February EDITION . #39
THE CB GROUP NEWSLETTER 03
Nutramix trains Farmers
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drivers get a new role
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CBG connects with #slack
Table of CONTENTS
1 3
welcome
nutramix trains farmers in ai and expands semen distribution
6 8 14 16 18 25
bad dawg now at uwi
indulge the mag
drivers get new role
a day in the life of: joseph small
farmers luncheon
scheduling your vacation
Welcome
As we move forward into 2017, let us commit to build on the great achievements of 2016. In the words of Nelson Mandela, "It always seems impossible until it's done". So this year, we will all work together to surpass expectations and create new levels of possibilities that we have only dreamt of before. We expect this will be another year of records. Each member of the CB Group has a critical role to play. We are building blocks that come together to create and ultimately reveal the masterpiece that outperforms the industry, while serving our customers with warmth and diligence, and continuing to strengthen our internal camaraderie. Let us therefore look for opportunities to uplift and help each other, not opportunities to belittle. The company has many strategic plans, some of which are already in motion, to guide us along the path of success. Our LEAP sessions acted as the main avenue to inform and exchange thoughts on the way forward. In this issue you will find out some of these changes such as our drivers being given new titles and functions and the introduction of SLACK and BAMBOO HR. These are all geared at improving efficiencies, internal communications and giving you greater access to your personal information. So, just as the CB Group has great aspirations, many of us have made life changing resolutions for the New Year. My advice to all, be inspired, follow your dreams and the can be achieved. Happy New year, Happy reading.
G. Channer Garth Channer Chief Financial Officer
welcome
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2
NPM trains Jamaican farmers in Artificial Insemination and ramps up semen distribution
around the brand in 30 days — nutramix
A focus on Artificial Insemination training Did you know that the Nutramix team travels across the island to conduct training sessions for Jamaican farmers at least twice a month? The NPM teams underwent training with Select Sires (USA supplier of semen) in Artificial Insemination in June 2016 so they're now sharing their training with local farmers.
Our vets work with the Technical sales team and Livestock Support services. The sales team arranges the workshops and handles the logistics to get the farmers out in numbers. The Technical team does the presentations and engages the farmers directly. There are classroom workshops which are tied in with practical training where the team finds a farm in the area and uses the farmers’ animals which are bred so that the farmers can see first-hand and learn. 3
Generally these are private small farmers although CB contract farmers are invited if the team believes the session is relevant to them. The program aims to engage farmers from all walks of life - old, new, and potential farmers or persons who are simply interested. NPM’s Dr Gabrielle Young shares that “we even welcome the competitor farmers, as we are also assisting Jamaica’s agriculture which helps everyone – it's nation building.” The teams will also assist farmers with de-worming the cows, pregnancy checks, freeze branding and anything else that the farmer may request.
Pig semen distribution grows The distribution of pig semen started with 5 depots, mostly under the control of Newport Genetics, but as of 2015 Newport Mills took over its sale and distribution, and now there are 12 depots where farmers are able to purchase semen island-wide. With the addition of new depots in November 2016, there have been sales of an additional 30 doses per month. The goal is to have at least one depot in each parish. And it doesn’t end with pig semen. Cattle semen Did you know that in July 2016, we started selling cattle semen for both beef and dairy farmers? Yep! Semen is purchased from Select Sires - the leading supplier of cattle semen in the world which has access to (and also owns some of) the top 10 performing bulls in the world.
Andre with Artificial Insemination kit
So now we are stocking: Dairy – Jersey, Holstein and Brown Swiss breeds Beef – Black Angus, Red Angus and Braham breeds In December just gone, there was a second shipment brought in, with the addition of other bulls and “sexed” semen which guarantees the farmers a female calf with 98% certainty. Why? The idea behind the semen is to improve the genetics available within Jamaica so to really make our Jamaican farmers more efficient. For example, farmers can use the same number of cows to produce 3 times the amount of milk with better genetics, nutrition and management. Standford performing Artificial Insemination
Jamaican small farmer and inseminator who purchases from Golden Grain and takes taxis traveling all over Clarendon to inseminate pigs for farmers
Never forget that with everything we do at CBG, we do it with the purpose of building a more sustainable agricultural industry. Pig semen kit
around the brand in 30 days — nutramix
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|| PIG SEMEN LOCATIONS
Check out all the semen depot locations across the island: Westmoreland: Source Once Trading Anchovy: Farm Plus Mandeville: Agro Grace St. Elizabeth: Consolidated Agri Trelawny: S. Thompson/ G. Gray Morant Bay: Fongs Farm Store
Port Antonio: St. Mary: Linstead: Maypen: St. Andrew:
Eastport Farm & General Agriculture Hub St. Jago Farm Supplies Kitchen & Farm Golden Grain Newport Mills Ltd.
Cattle semen (beef and dairy) is available upon request. Call (876) 922-9478.
Now at
StudenUtWsI Union Next time you’re on campus or in the Mona area, stop the golden wheels to grab your favourite juicy sausage.
Mondays – Fridays • 11am – 5pm
You may have read it, you may have glimpsed it. You may have heard its name and wondered about it... The 7th and latest issue of INDULGE is now out, and with that, it's the close of its very first Volume.
2017 welcomes Volume 2. In 2014, we partnered with Select Brands to create this all-Jamaican Food & Beverage magazine as a way to extend ourselves to our customers and show all the diverse and delicious ways that our products can be used. But much more than that, Indulge takes its readers on a journey all across the island to explore some of Jamaica's best food stops while promoting Jamaican products and brands. Read up on these mouth-watering dishes and much more in the latest issue, Issue 7 ‘Indulge in You’ and all past issues here:
www.issuu.com/indulgethemag Share this link with your family, friends, customers and suppliers. It’s a simple click, and a proud, yummy read. Written by Jamaicans, shot by Jamaicans, printed by Jamaicans. Published by your CBG. around the brand in 30 days — indulge
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TAFF STAFF STAFF STAFF STAFF STAFF STAFF S
BIRTHDAYS February NAME
DATE
NAME
DATE
Tina Hamilton
1
Nathanael Dixon
Alicia Mitchell
3
Stevon Phillips
Andrea Mayne
Karlon Smith
Carol Leslie
Pete Sinclair
Hughmore Coore
4
13
NAME Truman Watson
Dwayne Gordon-White
15
Ricardo Gayle
24
Andrew White
25
Lorna Thomas
Nicholas Currie
Claudia Clarke
Michael Lee
Samuel Barrett
Giovannie Nelson
Shelly-Ann Cargill
Daemion Mills 5
16
Kameika Whyte-Lloyd
Oral Fogah
27
James Howell
28
Craig Mcnaught
Jascynth Lewis
Lloyd Dennis
Keneil Thomas
Mayna Nesbeth
Kereen Cole
Francois Ayres
6
Monica Green-Riley
Kemar Bennett
Rodney Watson
Patricia Miller
Victor Barracks
Ralston Brown
Errol Thomas
Andrew Squire
Lawson Dennis
7
March 18
Colin Porter
9
19
Norma Parnther
Ivyrene Carr
Anthony Reid
Oshane Haughton
Jamone Black
NAME Kimathia Kerr
Jermaine Jackson
Elizabeth Ida Cain
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26
Kemoi Burke
Jamardo Davis Norris Fisher
22
Vandana Reid 14
Maureen Simms
Carlos Lewis
DATE
DATE 1
Asahel Huie Lionel Williamson
20
Darlton Gallimore
2
Vernon Graham
10
Chadrick Williams
11
David Ryman
Cheryl Watt
Roxanne Edwards- Isaacs
Hubert Blair
Andrew Young
Zena Ferguson
Jermaine Peart
Garnet Johnson
Mark Thompson
Karl Harriott
5
Desmond Thompson
Owen Wright
Andrea Humphrey
6
Donald Delahaye
Dussen Palmer
Maria Drummonds
Elaine Campbell
Desmond Anglin
Magdalena Hibbert
George Williams
Rovell Pryce
O'Rane Gray
Alicia Bogues Alecia Thompson
Colin Johnson
12
Claudette Lyons
13
Imogene Cameron-Dowie
21
22
Carol Christie
3 4
Kimiko Vassel 7
APPOINTMENTS Arnold Road Ramon Rennie
Maintenance Technician
Imagination Farms Donia Nembhard Farm Coordinator Chevelle Campbell Administrative Clerk
cb big ups — birthdays + staff announcements
Copperwood, Lucea Nicolette Watson Production Attendant (promotion) Group Office Alecia Dixon
People & Culture Coordinator, HRD
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Creating Bonds
in Our Communities 12
Introducing
We believe in PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST! So, we've invested in an award-winning HR software called BambooHR! While the CBG is into crops, having the name BambooHR does not mean we’re going to start growing bamboo (any time soon). BambooHR helps the CBG by empowering teams in 3 main ways:
This power shift frees up the People & Culture department (formerly HRD department) to FOCUS more on YOU and less on data and paperwork. We’re committed to making you happy and while it can’t happen all at once, we’re excited to take the baby steps in creating a CBG culture that keeps you empowered, motivated and fulfilled. For more info, talk to your Supervisor, HR Contact, HR Coordinator or any member of the People & Culture team. Happy Bamboo-ing!
our community — introducing bamboo hr
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Our drivers entrusted with a new role in Sales and Distribution At the Drivers’ Meeting on January 14th, the focus was on our drivers who came out to the Knutsford Court Hotel. To their surprise, there was lots in store for them. At LEAP last year, we got the opportunity to hear from them first-hand and with hearing their hopes and dreams for living better, some positive changes were made. Their improved benefits were announced and to their delight, they received brand new company smartphones. Also with a new CB Group campaign underway, the timing was perfect to engage them as the first set of staff to truly learn about the Live Better campaign as they are the group who often is the first point of contact with our customers. our community — drivers get new role
More important than just enlightening our drivers was to get them involved. Their duties have been amplified as they will not just play an important role regarding distribution, but they’ve now been entrusted with a more extensive role in sales. Our drivers’ new role is now Driver Salesmen and we’d like to congratulate them on their promotion! Surely this new role will be a key factor in the campaign’s success and in the leap toward CB staff, really living better. At the meeting, the drivers got the chance to interact with some members of management and other staff, and of course in true CB style the day would not have been complete without great food and great vibes.
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our community — drivers get new role
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A Day in the Life of‌
Joseph Small QMS Manager 1. How long have you worked with the CB Group? I started in September 1996 at the Field Operations as a Technical Field Officer.
2. How did you first get involved with CBG and how has your role changed over the years? I applied to the organisation seeking a job that would allow me to fulfil my fullest potential and was interviewed by Mr Glen Sivils and Mr Eaton Barrett and the rest is history. My past roles include Technical Field Officer during which time I understudied Ferris Harriott as QA Manager NPM as well as acted as dispatcher for feeds at NPM, Plant Coordinator CB Arnold Road during which time I acted as Fleet Manager, QMS Chair for the Chicken Plant, QMS Coordinator-HACCP, CB Group QMS coordinator- ACCP and ISO, to now my current position of CB Group QMS Manager.
our community — a day in the life of: joseph small
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3. What has been the most rewarding moment for you at CBG? Wow! There have been numerous rewarding but to select just one, I’d say the certification programs and the national endorsements by the Bureau of Standards in granting several earned awards. Having been with CBG for so long, is there any monumental instances you wish to share with persons who have joined in recent years? The CB Group is one of the best organisations in the Caribbean to work for and as we implement the three year plan and the low hanging fruits arising from the LEAP sessions, I would say we are in for an even more exciting journey. I believe that the CB Group is on a path of good to great as written by Jim Collins and will be great by choice in the next few years.
4. What is a typical day like for you at work? A typical day for me begins with ensuring that my to-do list is made from the day before and refined in the morning which is in line with the strategic goal for the period. Usually I will read several articles, watch a few youtube videos or continue a book that I am reading before I journey to the location of work for that day. I will make and receive several phone calls or with my QA officers and QMS chairs. I will visit the selected facility or facilities depending on the need to facilitate maintenance and improvement of the standards that we are certified to. Constantly pursuing corrective actions across the system with both internal and external customer requirements in mind as a main priority to be achieved.
5. What gets you through a hectic work day? I am a driven, self-motivated individual with an expectation that my long term desires and goals, God’s willing is just around the corner whether it is with family, profession or being a child of the universe. Additionally I use all the life lessons to improve for the future with an attitude of gratitude on my life journey.
6. Which product is your favourite at CB? CB Chicken is my favourite due to the versatility and it can be prepared in so many, many ways.
7. If you could switch departments for a day, where would you go and why? The Accounting and Finance function in order to review multiple projects and approve finances in a timely manner so that the project success can result in organisational success with individual successes as a natural outcome.
8. Any embarrassing moments at work? Sending an email to an individual and having a passionate follow up conversation expecting that the content was received only to be told that there was no attachment. It was subsequently confirmed that the attachment was not sent.
9. If you could name only one dream that you have for CBG in the next 3 years, what would it be? To actually be recognised as a preferred employer in the region.
our community — a day in the life of: joseph small
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Farmers’ Luncheon at Caymanas Polo Club
On January 19th we invited our contract farmers to join us at Caymanas Polo Club to have lunch and mingle.
Our farmers have been some of our most loyal customers and have truly helped us to grow our brands and companies. More importantly, our farmers play irreplaceable roles in growing our Jamaican agricultural industry. So of course, we always strive to play our part in helping to grow and improve their businesses, such as through the Nutramix seminars and training sessions that have been taking place across the island.
on sharing some of our goals here at CBG, and discussing the integral ways in which the farmers are involved. Check out some of the highlights and get to know some of the faces of our great farmers who are really an extension of the CB family.
There are lots in store for CB Group as we leap toward achieving bigger dreams and aspirations. As part of sustaining the relationships with our farmers, the meeting was focused our community — farmers' luncheon
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our community — farmers' luncheon
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Many folks across the Group have been requesting better ways to communicate. So, we decided to leap into
Connecting with the people we work with everyday By now, most persons would have already undergone training through the IT department to learn how to use this new software. #slack should be up and running on your desktops and on your mobile phones through the app. But to sum it up, #slack gives us: • Easy and convenient communication • Cutting down on one line emails. Now we say no to emails for quick chats! • No missing out on updates from IT, People & Culture and Marketing • Ability to create private channels to work on projects and collaborate across locations or departments • Ability to talk to anyone in the Group at any location
our community — cbg connects with #slack
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Valentine's Day at Work
Happy Valentine’s Day CB Fam! Who could use a little extra love around you? Think of someone who was there for you in a sticky situation. Maybe a mentor who you talked you off the proverbial ledge? What about a boss who’s been a BOSS boss, who lifted your spirits? What about someone who reports to you that’s been a star recently? Or maybe one that’s not been shining so bright?
For whatever reason, take the time to craft a deep compliment to your coworkers…
But more than this…
Cards
Be selfless
Notes
Be helpful
Chocolates That extra smile and cheer
our community — show love on valentine’s day
Reach out to your team to accomplish common goals.
Go a step further… Share the spirit of love with your clients or customers!
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and tid-bits 22
CB Chicken Dry Rubbed Smoked Wings Ingredients: Brine: • 4 cups water • ¼ cup salt • ¼ cup brown sugar • 4 cloves garlic, crushed • 1 tsp dried thyme • 1 tbsp red pepper flakes • 2 lbs CB Chicken wings Rub: • ¼ cup brown sugar • ½ tsp granulated dehydrated onion • ¼ tsp ancho or chipotle chili pepper • ¼ tsp smoked paprika • ¼ tsp garlic powder • ¼ tsp traeger sweet rub
recipe corner — dry rubbed smoked wings
Directions: 1. Whisk together the brine ingredients in a large bowl or container until the brown sugar and salt has dissolved. Add in the wings, tips removed and cut at the joint into drummettes and flats. Cover and put in the refrigerator and let the wings brine for 24 hours. 2. In a small bowl mix together the dry rub ingredients. 3. Remove the wings out of the brine; rinse off and pat dry. Coat the wings with the rub on all sides. 4. When ready to cook, start the grill on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). 5. Place the wings on grill grate and smoke for 1½ hours. 6. Turn the grill up to 450° F; cook wings for about 3-5 min on each side, or until the wings are golden brown with a little bit of crunch 7. Remove the wings from the grill. Enjoy!
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Copperwood Pork Tacos with Spicy Black Beans Ingredients: Beans • 1½ cups dried black beans soaked overnight in cold water and drained • 1 tbsp vegetable oil • 1 medium onion, finely chopped • 4 garlic cloves, minced • 1 large jalapeño, seeded and minced • 1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped • 1 tsp dried oregano • Salt and freshly ground pepper Pork • ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth • 1 head of garlic, cloves thinly sliced • 1 medium onion, finely chopped • 1 whole red chili pepper, seeded and minced • 1 large green chili pepper, seeded and minced • 1 bay leaf • ½ teaspoon ground cumin • Salt and freshly ground pepper • One 1lb Copperwood Pork loin roast, trimmed of excess fat • Warm corn tortillas and salsa, for serving
recipe corner — tacos with spicy black beans
Directions: 1. In a large saucepan, cover the beans with 2” of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 2. In a medium skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeño and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add to the beans, along with the tomato, oregano and enough water to cover. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the beans are tender, about 2 hours longer, replenishing the water if necessary. 3. Preheat the oven to 300°. In a small cast-iron casserole, combine the broth with the garlic, onion, habanero and serrano chilies, bay leaf, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper and add it to the casserole. Cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour, turning the pork once, until tender. Transfer the pork to a plate and cover with plastic wrap until cool enough to handle. 4. Remove the bay leaf. Shred the pork into strips and stir into the broth. Season with salt. Fill the tortillas with pork and serve with the black beans and salsa.
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g n i r l u o y u ed
Sch
Work can get really stressful and sometimes it's difficult to drag ourselves away from our commitments. Sometimes, persons may feel that taking time off from work reflects badly on their work ethic and some others may think that the whole place will fall apart without them there. But without enough rest and time away from a stressful environment, our mental and physical well-being is in jeopardy.
tid bits — scheduling your vacation
Make it simple to vacay. But also make it nightmare-free to return to work. How? Here’re a few tips: 1. Discuss your employee vacation policy with People & Culture and request written vacation policies and procedures if you need to. Highlight your busiest work periods when vacations may be prohibited or advised against. 2. Clarify management’s right to rearrange your vacation schedule to meet work demands and fluctuating work conditions. 3. Take note of the deadline for submitting your vacation request and submit it on time so as to give management sufficient time to resolve any conflicts. 4. Prepare for the absences. If a colleague will cover your tasks while away, make sure to provide a summary of work in progress, major responsibilities, key contact information, how to access related files, and other pertinent data to meet deadlines. 5. Divide duties among several colleagues. This action keeps one unfortunate soul from having to do the work of two. 6. Use Bamboo HR to keep a track of your vacation history and your vacation days.
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share your
ideas let your
voices be heard
Email your suggestions to joelle.lodenquai@mycbgroup.com