Investing in the Next Generation

Not long ago, Skyler Evenson, a production superintendent at the Hormel Foods Austin Plant, told his son about the Hormel Foods Inspired Pathways program, an initiative that covers community college tuition for the dependent children of team members. He didn’t expect the news to have an immediate impact, as his son was only ten years old. To Evenson’s surprise, however, the idea took root. “My son now tells me he’s excited about attending college and earning a degree,” Evenson says. “I didn’t pursue the college path myself, so it means a lot to me that he already has this goal, with college still years in the future. That Hormel Foods put this in motion means a lot.”

This is a reminder that the honest wage we earn for a day’s work is seldom just for ourselves. We work for others in our lives — our families, loved ones, communities and the next generation. Recognizing this truth, Hormel Foods offers innovative and holistic ways to support team members’ children and dependents with a state-of-the-art daycare facility, free two-year college tuition, among other benefits.

These family-focused offerings pay dividends for Hormel Foods through increased morale, workforce recruitment and retention. Workplace benefits are common in the United States, with most employers offering some type of package — health insurance, retirement options, paid time off, etc. But to retain valuable team members, forward thinking is required. Turnover collectively costs U.S. employers tens of billions of dollars each year, so differentiating themselves may require employers to look beyond standard pay — a notion Hormel Foods has embraced.

People want to be cared for both at work and outside of work. They want to feel safe and believe the work they do makes a difference. Creating those experiences and providing that support for people is essential, and that’s a responsibility we take very seriously at Hormel Foods.
Amy Sheehan, director of talent acquisition at Hormel Foods

Trailblazing For Team Members

“Everyone has different goals and needs,” says Amy Sheehan, director of talent acquisition at Hormel Foods. “Maybe you have young kids and are considering daycare options. Or maybe you’re fresh out of college, wondering how to pay off student loans as quickly as possible. Or, you might have aging parents to support or teenagers about to graduate from high school and are looking for educational opportunities. Our job is to make sure we’re supporting our team members holistically to help make their lives better.”

This commitment isn’t just lip service. After all, the company stands by its purpose statement: Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ The latter doesn’t happen without the former.

“People want to be cared for both at work and outside of work,” Sheehan says. “They want to feel safe and believe the work they do makes a difference. Creating those experiences and providing that support for people is essential, and that’s a responsibility we take very seriously at Hormel Foods.

A Pathway to College

Since its rollout in 2020, the Inspired Pathways program has become more than a simple employee benefit — it’s a testament to the company’s commitment to long-term relationships with employees and their families. With over 130 years of history and a headquarters that has remained in the same town, Hormel Foods has a tradition of employing family members across generations. Helping the next generation by securing the finances for post-high school education aligns with the company’s values. Uniquely, the program provides free, comprehensive college admissions and financial aid advising.

“We’re not just funding scholarships; we’re sharing critical information, awareness and expectations about college,” says Nate Lockett, director of the Inspired Pathways program. “We emphasize that college is possible and we lay out the steps for students, so they know exactly what they have to do to get there. There can be so many bumps along the way, and no two college paths are the same. With us, they always have someone to turn to for their unique needs.”

Those needs can include assistance with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a multifaceted and oftentimes confusing part of the college application process. Inspired Pathways also offers course selection advice, transfer support, financial aid and admissions advocacy. In one instance, Lockett found an aspiring student from Colorado an extra $20,000 in financial aid prior to starting their sophomore year of schooling at a four-year university on the East Coast.

Now in its fourth academic year, Inspired Pathways has provided two-year scholarships to hundreds of students, many of whom are first-generation college attendees, along with college advising to hundreds more. Those pursuing the scholarship have a generational opportunity — graduating debt-free.

Tien Dang is one such debt-free graduate. A first-generation college student, Dang recently graduated from Butler Community College in Wichita, Kansas, and is pursuing an industrial engineering degree at Wichita State University. His younger brother, Dat, also an Inspired Pathways scholarship student, is studying engineering at Butler. Their father, Truong Dang, a Hormel Foods team member, immigrated to the United States in 1997 to secure a better future for his children. Inspired Pathways supports that dream.

Brittany Sand, another recent Inspired Pathways graduate, has big plans for the future. She entered Alexandria (Minn.) Technical and Community College (ATCC) two years ago to pursue an accounting degree, which she completed in 2024. Now, she works as a corporate lease accountant for Geneva Capital in Alexandria, where she first interned in November 2022 before receiving a formal job offer two months later.

“A college degree can make a life-changing difference, and Inspired Pathways was designed to encourage college enrollment by guaranteeing all students have the support and resources they need to get through the process and make college a reality,” Lockett explained. “They are absolutely encouraged to reach out if they run into any roadblocks. We want to make sure that they don’t just get into the schools, but that they graduate from them. We’re there for the whole process.”

A New Option for Childcare

Childcare is an increasing need in the United States, with accessibility, affordability and quality among the chief concerns of parents. Austin, Minnesota, is no exception.

In fall 2023, Hormel Foods invested $5 million in Austin to address this issue. Alongside local officials and community members, the company broke ground on a state-of-the-art childcare facility, the Inspired Beginnings Learning Academy, which opened in summer 2024. Hormel Foods team members receive discounts, and the competitively priced program is also open to the community.

We hope the success of our new center will inspire other companies to take similar action in addressing the childcare needs of their employees.
Angie Bissen, human resources manager at Hormel Foods.

“We’ve gotten interest from other employers, government agencies, and nonprofits who want to know how we made this happen,” says Angie Bissen, a human resources manager at Hormel Foods. “At the end of the day, our company chose to invest because our leadership saw it as a worthy investment for both our team members and the Austin community.” Bissen hopes that childcare will one day be as common a benefit as healthcare among employers.

“When you think of benefits back in the day, companies realized it was in their best interest to provide certain things for team members,” Bissen says. “With healthcare, it’s become standard for employers to offer benefits. Now we’re asking, ‘How do you get childcare to that level?’ We hope our new center’s success will inspire other companies to take similar action.”

By prioritizing initiatives like Inspired Pathways and the Inspired Beginnings Learning Academy, Hormel addresses critical challenges in education and childcare. These programs demonstrate a commitment to the holistic well-being of team members and their families, recognizing that modern workers seek more than competitive salaries — they want support that enhances their quality of life.

By investing in the future of their team members and the broader community, Hormel Foods contributes to individual success stories while setting a model for sustainable employment practices. In 2023, U.S. News & World Report recognized Hormel Foods as one of America’s Best Companies to Work For. This forward-thinking approach underscores the idea that when companies innovate to invest in their people, they invest in their own success.

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