Innovation: People

25 year Service Awards in 2024

As we wrap up our series on Innovation at Sargento, as Louie Gentine has shared, innovation for us is not only about Products and Processes, it’s also about how we care for People. Guided by our longstanding Stakeholder Philosophy, we strive to support and value people as members of the Sargento Family through meaningful recognition, community partnerships, and benefit offerings that help people feel seen, supported and empowered to thrive.

Manufacturing Superstars from 2025

Recognition has long been part of what makes Sargento special. From everyday praise slips to milestone celebrations and longstanding programs like our Chairman’s Awards, Manufacturing Superstars, Service Awards, Driver’s Banquet and Strategy Awards. We continue to find meaningful ways to celebrate the people behind our success that we share with others. These moments do more than honor your work, they reinforce our values of People, Pride & Progress and remind every member of the Sargento Family that your contributions matter.

We have a people-first mindset that extends beyond our walls. Our Stakeholder Philosophy reminds us that our success is shared with you as employees, our customers, suppliers, and our communities who help make it possible. Our sports partnerships at the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks often share that we are unique and innovative because we leverage our professional teams’ platforms and brands to elevate our community partners who are on the front lines of hunger and housing affordability. 

We were innovative back in 2003 when we began our first partnership with the Packers to communicate to our stakeholders that Sargento is a family-owned company from Wisconsin that gives back to our community.  What began as ‘Touchdowns for Charities’ is now ‘Touchdowns for Hunger’ and through it we have contributed nearly $2 million toward hunger relief in Wisconsin. We’ve also established time-honored traditions for the staff and volunteers at Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force, Paul’s Pantry in Green Bay, and Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity. 

We work alongside various community organizations to make a real impact in peoples’ lives.

Whether through annual giving campaigns, employee-supported causes or partnerships that bring people together around a common purpose, we continue to invest in stronger communities and in the people who call them home.

“We also innovate through the ways we support the well-being and growth of the Sargento Family,” said Doug Pelletiere, Exec VP of Human Resources. “We see the value in investing in our people and supporting the Sargento family in every area of well-being – physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, intellectual and social.”

Our Total Rewards team pioneered that full-service approach more than 20 years ago, bringing on-site Health & Wellness Centers to our facilities and growing our benefits to help people thrive at work and in life. We were also innovative in supporting the Sargento Family during the 1990s with tuition reimbursement – well before it became the norm.  

Production Control Manager - Kimberly Dean and Family

We did this in service of our value of Career and Personal Development to encourage employees to follow their dreams. 

Our retirement planning programs and offerings are ranked among the very best in the nation because we understand how important it is to invest in the long-term. Just two years ago, we innovated again in this space by allowing our interns and co-ops to enroll in our 401(k) plan. 

These offerings reflect a simple but powerful belief that when people feel cared for, they can do their best work, build stronger connections and help move our company forward.

For more than 70 years, Sargento has been guided by the belief to ‘Hire Good People and Treat Them Like Family’. That belief continues to shape how we innovate for people today — by recognizing contributions, strengthening communities and offering support that helps people succeed. It is one more way we live out our stakeholder philosophy and continue building long-term value for the entire Sargento Family.