Stampede Insights is a podcast brought to you by the team at Stampede. Episodes will be released on a biweekly basis and cover a range of topics in our industry. From COVID-19 response to trending flavors in our test kitchen, Stampede Insights will keep you up to date with the happenings at Stampede…

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Episode 10: Understanding the COVID-19 and the Vaccine

On this week’s episode, Brock Furlong gets information and advice on the COVID-19 vaccine from the Vice President & Chief Medical Officer of Population Health and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine & Pediatrics at Loyola Medicine, Keith E. Veselik, MD.

Show Notes:

• Brock and Keith discuss his family life and career in the medical field.
• They then discuss the COVID-19 virus and the effects that it has on individuals and how symptoms impact people differently depending on age and prior health concerns.
• They chat about the most challenging times that Keith has faced through this pandemic. He discusses personal as well as professional struggles.
• Finally, Keith talks about the COVID-19 vaccine. They discuss its benefits, effectiveness, how to get it, and side effects.

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Episode 9: 26 Year Anniversary for Stampede and Krys Harbut

This week Brock Furlong chats with Krys Harbut, Vice President – Production, to discuss what the last 26 years at Stampede have looked like for him. They also talk about his life growing up in Poland and his choice to move to the United States many years ago.

Show Notes:

• Brock and Krys first talk about his life growing up in the southern mountains of Poland. Growing up in a communist country made him want to make changes for his future.
• They then discuss his time with Rymer Meats and how that experience thrust him into the meat industry. They talk about the good and the bad times there as well as the group that left to create Stampede Meat.
• Krys has been with Stampede from the very first day of operation. He and Brock discuss the startup, changes over the years, and his various positions.
• Finally, they cover what 2020 looked like from the production floor and how he has managed it with our team directly.

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Episode 8: Enjoying the Holiday Season in a Pandemic

This week Brock Furlong is joined by Silvia (Paola) Miranda, Human Resources Manager in Sunland Park, NM, to discuss what Christmas will/should look like in 2020. They also discuss a little bit about her life, family, and why she chose Stampede.

Show Notes:

• Brock and Paola first talk about her life growing up and some exciting things happening for her in the present.
• They then chat about why she chose Stampede and the HR field as a career. They also dig into her time at Stampede and the learning experiences she has had.
• Brock and Paola discuss her part in the COVID-19 task force and the effect that all of the frequent policy changes have on our team.
• Finally, they give ideas on how the holiday season can still be magical this year. They each elaborate on their holiday plans and how they are much different in 2020.

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Episode 7: Managing a Protein Plant in 2020

Brock Furlong chats with the Director of Operations at Sunland Park, Lee Koepke, about his life, past experiences, and running a protein plant during a pandemic.

Show Notes:

• Brock and Lee discussed the first time they met, Lee’s background, and his development at Stampede over the years.
• They then talk about what it was like to expand Stampede operations to the west and open the newest facility in Sunland Park, New Mexico. They review all that went into remodeling and getting that location up and running.
• Brock then asks Lee about the struggles and changes that he and the team faced during the beginning of the pandemic.
• Finally, they discuss the recent news about the release of a vaccine and what that could mean for the business.

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Episode 6: COVID-19 and a Safe Thanksgiving

Brock Furlong chats with Sr. Manager of Sales Support, Marketing & Customer Service, Alicia Talavera, to discuss how the team at Stampede is planning to celebrate Thanksgiving this year.

Show Notes:

• Brock and Alicia first discuss her background, family, and career at Stampede.
• They then jump into what the Talavera family is doing this Thanksgiving. She describes what plans her family has to enjoy a safe and healthy holiday.
• Brock and Alicia also discuss past holiday experiences and how this year will be different but that safety is the most important and Thanksgiving will come again next year.
• They end on the topic of Stampede taking a front seat in managing the behavior of their team inside and outside of the company. Alicia gives her take on the newest policies at Stampede.

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Episode 5: COVID-19 Positive Levels and the Impact on the Upcoming Holiday Season

Brock sits down with Chief Operating Officer, Vito Giustino, to discuss the heightened levels of COVID-19 across the country and how that will impact the 2020 holiday season.

Show Notes:

• Brock and Vito dive right into discussing the increased COVID-19 levels throughout the US, but particularly in Illinois and New Mexico where Stampede operates production plants.
• They then discuss the recent news of a vaccine that is showing promising initial data. Brock and Vito also discuss the barriers in getting that vaccination adopted across the country once it is approved.
• They then discuss the impact that the increased cases of COVID-19 have had on the workforce as well as how Stampede’s Safety Task Force has been affected.
• Brock and Vito then discuss what Stampede is requiring if their team to do leading up to and through the upcoming holiday season to keep themselves, their families, and their co-workers safe.

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Episode 4: Unpredictable Demand Due to COVID-19
(Recorded 10/21/2020)

Alicia Talavera, Sr. Manager of Sales Support, Marketing & Customer Service, joins Vito Giustino to talk a bit about her life growing up and when she joined the Stampede Family. They then discuss the unpredictable demand that Stampede has faced over the last 8 months during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Show Notes:

• They start the conversation with Alicia’s childhood growing up in a large family in the City of Chicago and how those experiences have gotten her where she is today. Alicia talks about the many hats that she wears at Stampede and how they all intertwine.
• Vito and Alicia then discuss the severe fluctuation in demand that Stampede saw at the beginning of the pandemic shutdown to when things started opening back up.
• They also discussed how Stampede has a gas pedal brake mindset right now. Currently, orders are good but they know that could change in an instant and the team is prepared.

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Episode 3: Covid-19 Negative Headlines in Meat Industry
(Recorded 8/14/2020)

Vito Giustino, Chief Operating Officer, joins Brock Furlong to share a little about his life and past experiences, as well as his growth at Stampede Meat. They then get into the negative headlines that have plagued the meat industry.

Show Notes:

• Vito starts off with where he grew up and job experiences before joining the Stampede Family. Then, describes the different roles he has been involved in at Stampede over the years and his experiences in the company.
• They then dive into the negative headlines the protein industry has faced in the last few months and how it has affected the team at Stampede.
• Finally, they discuss what Team Stampede has done through their task force to help keep our team safe at work and at home.

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Episode 2: Stampede’s Safety Pandemic Response
(Recorded 8/13/2020)

Jorge Cervantes, HR Safety & Facilities Manager, joins Brock Furlong to share a little about his life and joining the Stampede team, as well as his experience leading the COVID-19 Safety Task Force.

Show Notes:

• Jorge talks about his childhood and job opportunities before joining the Stampede Family as well as how he has moved into different roles within the company to broaden his knowledge overall
• Jorge describes the creation of the COVID Safety Task Force, a group of team members throughout the organization focused on following the CDC guidelines and also determining how we will go over and above those measures.
• Brock and Jorge discuss some of the many different initiatives Stampede has put in place to help minimize the spread at our facilities and how our team members are reacting to these additional practices, as well as how we are ensuring our team is following those processes.
• Finally, they describe their favorite memories made during this difficult time and how they are able to see a silver lining.

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Episode 1:  Covid-19 Effects on Labor
(Recorded 8/13/2020)

Christina Hackney, Director of Human Resources joins Brock Furlong to share a little about her life and past experiences, as well as how COVID-19 has affected the workforce at Stampede and how we are combating that.

Show Notes:

• Christina starts off with where she grew up and job experiences before joining the Stampede Family. Then, describes the different roles she has been involved in at Stampede over the years and her experiences in the company.
• They discuss the initial response to COVID-19 by Stampede employees and how Stampede has adapted various procedures over the last several months to keep our team safe.
• They then talk about how Stampede is working hard to not only keep their current employees but also recruit new employees with various initiatives and incentives during the difficult environment of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Finally, Christina explains how the HR team is handling enforcing some of Stampede’s safety initiatives as well as informing employees on how to safely manage travel and visiting with family and friends in the current COVID-19