CHICAGO — Alpha Baking Co. received recognition as one of the top employers for military veterans in a recently published survey by Forbes in partnership with Statista, a market research firm.
Among the list of 150 companies, Alpha was ranked 11th in the poll of 8,500 veterans who have served in the US Armed Forces, the National Guard or the Reserves.
Larry Marcucci, Alpha Baking’s chief executive officer, said he had no advanced indication of the ranking’s results and was pleasantly surprised when he learned of them.
“We don’t purposely work with any veterans group, but we think people who have been in the military have the right attitude and discipline and want to have their skills developed. A lot of times, they make great employees and fit well within our culture,” Mr. Marcucci said. “People who are officers have good skills for us. The same goes for military veterans who have maintenance skills. We’re willing to train them up and teach them how to do our equipment maintenance.”
According to the Forbes report, about 200,000 people transition from military life annually. Participants in the survey worked for businesses with more than 1,000 employees and were asked to rank their employers on everything from salary and benefits to onboarding and career advancement opportunities.
Some of the other food-related companies and retailers on the list include Amazon, Cargill, Costco, H-E-B Grocery Co., Kraft Heinz Co., Procter & Gamble and Publix, to name a few. This is the fourth year that Forbes has published the survey.
Mr. Marcucci noted that many baking companies are a good fit for veterans.
“The goal in the end is for us to service our customers with the best product we have and the best service that we can provide. A lot of that requires doing your job right every day. Sometimes there is no magic to it. Quality is consistency, some people will tell you, and that reflects our business and our culture. People find a good home in that regard,” Mr. Marcucci explained. “It’s the way we treat our people and go about doing our business. We appreciate people who are there to do the job the best they can and reward them the best way we can.”