Meat + Poultry - August 2005 - 45

"They said, 'How can you as a Christian company go out and build a hog
farm that you know will pollute the
environment,' " Clemens says.
But Clemens vows that Hatﬁeld
would never build a hog farm knowing
that it would pollute the environment.
"We are going to operate every one of
our hog farms in the best way," he says.
"We want to be a good neighbor."
Ironically, some employees and
vendors have tried to take advantage
of Hatﬁeld's position. Hatﬁeld has
had customers who believe the company, because of its Christian focus,
will allow them to pay their bills late.
When it comes to paying the bills,
however, Clemens says the company
shouldn't be expected to turn the
other cheek.
"Our Christian principles have nothing to do with that," he adds.
Prophet minded
The company leaders can't say
whether their religious convictions
have led to increased sales, but all
agree that being viewed as ethical
and trustworthy hasn't hurt their businesses.
Alan Tyson has attended sales
meeting where salespeople have commented that customers have reacted
favorably to the company embracing
religious values.
At MBA Poultry, a conversation
about faith once broke out during a
business dealing, Haskins says. He
tells a story about a sales associate
who shared the company's Christian
approach with a potential customer.
The customer, in turn, had a similar
outlook.
The company leaders say they don't
hire employees based on their religious
principles. They look for people with
integrity and honesty as character traits
when hiring.
"They don't have to be Christians,"
Clemens says of potential employees.
"But we ﬁnd a lot of people are attracted to come here because of how
we do business."

Calihan Pork's Lou Landon makes no effort to hide his religious faith from his employees, many of
whom park near a building emblazoned with a statement of his belief.

Landon, who ministers at local
prisons, also views his business as an
opportunity to provide down-and-out
people with a second chance. He hires
people out of prison on work-release
programs to help them re-establish
their lives.
"We give them jobs and a little
respect," Landon says. "We've had
people who have failed, but you can't
give up."
It's about God
Ultimately, the company leaders who
tout their religious convictions do so to
be better stewards of spirituality.
Haskins believes his company is
in better control because of his faith.
When he started the company, Haskins
says he made a solemn promise to God
that the glory would be His if the company succeeded. "And it's a promise I

tend to fulﬁll," Haskins stresses.
Clemens has made his faith such an
integral part of his business because
he believes the two can't be separated.
He knows others may disagree with
his stance, but he won't have it any
other way.
"Being a person of faith in business and willing to be vocal about
it is not always the popular or politically correct thing to do," Clemens
says. "But I believe when you share
who you are with customers, employees and vendors - and what you do
matches your talk - it can be a very
powerful message."
Larry Aylward is a freelance writer
from Cleveland.
We would like to hear from you- your comments
and questions about this article are welcome.
E-mail the author at: meat&poultry@sosland.com

www.MEATPOULTRY.com

August 2005

MEAT&POULTRY

http://www.MEATPOULTRY.com

Meat + Poultry - August 2005

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat + Poultry - August 2005