Baking & Snack - September 2014 - 10

EDITORIAL STAFF

Heart of the community

When Steve O'Donnell and David Nolan started Hill Country Bakery,
they found a location smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood. While most other manufacturers were in industrial parks on the
east side of San Antonio, they chose an area just 10 minutes south and
west of downtown and in a Housing and Urban Development Zone along
two of the city's major bus lines.
"I learned long ago one of the hardest things we had to do was recruit
people," Mr. O'Donnell said. "We knew if we were close to where our
employees lived, we would develop a strong, loyal workforce because of
where we were located, and that's exactly what happened."
Over the years as the bakery has expanded - it now takes up 15 acres -
Hill Country has seen its decision to become the heart of the neighborhood
pay off in a big way. During the past four years as a part of its continuous
improvement (CI) program, the company has doubled its plant productivity. Comprised of key members of the production, engineering and other
disciplines, the CI group meets weekly to analyze productivity, benchmark
operations and determine how to drive out costs and boost efficiency.
Sometimes small investments paid off big time. For instance, the team
found an aftermarket device that seemed to solve a nagging problem
with packaging breakdowns. "From an efficiency standpoint, we went
from 70% to more than 90% overnight," Mr. O'Donnell noted. "It was an
$11,000 investment that saved us $1 million over the period of a year."
Larger investments, such as two ultrasonic cake slicers, slashed waste
and reduced the labor on its newest lines. In fact, the slicers produce three
times the amount of product as mechanical slicers, with one person instead of a dozen. Such efficiencies allow the bakery to produce restaurantquality products at a competitive price, according to Mr. Nolan.
During the past decade, the company has invested in the surrounding
community - contributing to food banks, schools, foster care and special
needs programs and to charities battling Alzheimer's, breast cancer, cystic
fibrosis, the Wounded Warrior program and more. Mr. O'Donnell serves
as vice-chair of the Westside Development Corp., which is revitalizing
one of the city's more disadvantaged neighborhoods.
And the business has worked with employees to solve problems that affect everyone on a daily basis. A few years ago when gas prices soared,
key employees along with the HR manager and Mr. O'Donnell
discovered the city offered discounted bus passes for $30 month.
Hill Country covered $15 of the passes while a federal program
funded the rest. Initially, 10 people signed up for the program.
Now, 110 are benefitting. Not surprisingly, the company has
been rated one of the region's Top 10 best companies to work
for in two of the past six years.
All too often, we hear about how companies invest in their
people. It's also nice to see how working together and doing the
right thing pays off in the long run.
- Dan Malovany, editor
dmalovany@sosland.com

10 Baking & Snack September 2014 / www.bakingandsnack.com

Editor
Executive Editor
Managing Editor
Senior Editor

Dan Malovany
dmalovany@sosland.com
Laurie Gorton
lgorton@sosland.com
Joanie Spencer
jspencer@sosland.com
Charlotte Atchley
catchley@sosland.com

Ryan Atkinson
ratkinson@sosland.com
Contributing Editors:
Donna Berry
donnaberry@dairy-food.com
Theresa Cogswell
bakercogs@sbcglobal.net
Jim Kline
jkline@theensolgroup.com
Joe Stout
joe.stout@cf-san.com
Assistant Editor

DESIGN STAFF
Design Services Manager Sadowna Conarroe
Designer
Brian Peterman
Manager of Advertising Design Becky White
Classified Ad Layout
Nick Martens
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Chairman
Charles S. Sosland
Vice-Chairman
L. Joshua Sosland
President
Mark Sabo
Publishing Director
G. Michael Gude
Publisher
Paul Lattan
Vice-President,
Chief Financial Officer
Melanie Hepperly
Audience Development Director Don Keating
Director of E-Business
Jon Hall
Advertising Manager
Nora Wages
Ad Materials Coordinator
Debbie Maniez
Digital Systems Analyst
Marj Potts
Circulation Manager
Judy Tinberg
Director of Online
Advertising & Promotions Carrie Fluegge
Promotions Manager
Lon Davis

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Baking & Snack - September 2014

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