MEAT+POULTRY - September 2024 - 40

COVER STORY
" I would tell you from my perspective and
my team would tell you that I push pretty
hard with them, " he said. " But when we have
conversations about product shows and things
of that nature, we just want to look at changing
a small part of the process, just a technique of
how we do something.
" The beauty of what we do here, and
for any type of manufacturing facility, is we
can change whatever we want today and if
it doesn't work it's OK, we have to do it all
again tomorrow. "
LOOKING FORWARD
Like many in the industry today, Sappington
sees automation playing a large role, in both
Seaboard's future and in the future of the
meat processing industry. While the industry
continues to pursue automation, he believes
the companies at the forefront of that pursuit
will remain dedicated and persevere in their
efforts to make it work.
" And I think Seaboard's one of them, " he
" I'd rather you to come to me and tell me,
'Hey, we messed it up,' " he said. " Well, good. I
mean, at least now we know we can learn from
it. If you don't want to admit you made the
mistake, you can't learn and then there's not
going to be trust. "
" I'd rather
you to come
to me and tell
me, 'Hey, we
messed it up.' "
- RICK SAPPINGTON
Sappington also knows that trust and
honesty applies to him as well, especially if
it means having to tell someone something
they might not want to hear. He's earned that
trust from others, both those that report to
him and those he reports to, over his 23 years
at Seaboard.
" No matter who you are or what position
you are, I want an honest person who's going
to be truthful, " he said. " That's what's helped
me at Seaboard the most. I think because of
the relationships I've built, most people trust
me. If I tell somebody, I believe we can do it, I
will spend 24 hours a day if necessary to make
it happen. I believe in myself and the team
enough that we can do it. "
However, as Sappington's first mentor at
Cargill, Neil Sheldon, encouraged him to dig
deeper than he was at the time, Sappington
does the same with his team members. But
while he challenges them to do more, he
also encourages that extra effort be done in
manageable ways.
40 MEAT+POULTRY | 09.24 | www.meatpoultry.com
said. " That's why I love my job. "
In Sappington's 23 years at Seaboard, he's
observed the level of commitment and the
way it's ingrained in the company's culture.
Seaboard and Sappington trust one another.
Seaboard trusts Sappington's judgement and
shows it through actions, and Sappington has
delivered back to the company.
" They're willing to take some risk and
think about what that means for the future, "
Sappington said. " That's what we've built today,
and we'll continue to do that. So hopefully I get
to continue being a part of it. "
With the consolidation of today and near
past continuing, the number of processors
appears to be shrinking. Plants open and
refurbish, remodel and add on, but many
companies also close plants and move those
processes to other facilities that can handle
the capacity. Sappington hopes they will all
be there in the future but said some meat
processing companies face more of a challenge
than others.
" The lessons we learned today tell us
how we're going to play tomorrow, " he said.
" That to me is the biggest thing in any type of
manufacturing. You can tell your team it's OK
to fail. It is. It's OK to try new stuff. It's OK that
it didn't work out because tomorrow we have
to do it all over again anyway. "
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MEAT+POULTRY - September 2024

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