Happy New Year by Jeff Meiners That’s right…Happy New Year! For the purposes of avoiding all of the hustle that comes with the end of the cal- endar year, Crest does their book keeping in such a way as to recognize August 1st as the start of our new fiscal year. Unlike typical celebrations on December 31st, the passing of an old year and the ringing in of a new year are pretty laid back events at Crest. We typically pass out well earned bonuses and wage increases that go into effect on August 1st. The accounting group is very busy wrapping up the financial work that it takes to close out a fiscal year. Budgets for the coming year are put into place and goals and objectives are established for the new year. We usually have a company-wide cook out as a way of celebrating all that has been good for the past year and we take some time to thank our suppli- ers at a separate event for all they have done to help us operate in the best way possible. As we all know, the past twelve months have been anything but typical for us. Covid had a big impact on nearly every aspect of Crest life. We are essential workers providing food for the grocery stores and dairy manufacturers throughout the country so we had to be at work every day. Our volumes soared in all areas at the same time the labor market got extremely tight. Wages were increased earlier than usual at an accelerated pace in an attempt to stay competitive with local industry. Supplies got tight and costs went up across the board. Policies changed often to reflect the ever-changing guidance given on dealing with the pandemic. It seemed like there was a new crisis nearly every day and everyone felt the tension of dealing with the high-stakes gauntlet that was ever-present. Sounds pretty grim, doesn’t it? Few will probably recall the past year as the most fun ever, but there is an old saying about making the best out of the cards you get dealt in life…and Crest Foods as a group of 700 some people has made the best of the circumstances we could. There is no doubt that we have shined the brightest when things were the most difficult. We have treated each other well – with kindness, respect and patience. We have treated our customers well and literally turned ourselves inside out making sure we are doing everything possible to meet their needs. We have relied upon and respected our suppliers. We have stayed true to our culture and who we are as individuals and as a company. This past year won’t go down in the books as one of our best financial years…however, it may well be one of our best years ever based upon how we handled everything that was thrown at us. I continue to be humbled by the dedication and results produced by this group of people from the middle-of-nowhere Illinois. We go to our own work-type of battle every day…and there’s no doubt we’re winning the war! Here’s a toast to you all and a wish for a happy new year…while there is no doubt that we can handle anything that is thrown our way, how about just a little bit of normal so we can all catch our breath!
Make It Count Monday Savannah Fagan recently took over as the one who fills and orders uniforms, and she heard the request for fun colored shirts loud and clear, so we came up with the idea of “Make It Count Monday”! On a random Monday during each month, employees have the chance to purchase a new Crest uniform shirt. A new color is picked every month and as long as the individual is working on that day, they can order a shirt. We keep it to one shirt per person because it’s an exclusive shirt after all!
July, August & September 2021 Crest Ink 5
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