Hormel Foods Corp. awarded 58 suppliers with a 2009 Spirit of Excellence Award for their roles in the company’s continuous improvement process throughout the past year.

“The Spirit of Excellence Awards are a great way to thank our suppliers for helping Hormel Foods continue to build upon our heritage of innovation and quality,” said Melanie Faust, director of purchasing at Hormel Foods, in a press release. “Each year, we look forward to presenting this award as a way of showing appreciation to our suppliers.”

The suppliers Hormel acknowledged represent a wide range or areas, like contractors, local plant suppliers, producers, provisions, purchasing and transportation.

Criteria for the Spirit of Excellence Award included meeting performance requirements, making on-time deliveries and providing high-level administrative support.

To qualify for the Spirit of Excellence Award, suppliers have to maintain a minimum supplier rating index score of 92 over a 12-month period. This score is determined by a universal measurement system started in 1990 to ensure every supplier is held to the same standards.

All 58 suppliers are now eligible to receive the Hormel No. 1 Award. This award, which is given out every five years, will be awarded in 2011 for 2006 to 2010. To receive the Hormel Foods No. 1 Award, potential recipients must have received a Spirit of Excellence Award during four out of five years.

Spirirt of Excellence Award recipients

A.J. Lysne Contracting Corporation

Alcan Packaging

Ampac Packaging LLC

BagcraftPapercon

Ball Corporation Metal Food & Household Products

Bunzl Processor Division

Commercial Services

Crown Cork & Seal Company Inc.

Dickey Transport Inc.

Dickson Industries Inc.

East Penn Manufacturing Company Inc.

Ecolab Inc.

Environmental Land Management

Fehr Solutions LLC

Ferguson Enterprises Inc.

Jason Fett

Fieldale Farms Corporation

Fox Electric

G E LeBlanc Inc.

Gamer Packaging Inc.

Gleeson Constructors LLC

Graphic Packaging International Inc.

Green Bay Packaging Inc.

Holiday Express Corporation

Mike and Steve Hopkins

Hub Group Inc.

Hydrite Chemical Co.

Ideal

Jayhawk Boxes, Inc.

JBS Hogs

The Joseph Company Inc.

KOFAB

Lou Rich Inc.

Marzolf Swine Inc.

McFarland Truck Lines Inc.

Menasha Packaging Co. LLC

The Meyers Printing Companies Inc.

Midwest Coast Transport

Muller Pinehurst Dairy Inc.

Multivac

Newly Weds Foods

Ron Nykamp

Paris Foods

Preston Refrigeration Co.

RR Donnelley

Red Arrow Products Co. LLC

John Regier

Sealed Air Corporation Cryovac Division

Silgan Containers Corporation

Smyth Companies Inc.

Stuart W. Johnson & Co. Inc.

Superior Companies of Minnesota Inc.

Viscofan USA

Walter G. Anderson Inc.

Weber Inc.

Werner Electric Supply and Van Meter Industrial Inc.

Wolf-Tec Inc.

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