From the Ground Up - McCain Foods Limited
From the Ground Up - McCain Foods Limited
From the Ground Up - McCain Foods Limited
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Janice Wismer at <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>McCain</strong> offices at BCE Place<br />
in Toronto, Canada, 2005.<br />
JanIce wIsmer<br />
preFaCe<br />
There is a certain simplicity to life at <strong>McCain</strong> that many large,<br />
public companies today are trying to achieve. Underlying that<br />
simplicity is a purposeful resolve to win. That winning attitude<br />
is deeply ingrained in <strong>the</strong> culture of <strong>McCain</strong>, a culture that values<br />
treating all people at all levels – customers, employees, and<br />
suppliers – with respect. That a small-town Canadian business<br />
could become, fifty years after its founding, a global megabrand<br />
and one of <strong>the</strong> world’s most respected companies is a<br />
testament to <strong>the</strong> loyalty and efforts of its employees.<br />
It doesn’t matter where you travel with <strong>McCain</strong> in <strong>the</strong><br />
world, whe<strong>the</strong>r it be Ballarat, Australia; Scarborough,<br />
England; Johannesburg, South Africa; or <strong>the</strong> place that started<br />
it all, Florenceville, New Brunswick, <strong>the</strong> stories of <strong>the</strong> founding<br />
fa<strong>the</strong>rs and <strong>the</strong> vision that <strong>the</strong>y inspired to build <strong>the</strong> finest<br />
global food business in <strong>the</strong> world, are endless. Woven<br />
through all <strong>the</strong>se stories are common threads: The joy of<br />
watching young people develop and rise through <strong>the</strong> leadership<br />
ranks. The constant craving to learn on <strong>the</strong> fly. The acceptance<br />
of mistakes in <strong>the</strong> pursuit of excellence. Embracing<br />
<strong>the</strong> local culture and respecting small-town values wherever <strong>McCain</strong> developed<br />
operations. The great pride in being a family business in a global village.<br />
This book is an attempt to tell <strong>the</strong> whole tale of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs<br />
– Wallace and Harrison <strong>McCain</strong> – but it’s really a book about great leadership.<br />
There is so much for us all – current and future employees – to learn from within<br />
<strong>the</strong>se pages. Even <strong>the</strong> story of how this book came to be holds a lesson: that it is <strong>the</strong><br />
stories we share that help us to grow and keep our culture constant and rich.<br />
It was at <strong>the</strong> first board meeting of <strong>the</strong> <strong>McCain</strong> Learning Centre – governed by<br />
talented <strong>McCain</strong> leaders from around <strong>the</strong> world – that <strong>the</strong> seed was planted to write<br />
this book. The <strong>McCain</strong> Learning Centre itself was <strong>the</strong> product of a vision set out with<br />
<strong>the</strong> launch of a new strategic plan in 2004. Its mission is clear: to provide <strong>the</strong> tools<br />
for all employees to continuously learn and grow, achieving excellence in every job<br />
every day, making <strong>McCain</strong> <strong>the</strong> preferred choice in all our markets. The board, which<br />
represents <strong>the</strong> interests of employees around <strong>the</strong> world, strongly believes that sharing<br />
<strong>the</strong> experiences, entrepreneurship, and sheer fortitude of <strong>the</strong> remarkable people who<br />
built <strong>McCain</strong> into <strong>the</strong> global force it is today would inspire in our employees <strong>the</strong> caring,<br />
committed attitude that has carried <strong>McCain</strong> forward and that will take us to <strong>the</strong><br />
next level of performance.<br />
We have all been chosen – and have chosen ourselves – to be a part of this family. We<br />
have been given a great gift – a global success story, a place where we can learn, grow,<br />
and be valued for our contributions. It’s up to us now to be <strong>the</strong> standard-bearers for <strong>the</strong><br />
future. I have every confidence that we will continue to make <strong>the</strong> family proud.<br />
Janice Wismer<br />
Vice-President, Human Resources<br />
<strong>McCain</strong> <strong>Foods</strong> <strong>Limited</strong><br />
Toronto, Canada<br />
May 2007<br />
xii <strong>From</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ground</strong> up<br />
p reFace xiii