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Something to Celebrate... Carolina Canners, Inc. Hosts Employee Appreciation and Incentive Event The “Drive for Perfect Attendance” program culminates in new truck giveaway. Carolina Canners, Inc. (CCI) an independent Pepsi bottler and production cooperative, gave away a brand new 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor valued at over $43,000 to one of their full-time employees. The Drive for Perfect Attendance initiative was implemented in August 2021 to promote attendance among hourly employees. Each week that an employee achieved perfect attendance, his/her name was entered into a drawing for a chance to win the brand-new Ford truck. Employees also earned an additional entry be referring a candidate who was hired to work full-time. Employees who achieved perfect attendance for the full 18 weeks of the program earned an additional 18 entries into the drawing! Twenty employees achieved this milestone and were awarded a smaller level prize in addition to the extra entries. Temporary employees were not eligible to win the truck but earned an entry for a $250 cash prize for each week they achieved perfect attendance. The program culminated in the giveaway event on December 9th, which was hosted at the plant located in Cheraw, SC. All employees were invited to attend amid an atmosphere of celebration which included lunch and multiple door prizes ranging from Yeti coolers to Walmart gift cards. Over 75 people attended including State Senators Gerald Malloy and Penry Gustafson and Mayor Andy Ingram. The grand prize winner of the truck was 3rd Shift Injection Molder Corey Robinson who had worked his way up from temporary to full-time employee. Robert Johnson was the part-time employee winner of the $250 cash prize. The excitement in the crowd was at an all-time high when CCI President, Mark Avent, announced that all employees would receive a one-time bonus of $750! Jeff Stevens, CEO at Carolina Canners, Inc. (CCI) commented. “With all the challenges that the Pandemic has presented, our leadership team wanted to develop an incentive to promote and reward attendance among our hourly work force. We all benefit when everyone comes to work, and we work together as a team. Our most valuable asset at CCI is our people. They are the hardest working and most dedicated workforce that I have been associated with in my 36 years working in this industry. I am so proud of what they have been able to accomplish this year and thrilled we were able to offer this incentive and celebration as a testimony of their efforts”. Carolina Canners operates in Cheraw, SC and specializes in bottle injection molding and features two bottle-filling production lines, two can-filling production lines and a fountain syrup production line, producing and distributing Pepsi-Cola and other affiliated brands. The company purchases PET resin locally from Nanya Plastics in Lake City, SC and injects preforms to be used in state of the art, high speed bottling lines that blow and fill bottles at a rate of 1000 bottles per minute. Additional companies that fall under the CCI umbrella include Carolina Packaging Inc., Southeast Hot Fill, Pepsi of Florence, Pee Dee Foodservice and Pepsi of Greenville, SC.
MPD Electric Cooperative Sharing Success MPD Electric Cooperative delivered checks totaling $20,000 to four deserving organizations across the Pee Dee. The Community Kitchen of Bennettsville, Sandy Grove Baptist Church - Food Pantry of Bennettsville, Kids Closet of Darlington, and Help 4 Kids of Florence were all pleasantly surprised to learn they were recipients of these helpful donations. The contributions were part of the Cooperative’s bank, CoBank and their “Sharing Success” program. CoBank matched contributions of MPD Electric Cooperative to four local charities of its choice. Roger Griggs at the Community Kitchen stated, “You just don’t know what this means to us. We operate solely on donations, no government funding, and these funds go a long way”. The Community Kitchen serves lunch Monday through Friday to about 180 individuals and is staffed only by volunteers. MPD Electric Cooperative employees also provide food, cook, and serve meals several times each year at the kitchen. Sandy Grove’s Food Pantry packs food bags to put in cars that drive through the church parking lot every fourth Saturday feeding about 400 families. Food pantry services are available to anyone who qualifies and registers. Pastor Gilbert Wilson of Sandy Grove Baptist Church said, “The Lord blesses us so we may bless others. That’s what He calls us to do”. Deacon of the church, Thomas Johnson along with Pastor Wilson started the food pantry almost 20 years ago. Kids Closet in downtown Darlington provides clothes for needy children of all ages and sizes throughout the community. Their space is made to feel like a real retail store to give kids a sense of normalcy and “go shopping”. Beth Hubbard was thrilled to receive the donation and said, “Somehow, some way, the funds always show up just when they are needed." The organization can also use additional gently used clothing, jackets, shoes, and coat hangers. Diane Welch with Help 4 Kids stated, “The number of food insecure children in our area is surprising. You can’t expect children to learn and behave well in school if they’re going on an empty stomach. Our goal is that children get to school each morning rested, fed and ready to learn”. The organization packs food bags that are discretely sent home before the weekend with children who meet a certain criteria. “MPD’s cooperative spirit focuses on the needs of the people in our communities. These contributions aim to improve the quality of life in all the areas we serve and we’re grateful for the blessings we have to share with others,” said MPD Electric Cooperative President and CEO, William Fleming, Jr.
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VIPMagSC.com
February 2022
