult advisors on environmental issues, solutions and more, brings together high school students to empower them with training and support to mobile them as creative change agents.

“I’m always impressed by the enthusiasm and creativity of our local students,” said Deb Gondek, director of Sustainability. “It’s amazing to see the impact that two days of collaboration and leadership training can have on their ability to develop sustainable solutions for challenges they see in their schools and communities.”

During the two-day conference, students teams came together to create plans of action around a chosen environmental issue. Throughout the training, professional facilitators from the International Center for Studies in Creativity provided direct support to the teams by teaching students creative thinking and leadership skills. Students will now spend the next eight weeks working together (with the support of a professional mentor) to implement their plan of action, while supporting other team initiatives and monitoring their success.

To learn more about the YAELP, visit the Sustainable Earth Solutions website.