MEAT+POULTRY - July 2015 - 17

Raising
the 'Bar'
Operations Executive of the Year, Danny Dupree
has called Bar-S Foods home for 33 years
BY J O E L C R E WS | J CRE WS@ SOSL A N D.CO M

D

anny Dupree feels genuinely at home
either at the Bar-S plant in Clinton,
Okla., where his career began 33 years
ago, or at his picturesque ranch about seven
miles from the plant.
"I do two things," says MEAT+POULTRY's
2015 Operations Executive of the Year, "Bar-S
and my ranch."
It's easy to see how his passion for each
role overlap and require some of the same
attributes. Both endeavors depend on a team
committed to working hard and where success
depends on productivity, efficiency and an
expertise that comes from years of experience.
This comes natural to the 55-year-old Dupree,
who was raised working on his family's ranch
in western Oklahoma. He left the farm after
high school to earn his accounting degree
at Southwestern Oklahoma State Univ. at
Weatherford. Next, he immediately started
working at Bar-S in Clinton, but not in
operations. He remembers it well.
"I started working here part-time at Bar-S
at this facility in accounting in March of 1982."
At that time he was still a part-time student,
just 22 years old, and in the final semesters of
earning his degree. He would later continue
his education and become a certified public
accountant. "But I enjoyed working here so I
stayed here," he says, noting he focused on the
financial side of the up-and-coming business.
Dupree has worked tirelessly for decades
to become vice president of operations at Bar-S
Foods Company, a packaged meat processor
of more than 120 products, including hot dogs,

sliced meat, bacon and corn dogs. Based in
Phoenix, Bar-S has operated as a subsidiary
of Mexico's Sigma Alimentos since 2010. His
evolution from bean counter to operations
guru is a testament to the passion and loyalty
he has to a company and an industry. He has
dedicated his career to serving. Dupree has
moved across the country for the company
and played a significant role in its growth,
practically from Day One, following the lead
and learning from the company's founder,
Timothy Day. He has been part of the company
through good times and bad, as it grew from
a regional hopeful to a national powerhouse
and ultimately to a coveted acquisition target
for one of Mexico's largest food-company
investment companies.
Unassuming in a pair of not-quite faded
jeans, well-worn quill ostrich boots and a
starched dress shirt, Dupree's easy-going
demeanor is adaptable to his at-work and
away-from-work roles nowadays. His dream
of becoming a rancher began as an aspiring
cowboy, watching in awe of his dad, who
raised cattle dating as far back as he can
remember, and learning the meaning of an
honest day's work. Likewise at Bar-S, he
started learning about the meat processing
business from behind the scenes, yearning to
play a more hands-on role someday.
"Danny has a background in accounting
and quickly grasped the financial elements
of a manufacturing operation," says Day,
whose current role is serving on the board of
directors. "He was able to use this knowledge

"We know each
other and what
makes each
other tick so we
have very open
communication
... they know
what I expect."

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