Jun 1, 2008 12:00 PM

Hormel Foods Corporation has announced the names of 71 suppliers that have been awarded Hormel Foods' Spirit of Excellence Award for their active role in the company's continuous improvement process. These suppliers range from a variety of service areas, including purchasing, transportation, provisions, pork producers, contractors, co-packers, and local plant suppliers.

Criteria to qualify for the award include: ability to meet requirements, ability to make timely deliveries, providing accurate administrative support, and maintaining inventories. The awarding committee also looks for value-added benefits, including customer support, awareness of environmental concerns, and sales representative performance. A universal measurement system has been in place since 1990 to ensure every supplier is held to the same standards.

All winners of the 2007 Spirit of Excellence Awards enter the running for the Hormel No. 1 Award. This award is given out every five years and will next be awarded in 2011 for 2006-2010. Criteria for the Hormel No. 1 Award call for the recipient to have received a Spirit of Excellence Award during four out of five years.

Among the 2007 Spirit of Excellence Award winners are: Decker Truck Lines, Dickey Transport Inc., Don Hummer Trucking, McFarland Truck Lines Inc., Midwest Coast Transport, Muller Pinehurst Dairy Inc., and Preston Refrigeration Co.