R
thoo
ceull
arting
repde t
President George W. Bush visits
Ruiz Foods in 2003, taking time
to pose with employee Urbalina
Almeida and Fred Ruiz.
WHEN RUIZ FOODS chairman
and co-founder Fred Ruiz
talks about the special guest
who visited his company’s
plant in November 2003, he
sounds very much like the
proud father of 1,900.
PHOTO COURTESY RUIZ FOODS
“We invited President
[George W.] Bush to help
us celebrate our 40th
anniversary,” says Ruiz.
“Much to our surprise and
delight, he accepted.”
fighting back tears of joy, they never would have
tears of pride, tears that a thought that was possible.”
dad sheds when talking One employee in particu-about his children. lar was determined to make
“They asked us to put 300 the most of the unique oppor-of our team members behind tunity. Urbalina Almeida, a
the podium,” Ruiz recalls. customer-service file clerk at
“These were people who had Ruiz Foods for more than 20
been with us for 10 years or years, insisted on having her
more. And after the president picture taken with Ruiz and
spoke, he went back and the president. Undaunted by a
started shaking hands and sea of Secret Service agents,
hugging our team members. she pulled Bush by the arm to
And it was, from my perspec- get him to pose beside her.
tive, very, very special. “Urbalina grabbed us
Two years ago, the company
came up with the Birthday Club.
Eight times per month—each and
every month—Kim or Bryce can
be found cutting birthday cake,
greeting employees and lending
an attentive ear anytime from 4
a.m. to midnight, depending
upon which work shift is celebrating. They commemorate team
member birthdays with gifts, cake
and, of course, food. During this
time, employees are encouraged
to give positive or negative feedback about their work experience.
More than 90 percent of
the company’s workforce is
Hispanic—many of whom
came to the United States
with dreams no bigger than
earning enough money to
feed their families. When he
was asked what the president’s visit meant to him,
Ruiz unexpectedly began
“It allows us to shake hands
with each and every team member throughout the year,” Kim
explains. “We try to communicate
the company values. But if people
feel like we’re not operating
according to these values, we have
an open-door policy.”
“Here’s the president of both and pulled us together,”
the United States, and he’s Ruiz laughs. “It was a great
hugging them and shaking moment for her, and for all
their hands. In their lifetime, of us.”—MES
That’s my
job as the
head of a
company:
Ruiz Foods has more than
300 employees who have been
with the team for more than 10
years—many have remained for
more than 30 years. Nearly 10
percent of the workforce is made
throughout the U.S. and Canada. Incredibly, all of up of second-generation employees. “Every time
their products are still hand-rolled. that we have brought in a new piece of equipment
And Ruiz Foods continues to grow. The com- that is going to eliminate jobs, we tell them that
pany plans to open a second manufacturing facility they should never be threatened by progress,” Fred
in Texas later this year. says. “We have to be more productive or else we’ll
The Dinuba plant operation—from ingredient lose our competitive edge. But at the same time,
preparation to baking to cooking to process filling we’ve never fired anybody because of automation.”
to hand-rolling every product to packaging to the It’s all part of the family environment that
flash-freezing process—has a beehive-like efficiency. father and son spent years cultivating. “You’ve got all
A tour of the plant reveals not only a well-oiled these people who work very hard for you,” says Fred,
machine at work, but also a family-like atmosphere. whose other two children, Kelly and Matt, are on the
How can I
improve
“All of our team members work very industri- company’s board of directors and work at the plant
ously at their jobs. It’s amazing to watch,” says Ruiz. during the summer, respectively. “We’ve got every-
“If you’re looking for a 9-to- 5 [job], you ought to body here, so why not take advantage of that by
not come to work at Ruiz Foods. You can’t grow a teaching them how to write a check, or how to bor-business working 9 to 5. It’s all about extra effort, row money, or reading or writing or English. It’s a
and that has to come through your people.” no-brainer. That’s my job as the head of a company:
the lives of
our team
members?
How can I improve the lives of our team members?”
Building trust and tradition Even seasoned employees, such as production
The Ruiz family insists on an honest day’s work, supervisor Rosa Alexander, continue to receive off-
but they also give a lot in return. Two years ago, the the-job training.
company created a housing program called Una “We continue to take leadership courses on
Casa Para Mi Familia (“A House for My Family”), improving our communication skills, how to deal
which helps employees and their families learn the with difficult people, team building and how to com-
process of buying a home. municate with co-workers,” says Alexander, 42, who
“Many people who come to this country don’t began her Ruiz Foods career 24 years ago as an entry-understand concepts like saving money, opening a level packer. She now oversees a 200-person crew. “If
checking account and creating a budget to help you you really want to put forth the effort, the company is
save for a down payment on a home,” explains Bryce more than willing to go the extra mile for you.”
Ruiz, Ruiz Foods executive vice president, supply “They show me the same respect today as they
chain, and Fred’s son. “We help them plan strategies did years ago,” Fernando Velez says. “You are never
for bettering their lives outside of the workplace.” treated like just another number around here.” C
