Ali is an associate brand manager for the international segment, representing Refrigerated Foods and its placement in Canada and retail outlets on other continents. In addition to her day-to-day job, she orchestrated the international team’s 2021 sales and marketing conference, a virtual event held this summer. Luis was quick to point that out when he gave Ali the coveted jersey, praising her for a successful conference and for embodying the Cultural Beliefs of Hormel Foods, especially Challenge Yourself, Build Bridges, and Inclusion & Belonging.
Ali joined the company six years ago, following the completion of her studies at Purdue University in her home state of Indiana. With a degree in agricultural business and a concentration in food marketing, she began her career with Hormel Foods Foodservice, eventually moving to HFIC.
Accustomed to hopping on airplanes and checking into hotels near and far, Ali jumped at the chance to work on the sales and marketing conference that brought the HFIC team “together,” even if not in the same city for now.
“It was the first time in two years that the HFIC team was able to gather together and share our vision to double our revenue by 2025,” she says.
She admits the planning and execution weren’t always easy. “Trying to get 80 people on one time schedule – try to do that digitally and still make it engaging,” she laughs. But Ali and others on the team persevered, and it paid off.
“To come back together was really, really special,” she says. “There’s something very core about the people who work for Hormel Foods, and that’s why the conference meant so much. I just love the people.”
