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Several Johnsonville Members used their Service Time Off hours (STO) to help design a new bedroom for a Jordan, a local teenage boy battling cancer. This project is one of many that the nonprofit Special Spaces organizes for dozens of local kids, to help make their dream bedroom a place of comfort as they fight the disease. Members April, Michelle , Danielle, Linsey, Jon and Megan joined a crew from local Kleiber Construction to create a custom, upholstered headboard as part of a dream bedroom makeover for Jordan. #VTO #Service #Teamwork
When warmer weather reaches the Midwest, beer and brats go together better than “you” and “betcha.” So, it’s only fitting that two Wisconsin staples, Leinenkugel’s and Johnsonville, finally collaborate at the lake for a grilling season fling that will go down in history. For almost a century, these iconic Midwest brands have been the cornerstone of good times spent together, whether it's out on the lake, at a tailgate or in the backyard. This year, Leinenkugel’s and Johnsonville are toasting the release of the new Summer Shandy Beer Brat - a Johnsonville fresh grilling sausage infused with Leinenkugel’s iconic Summer Shandy beer. A delectable pairing so perfect, it’ll have fans wondering why the two didn’t link up sooner. That’s exactly the conversation that took place last fall when Johnsonville Owner and Chairwoman Shelly Stayer met fifth-generation Leinenkugel and former brewery president Dick Leinenkugel at a Green Bay Packers tailgate. “Some things just belong together, and beer and bratwurst are no exceptions,” said Stayer. “As a family-owned company that takes great pride in our products, developing a beer brat with Leinenkugel’s to bring the flavor of Summer Shandy to our fresh grilling sausage is a match made in Wisconsin.”
Johnsonville ranked again for the third consecutive year on the Forbes list of America's Best Midsize Employers. The global sausage and food company ranked #181 out of the 400 companies recognized in this category. Midsize employers are considered 1,000-5,000 employees. In the Food/Beverage/Alcohol/Tobacco Category, Johnsonville placed 8th of the 14 such brands in this category. Rankings are based on an independent survey of over 170,000 U.S. employees from all industry sectors working for companies employing at least 1,000 people within the U.S. Over 3.5 million employer evaluations were considered. The final score is based on two types of evaluations: personal (those given by employees themselves, also known as direct evaluations) and public (those given by friends and family members of employees, or members of the public who work in the same industry - also known as indirect evaluations). Last fall, Johnsonville was listed among Forbes latest “Best Employers in Wisconsin” for the third year in a row, ranking #15 in 2023.
Don Fussner will succeed Nick Meriggioli upon his retirement as CEO on January 1, 2024, announced Johnsonville Owner and Chairperson Shelly Stayer. Don has been with Johnsonville since 2019. He was hired as the company’s CFO and in 2022, added COO duties to his role, leading Johnsonville’s finance and end-to-end supply chain teams. In his time at Johnsonville serving in those two roles, Don championed many transformational programs across business planning, operational technologies and strategic sourcing. Prior to joining Johnsonville, Fussner had a successful 24-year career at Kraft Foods and its Oscar Mayer business. Besides leading the Oscar Mayer business, he held several cross-functional and executive leadership roles in finance, operations and marketing. “Don is a strategic and operational leader with proven success across the entire value chain. He is a strong coach and people-focused leader who will continue to prioritize Johnsonville’s unique culture,” said Stayer. Meriggioli was appointed Johnsonville’s CEO in 2015 by Owner Ralph Stayer, who had served as CEO since 1968. During Meriggioli’s tenure, the company’s U.S. retail, foodservice and international businesses units grew significantly. Stayer said Meriggioli’s leadership during – and after the pandemic – was especially valuable, in simultaneously keeping our manufacturing members safe and operations staffed to continue serving our consumers.
Johnsonville celebrated its new Milwaukee Bucks sponsorship with its members and the company owners over a fall grilled lunch, and posing with Bango, the Bucks' mascot.
We’re proud to be America’s favorite sausage brand and we couldn’t get there without talented members and providing them a great place to work! So it was nice to be listed among Forbes’ latest “Best Employers in Wisconsin” for the 3rd year in a row, ranking #15 this year among a respected list of employers. Per Forbes and market research firm Statista, “Johnsonville is deemed a 3-Year Champion as one of Wisconsin’s best employers. This consistency is a direct reflection of the satisfaction, professional fulfillment, inclusiveness, fairness, and trust of those that work at Johnsonville.” To compile the Best Employers list, Statista independently surveyed about 70,000 workers at American companies and institutions with 500+ employees. They asked survey participants to rate their employer overall and in categories such as work environment, diversity, salary, advancement opportunities, and pride in the company’s products or services. Also contributing to the research were 2.1 million indirect and direct employer recommendations. For more information, check out the Forbes article. Johnsonville was ranked at No. 25 nationally on Forbes’ list of “Best Midsize Companies” to work for in America in 2021 and made the national list again in 2022 and 2023. “Our goal is to create a positive work environment where every one of our members can thrive,” said Nick Meriggioli, Johnsonville’s CEO. “So this recognition is nice to receive, but we know our work is not done."
Congratulations to Lori P., Johnsonville’s VP of MIS, who was one of four Global ORBIE finalists for the 2023 Wisconsin chapter. The CIO ORBIE Awards recognize technology executives for leadership, innovation and excellence in the CIO-led national professional association. Since being promoted to her current role in 2021, Lori leads a technology-solution minded team that has accelerated the speed and effectiveness in delivering organizational value. She’s also a people-focused coach who creates an environment of ownership and personal growth for her team. Outside of work, Lori is a trusted advocate in the technology industry and the Sheboygan County community where she lives and works. Thank you, Lori, for your contributions and dedication. We’re fortunate to have you!
We’re so proud of our small-but-mighty Johnsonville Korea team on achieving the #1 ranking in consumer brand loyalty in the processed meat category! The ranking was awarded by Brand Keys, Inc. and the Korean Brand Consumer Loyalty Institute (BCLI) based on consumer panel and 927,165 online votes for both domestic and imported brands. We say thank you and congratulations to our Johnsonville-Korea team – and the many other members contributing to this honor: Operations, Food Safety & Quality, Supply Chain, Finance and many others.
The Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association (WMCA) recently recognized 12 Johnsonville Trucking drivers for inclusion in its annual President’s Safe Driver Club (PSDC). Johnsonville had 11 of its Members inducted the previous year, and this year, driver Kirk P. celebrated his 25th year being inducted into the PSDC! The prominent safe drivers club was established in 1996 by the Wisconsin Council of Trucking Safety Supervisors to recognize safe professional truck drivers throughout Wisconsin who work for WMCA member-companies. Inclusion in the PSDC honors the accomplishments and safe driving records of these drivers for 2022. To the following Johnsonville Members recognized for this outstanding achievement, we say thank you and keep up the safe and great work! · Kirk P. – 25 years in the Presidents Safe Driver Club · Jim E.– 7 years · Dale B.– 2 years · David C. – 2 years · Traci G. – 2 years · Jefferson S. – 2 years · Ben T. – 2 years · Roger V. – 2 years · Curtis W. – 2 years · Pat W. – 2 years · Dave G. – 1 year
JOHNSONVILLE NOMINATED IN TWO CATEGORIES IN SHEBOYGAN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNUAL AWARDS Johnsonville and the work of its members shined brightly during the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Champions Gala. Johnsonville was nominated in two categories: Safety Leader and Manufacturer of the Year. In the end, Johnsonville was awarded the 2022 Manufacturer of the Year among 11 other Sheboygan County manufacturers that were nominated. Johnsonville was recognized for successfully managing the many ongoing challenges related to the pandemic aftershocks: supply chain disruptions, labor challenges and high demand for products. Despite those challenges, Johnsonville and its members maintained a positive member culture and satisfaction score, expanded production of our fully-cooked products and ended the year with a 97% staffing rate.
