Thread: IA: New General Manager takes helm at JBS/Swift

New General Manager takes helm at JBS/Swift
By KEN BLACK, TIMES-REPUBLICAN POSTED: February 21, 2009

Troy Mulgrew, the new general manager at JBS/Swift, said his major goal is to keep the continuous improvement going that the Marshalltown plant is already known for.

"The plant has a great history," Mulgrew said.

Much of that history, according to the new general manager, is driven by its people. The employees at the plant are what make it what it is - one of the busiest pork plants in the country with an average daily slaughter of 18,700 hogs. However, it is not only the work ethic of the plant that moves it forward, it is the attitude of the people, Mulgrew added.

"The people at the plant, in meeting them, have been the most welcoming group," he said. "In talking with them and working with them the last several weeks, they have a desire to win the ballgame and that's 80 percent of the battle."

Mulgrew has more than 25 years of experience in the pork industry, most recently as the general manager of a Farmland Foods facility in Crete, Neb. He first began his career as a slaughter floor butcher and then moved into a managerial role.

The nice thing about Mulgrew's history is it gives him an idea of how important all levels of the process are, according to Human Resources Manager Tony Harris.

"Troy has an inclusionary mindset," Harris said. "It's not just management managing the process. It's all of us managing the process."

Despite the management team's best efforts, they understand there is still a mindset in the community where some feel JBS/Swift has tried to take advantage of undocumented workers. Harris said it simply is not true, that they are continually improving their hiring practices within the confines of the applicable law and that has made a difference.

"We are seeing a shift in the candidates coming to us," Harris said. "We see less undocumented workers who are attempting to come work for us."

One thing the company will also continue to focus on is its efforts to be a good corporate neighbor, Mulgrew said. Donations will be made and box sales of meat will continue to happen as much as possible.

Further, even in a down economy, both men noted the plant is always looking for good people.

"Our core workforce, those full-time people who we know will come to work everyday, continues to grow," Harris said.

That does not mean there will not be challenges ahead, even in production. Mulgrew believes as the recession continues to entrench itself, they will see fewer orders for food service accounts, such as restaurants, and increased orders for retail accounts. This will be due to people starting to eat at home more often.

Mulgrew comes to Marshalltown with his wife, Sharon, and a son, Dalton.

They also have two daughters. Paige will be attending the University of Iowa and Hope is currently studying at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

www.timesrepublican.com

"We are seeing a shift in the candidates coming to us," Harris said. "We see less undocumented workers who are attempting to come work for us."

Is ICE listening to this lawbreaker? I bet the State Unemployment Offices in the state are sending the undocumented immigrant to this company They are not using E-Verify to check legal status of immigrants. What a wonderful loophole for the government and employer?