McKee Foods Corporation
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rom its humble beginning in 1934, McKee Foods Corporation has become a company with annual sales of more than $1.3 billion that provides jobs for more than 6,000 employees, approximately 3,000 of whom live in the Chattanooga area. McKee Foods brands include Little Debbie® snacks; Sunbelt Bakery® snacks and cereals; Drake’s® cakes; Heartland® Brands cereals and pie shells; and Fieldstone® Bakery snacks. McKee Foods remains family-owned to this day. Members of the third generation of the McKee family now lead the company while members of the fourth generation are beginning their careers.
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The McKee family has been proactive in avoiding the pitfalls that have caused other family-owned companies to go from private to public ownership in their generation. They know that family ownership is another of the “better ways” that their grandparents so often talked about. When talking with the third generation McKee leadership, it doesn’t take long to see that they understand the power of having good people work with them. When asked about the success of McKee Foods, Debbie McKee-Fowler, Executive Vice President, said, “Every employee, in some way, has been a part of helping McKee Foods to be successful for so many years. I continue to believe that the best blessing the Lord has given our company is the people we work with everyday.” Recently, McKee Foods celebrated the 50th anniversary of one of its most iconic snacks — Little Debbie® Swiss Rolls, and will soon celebrate the 80th year of making one of America’s favorite sweet snacks, the Oatmeal Creme Pie. Another long-standing run is the company’s Profit-Sharing program. For the past 54 years, the company has shared its profits with employees and it is on track to once again share profits after completing another year of outstanding growth. Rusty McKee, Executive Vice President of Manufacturing, realizes success like that doesn’t just