SAN ANTONIO — The American Bakers Association (A.B.A.) announced the recipients of the Vander Heide Award and 2017 Chairman’s Award for Safety Excellence at the 2017 A.B.A. Technical Conference, being held Oct. 22-25 in San Antonio.
The Vander Heide Award is presented to the Cookie and Cracker Academy’s Correspondence Manufacturing Course graduate who receives the highest score, or grade-point average, for the year. Benjamin Colon, food scientist at D.F. Stauffer Biscuit Co., York, Pa., achieved a grade-point average of 98.21. He received bachelor of science degree in physical science from York College of Pennsylvania, worked for McCormick & Co. for 14 years, and has been working at D.F. Stauffer since 2013.
“The Vander Heide Award is a legacy award of the Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing Course, and it recognizes some of the strongest food manufacturing professionals in the baking industry,” said Dave Van Laar, senior adviser to the president and chief executive officer: B.&C.M.A. transition and development. “On behalf of the A.B.A., I commend Ben for his diligence and commitment to strengthening his career, his company and the baking industry as a whole through education.”
The 2017 Chairman’s Award for Safety Excellence is part of the Safety Awards Program, which was established in 1988 to raise awareness for the importance of safety in the workplace. The safety awards recognize and reward member bakeries that demonstrate a healthy and safe work environment.
The Safety Awards Program is based upon the Days Away, Restrictions and Transfers (DART) incidence rate. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics annually reports the total incidence rates by industry case types. This information is used to determine both the Safety Contest and Recognition Award winners. The Chairman’s Award for Safety Excellence represents the best overall record among member bakeries.
The 2017 Chairman’s Award for Safety Excellence was awarded to the following companies:
Bakeries with less than 200 employees for demonstrating an outstanding commitment and dedication to employee safety and excellence in achieving a DART incidence rate of 0 for the year 2016.
• D.F. Stauffer Biscuit Co., Cuba, N.Y.
• Newly Weds Foods, Erlanger Division, Erlanger, Ky.
Bakeries with less than 500 employees for demonstrating an outstanding commitment and dedication to employee safety and excellence in achieving a DART incidence rate of 0 for the year 2016.
• D.F. Stauffer Biscuit Co., Santa Ana, Calif.
• Kellogg Co., Wyoming Bakery, Wyoming, Mich.
• Newly Weds Foods, Cleveland Division, Cleveland, Tenn.
A bakery with less than 800 employees for demonstrating an outstanding commitment and dedication to employee safety and excellence in achieving a DART incidence rate of 0.407 for the year 2016.
• Kellogg Co., Cary Bakery, Cary, N.C.
A bakery with more than 800 employees for demonstrating an outstanding commitment and dedication to employee safety and excellence in achieving a DART incidence rate of 0.306 for the year 2016.
• Kellogg Co., Jackson Bakery, Jackson, Tenn.
“The Chairman’s Award for Safety Excellence recognizes facilities that demonstrate exemplary safety practices, and the A.B.A. applauds these bakeries’ achievement and dedication,” said Robb MacKie, president and c.e.o. of the A.B.A. “These bakeries set the example for the industry, and A.B.A. is tremendously proud to call them members.”
Recipients of the Award of Safety Merit and the Certificate of Safety Achievement were also recognized. See more information and all recipients here and here.
