DELI STAR
QUARTERLY LOG October 2016
Independent Processor
Features Deli Star On the heels of MEAT+POULTRY’s story on Deli Star’s company culture and our newest advance, the St. Louis Innovation Center, we’ve earned further recognition from another top industry publication. The Independent Processor story features our unique ability to bring together scientists, chefs, and customers to collaborate, find solutions, and create new opportunities.
Harold Kinkel
30 Years of Service
A multi-decade work anniversary 30 years in the making doesn’t come around very often. But when it does, it calls for a special celebration. Our Operations Specialist Harold Kinkel recently marked a major work milestone: three decades of service with us.
Hats Off to Harold
Harold’s start at Deli Star came unexpectedly in 1987 – when a friend, Leroy, asked Harold if he’d like to join him at Dr. Dan Siegel’s new 4,000-square-foot meat processing plant in Waterloo, Illinois. Harold, 25 years old at the time, knew Dan and was intrigued by the work at this new facility. Although the plant didn’t have a name yet and there were only two other employees (Dan and Leroy), Harold agreed to join the team. Harold’s work in the beginning was reflective of a company that was still in its infancy, but it was also reflective of Deli Star’s innovative spirit, which continues today. “I did a lot of planning before the plant officially opened,” Harold says. “I basically did anything and everything that Dan needed help with in order to get the business going, and I worked closely alongside him in fleshing out his ideas for the plant.” And the rest, as they say, is history. Today, Harold oversees machinery in the production room at our Fayetteville plant. Through the years, he has seen a lot of changes at Deli Star – bigger and better machinery, more product offerings, a larger team – but one thing remains the same: “It’s still an adventure every day working on different products with the talented Dr. Dan Siegel,” he says.
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Longtime employee marks 30 years with Deli Star
“Harold and I worked side-by-side to jackhammer a kill shoot out of our first factory in Waterloo,” says Dr. Siegel. “We would load big concrete chunks into a wheelbarrow and take turns at the wheelbarrow hauling the load about 50 yards across the lot. I knew he was a great hire when his wheelbarrows weighed twice as much as mine.” Recently, we threw Harold a company-wide, fried chicken lunch in his honor. And, to further celebrate his impressive milestone and his love for cooking, we surprised him with a gas and charcoal grill. Harold is looking forward to the future with Deli Star, and knows he struck gold when he joined the team three decades ago. “I love that it’s a family-owned business, and that I work with such good-hearted people who make the job that much more enjoyable.” Our employees are the heart of everything we do, and we truly value individuals like Harold who inspire us daily to be the best workers we can be. From all of us at Deli Star, thank you, Harold, for your service and commitment for the past 30 years. Deli Star wouldn’t be the same without you!
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Independent Processor Features Deli Star A few weeks ago, we welcomed Independent Processor Editor-in-Chief Sam Gazdziak to our Fayetteville plant and to the SLIC for a behind-the-scenes tour of both facilities. Now, you can read Sam’s cover story on Deli Star in Independent Processor’s October issue. From menu ideation to production of high-quality proteins and even meat processing education, Deli Star fills many roles in its industry. In his article “A Meeting of the Minds,” Sam dives into the innovative services and products Deli Star offers to customers, such as AMVAC packaging and the newly developed rotisserie chicken breast log, which no longer requires customers to use a dicer. Additionally, the article spotlights the Chef’s Edge line of whole-muscle meats – a prod-
uct developed in response to demand for higher-quality proteins – and “Deli Server,” a software program designed by Deli Star to streamline purchasing, production, product temperature monitoring, inventory, sales, and shipping. As Deli Star continues to grow, we hope to share more frequent updates with our community locally and nationally. Through stories of products and people that are leading innovation in the meat and poultry processing industry, Independent Processor has the largest circulation of processors across its print and digital editions. You can read our Independent Processor story online athttp://www.provisioneronline.com/publications/5.
Star Guest Recognition works as a production assistant in the Processing Room, reporting to Bob Borg. He is a valued member of the Deli Star team, as demonstrated by his fellow employees in their Star Guest nominations:
Our employees are the heart of our company and what make us tick. Each quarter, Deli Star employees are encouraged to nominate co-workers to be recognized as the Star Guest quarterly award winner. To be considered for this honor, nominees need to exemplify the 5 P’s of Deli Star Standards: Positive attitude, Professionalism, Pride in facility maintenance and appearance, Product and industry knowledge, and Proper and effective Communication. We are happy to announce that with nearly 40 percent of the total nominations submitted, Ricky Hart is this quarter’s Star Guest award winner. Ricky started with Deli Star in July 2014, and
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“Ricky demonstrates the kind of positive and caring attitude (personal and professional) that we all should strive for every day.” “No matter what we throw at Ricky, he’s always ready for the challenge and is always positive about it.” Deli Star’s Manager of Operations, Boomer Butz, enjoys working with Ricky because of his lively demeanor. No matter the task at hand, Ricky is always working with a smile. "Rick has one of the hardest jobs at the plant,” says Boomer. “He works all day long and is still cheerful at the end of the day.”
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Food Quest: Best Backyard Burger
On a mission to find the perfect backyard burger, eight Deli Star team members trekked to three locally-owned, well-known burger joints in St. Louis: Sugarfire Smokehouse, 5 Star Burgers and Stacked STL. Each burger was ranked on a scale of 1-10 under eight different categories based on the components of each burger such as the meat, cheese, bun, and even the overall experience at the restaurant. The results were tallied and, to our surprise, 5 Star Burgers narrowly beat
out Sugarfire. We gathered the team – and the winning burger – and decided to compare it to Chef Jared’s own backyard burger. Chef’s burger easily took the crown with an average of almost three points ahead of 5 Star Burgers! Up next on our Food Quest tour: We’re off to Hermann, Missouri, where the Deli Star team will try an assortment of bratwursts. Stay tuned for updates!
R&D Corner have the utmost attention of our customers and many exciting opportunities on the horizon.
Led by our talented staff at our St. Louis Innovation Center, our goal is to continue to improve and innovate every day. With the recent launch of our Chef’s Edge premium, whole-muscle meat line and a new and improved logo, we
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Along with our Chef’s Edge line, we have launched several new salad options and expanded our Gaucho line. We’ve also added educational training sessions for our customers known as Deli Star University. These trainings bridge the gap between merchandising and commercialization, while solidifying Deli Star’s standing as a leader in the industry. Most importantly, these trainings help the R&D team to launch new items, and bring scientists, chefs and customers together.
For More Information Visit delistarinc.com
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