River Journal is pleased to print the following story from Barry Kriebel the President of Sun Maid Growers of California. With the reported closing of Kraft Foods in Tarrytown at the end of 2012, some jobs will be lost, others consolidated and still others relocated. Sun-Maid is looking to increase its workforce and the following article by Mr. Kriebel is a wonderful opportunity for professionals seeking work.
Founded 100 years ago in 1912, Sun-Maid Growers of California is an organization that has both honored tradition and continually adapted to change, including the way it hires new employees.
President Barry Kriebel explained how Sun-Maid has found excellent talent by being able to provide positive opportunities in difficult situations, such as the closing of other businesses.
“Some of the best employees we’ve hired were people that were laid off from other companies,” Kriebel said.
The world’s largest processor of raisins and dried fruit, Sun-Maid is a farmers’ cooperative owned by 750 family farmers whose vineyards comprise approximately 50,000 acres in California’s Central Valley. Headquartered in Kingsburg, California, Sun-Maid’s facilities are centrally located in the heart of the world’s largest raisin producing area, midway between Los Angeles to the south and San Francisco to the north.
Sun-Maid employs a motivated, committed staff considered to be experts in their fields. In addition to hiring from a variety of sources, Sun-Maid has also sought to hire employees at other points in their lives when it can be considered especially challenging to find work. This includes people directly out of college, as well as people facing career transitions.
Kriebel said that about 50% of Sun-Maid employees are promoted internally from within the organization, and about 50% of new employees come from outside the organization.
“We’re a small company in one sense, but we’re culturally diverse,” Kriebel said. “We have employees with backgrounds all across the United States, and internationally; this includes Germany, Japan, and China, among others.”
Sun-Maid is the leading consumer brand of raisins and dried fruits in the United States and distributes products to more than 50 countries worldwide.
This balance of small company with global reach provides employees with a variety of rewarding work opportunities that emphasize continuous improvement and growth.
“Our philosophy utilizes the best talents of people as they grow and develop — and move from one area of responsibility to another,” Kriebel said.
To contact Sun-Maid Growers of California call 1-559-897-6240 or email PREZ@sunmaid.com
