There is no such thing as an awkward first meeting with Linda Weis, one of those rare individuals who can make you feel like you’ve known her forever. She exudes a special brand of warmth, she laughs easily and she is more than happy to poke fun at herself. “I’m the dinosaur of the department,” she says.
Hardly a dinosaur but a long-serving employee nonetheless, Linda is a 39-year member of Hormel Foods, serving as a traffic coordinator for the western region of Jennie-O Turkey Store. That makes for some busy days for Linda, especially during the fall months when customers and consumers are getting ready for the holidays and clamoring for Jennie-O® products.
Despite the hectic pace, she was forced to slow down a bit recently so co-workers could recognize her with the Hormel Foods jersey, the outward sign of the Pride of the Jersey award. Linda was the first of the Jennie-O Turkey Store team members in Willmar, Minnesota, to receive the honor.
Jaimee Scoblic, the assistant to the head of human resources at the company, once served as Linda’s supervisor. When she learned about the Pride of the Jersey campaign, she didn’t miss a beat. Linda came to mind immediately, she says.
“I had the privilege of being Linda’s supervisor for eight years. She could always be counted on to be here and to go the extra mile for the company, the department, a customer, a broker, a carrier, a driver — you name it.”
Linda doesn’t see herself as a star. In fact, when Operations Manager Mike Brown began introducing the location’s first Pride of the Jersey recipient but before he named her, Linda wondered who else had the same hire date as she.
“Linda challenges herself and truly shows that results matter,” he says.
Linda joined Jennie-O Turkey Store in August 1978, fresh out of school. She interviewed on a Thursday or Friday, she recalls, got the job on Monday and started on Wednesday. She has been part of the traffic department the entire time. Suffice it to say, she’s seen a lot of changes.
“We’ve gone from no computers to having to learn them to what we have now,” Linda says. However, the fundamental goal is the same. It’s all about getting the product where it needs to be, when it needs to be there. After almost 40 years, she still derives a great deal of satisfaction from that.
