Manitoba's Top Employers

MANITOBA'S TOP 25 EMPLOYERS 2014 25 CARGILL LIMITED Cargill all about promoting work-life balance, growing community spirit By Holli Moncrieff For the Free Press For employees of Cargill Limited in Canada, the sky's the limit. The company believes in helping its people develop both personally and professionally. "When I ask our team what they enjoy about working at Cargill, it's that everyone has an individual plan for success. We make a significant investment into the training and development of our staff," said Jeff Vassart, President of Cargill Limited. "It's a great opportunity for people to learn, grow, and advance their careers." Vassart himself is a great example of this. He grew up on a farm in south-central Manitoba, and started working at Cargill in operations. From operations he moved to grain marketing, then to sales, and finally to general management before becoming the company's national president. "The opportunity is there if you want to pursue it, in Canada or globally," he said. "We believe strongly in developing people personally and professionally. We are so diverse. We employ people in everything from sales roles to finance, leadership, engineering, operations, logistics and training." Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. They have 142,000 employees in 67 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact, and improving the communities where they live and work. Over 300 people work out of Cargill's Canadian head office in Winnipeg. The company has 8,000 employees in Canada. "It's a great group of people. One of the things I enjoy most is that it's a very team-oriented environment," said Vassart. "The group really works together to make sure everyone is successful." One of the perks of working for Cargill is the opportunity to work nearly anywhere in the world. Vassart recently finished a two-year work assignment in Australia. "It was a wonderful experience. The ability to work almost anywhere in the world is certainly one of the attractions of Cargill," he said. Cargill strongly believes in supporting its communities. Jeff Vassart, President of Cargill Photo by Darcy Finley All employees are encouraged to take time off to volunteer. This paid time is above and beyond the employee's vacation days. "We make time available for people if they want to volunteer or get involved in the community. We create that opportunity for people to get outside and help clean parks or prepare and serve breakfast at local schools," said Vassart. "Our volunteer program is very popular and is utilized pretty heavily." He adds that Cargill's United Way campaign has long been recognized as one of the top campaigns in the city. Cargill is also a major supporter of Ronald McDonald House. In an effort to help the community understand and appreciate where their food comes from, Cargill supports Ag in the Classroom, 4-H clubs, Winnipeg Harvest, and the Farm to Fork program at FortWhyte Alive. "These causes are near and dear to our hearts," Vassart said. "We feel strongly about giving back to the community." Cargill supports work-life balance in a number of ways. "We have a healthy lifestyle benefits program that's fairly unique, and we also have flexible work arrangements. We work out a system that balances what each employee needs with what we need professionally," said Vassart. "We understand each person's needs and develop something that works really well for Cargill and the employee." A fitness subsidy is available for employees every calendar year. This allotment can be used to pay for a variety of fitness-related activities or expenses. "We're trying to improve people's overall health. Sometimes giving an allowance for these activities breaks down barriers," Vassart explained. Cargill has a structured onboarding process that helps new employees understand the breadth of the company, the people who work there, and the wide variety of jobs that are available within the company. "We have a very diverse team that comes from different backgrounds, which is great, because it lets us benefit from so many different perspectives and ideas," said Vassart. "This is a special industry that creates a warm, friendly environment to work in." Cargill was founded by the Cargill family in 1865. Plans are underway for the company's 150th anniversary in 2015. "Agriculture is an exciting industry to be in right now. Feeding a hungry world has its responsibilities, and people like being a part of it because they want to be part of something so meaningful and rewarding," Vassart said. "Our customers and industry partners share that same passion, which makes our job that much more rewarding."

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