"There have been some big changes," Jeff Williams says about security for Hormel Foods Corporation.

Sunday, March 24, 2002

"There have been some big changes," Jeff Williams says about security for Hormel Foods Corporation. "We still go by Pinkerton Securities, but now they’re in the process of switching, since the company has been bought by a Sweden based company."

Jeff is manager of the Hormel account for Pinkerton Securities. In Austin, there are roughly 70 security staff guarding the QPP, Hormel Corporate Office, Plant and affiliated sites. There are three shifts that provide 24 hours of protection seven days a week.

"Our job is to protect the Hormel site and its people from anything from terrorism, to intrusion, to every-day goings on like vandalism," Jeff explains.

Besides the plant, this includes the Corporate Office, and the outlying sites Hormel owns, the hangar and a couple of well sites, for instance.

One of the big changes Jeff talks about is boosted security after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Hormel Foods is one of the largest corporations in the world and could therefore be a likely target for future attacks.

The need for tightened security is obvious, considering the fact that on an average, 275 inbound and outbound truckloads of time and temperature sensitive food products pass through the gate each day.

From the Hormel main gate, the security people can, via computer and television, monitor plant and office entries.

There are many other aspects of the security staff’s duties. They check the trucks and trailers, which have to be sealed upon arriving as well as departure, and make sure empty trailers are clean and sealed before they leave the lot.

The temperature in parked trailers, waiting to be unloaded or to leave the plant, must be checked on regular basis, and any malfunction must be reported, lest the food will spoil.

In the QPP plant, the room temperature must also be checked, something that is done by the night shift while making rounds all through the complex.

Jeff Williams joined the Pinkerton staff in the 1980s."It can be a headache sometimes," he admits, grinning behind his bushy moustache. "It’s a challenge. Something different every day. I meet quite a few people – truckers, corporate people. And, then, when I go to the Cities for classes, my boss takes me around to different sites. Yes, I like the job. I’ll stick around until they don’t want me anymore."

Nini Johnson is a Herald contributing writer. Her e-mail address is newsroom@austindailyherald.com.