JBS’s approach is complementary and straightforward: Establish programs that benefit team members as well as the communities in which they live and work. Given that the rural areas in which JBS operates—where the plant is often the largest employer—are seldom a magnet for federal funds, in 2020 the company established Hometown Strong, a $100 million community investment initiative. The program works closely with local leaders to determine which infrastructure projects best suit long-term needs, often in the form of renovating dilapidated resources, reinvesting in parks and recreational facilities, or ambitiously developing affordable housing, for which $20 million alone has been earmarked. Other areas of investment include purchasing delivery trucks (or providing food donations) for local food banks, underwriting resources at STEM innovation centers, and funding improvements at literacy councils that offer free English as a Second Language courses.
When it came to benefitting team members, JBS understood the demographics—largely first-generation Americans—and sought ways to help them further integrate into their communities. Pilgrim’s—a majority-owned, publicly traded subsidiary of JBS—already had a scholarship program for which one team member per facility was given a full ride at a four-year university. But JBS and Pilgrim’s decided to double down on this idea, providing tuition-free education across the entire workforce—and to their dependents—to have an even greater impact. Better Futures allows people to pursue an education in any field of study they choose. “We really thought we could make a transformational change by allowing people to empower themselves and upskill,” Bruett explains. “This could perhaps have a greater impact on the lives of our team members and their families than anything else we could do.”
And so, in March 2021, JBS launched Better Futures, with a goal to build the largest free-tuition program in rural America, simultaneously providing a much-needed injection of capital into small community colleges. “If we benefit the community, ultimately it’s going to benefit our business,” Bruett says.
WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PAYS DIVIDENDS
Alisia Quevedo describes how she is benefitting from a free college education courtesy of the JBS Better Futures program.
LISTEN
Initially, the company expected roughly 80% of the participants would be dependents, but to Bruett’s surprise, nearly the opposite has occurred: two-thirds of the participants are JBS team members. “It shows that the men and women who work alongside us every day really want to improve their station in life,” he says. “And we’re pretty thrilled about that.”
So is Quevedo. She has already completed courses in English composition, financial literacy, human growth and development, sociology, and world affairs. She hopes to finish her degree in Human Services within two years and, ideally, remain at JBS in a position where she could help with community affairs—perhaps even as a Better Futures program manager. “The program has definitely opened up opportunities for me and broadened my future,” she says. “I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished so far, and knowing the company is there to support it, makes me come into work feeling a lot stronger in the decisions I’ve been making.
“Education is a privilege,” Quevedo adds. “And when it’s accessible, as it is here, families can really reach out for themselves and for their children. When you better yourself, you make your family stronger, your children stronger, your community stronger. And that contributes to a better future for everyone.”
—Alisia Quevedo, quality assurance technician, JBS
“When you better yourself, you make your family stronger, your children stronger, your community stronger. And that contributes to a better future for everyone.”
By aspiring to provide the largest free-tuition program in rural America, JBS USA is nourishing the minds of its team members and their dependents while strengthening the communities where they live and work
Food for thought
03-17-23 | jbs
PAID CONTENT
When Alisia Quevedo, a single parent of five, recently enrolled at a community college in Omaha, little did she know that she would find herself at the forefront of sustainability innovation. Her higher education was being supported by her day job as a quality assurance technician for JBS USA (JBS), one of the largest food companies in the world—and she was doing it completely on the company’s dime. The JBS Better Futures program pays full tuition up front, not as a reimbursement, for team members and their child dependents to pursue associate degrees and trade certificates at community and technical colleges. The full tuition part resonated with Quevedo, whose siblings are still saddled with debt tied to their higher education. “I have always wanted to go back to school, but being a single parent, I don’t have a lot of extra money,” she says. “So Better Futures came to me at the perfect time.”
Quevedo says the skills and knowledge she has gained since enrolling have improved her sense of wellness, which speaks to the societal benefits encompassed within sustainability goals. But what makes her situation innovative is the way JBS has adapted sustainability objectives—often relegated to theory—into real-world practice at a grassroots level. Their M.O. is focusing on a strategy of shared success. Quevedo’s educational progress makes her a more confident and enthusiastic member of the team (“I feel like I bring more to the table,” she admits), which in turn strengthens her parenting skills. Meanwhile, her colleagues and their dependents doing the same increases collective opportunities within their broader communities.
BY BILL VAN PARYS FOR FASTCO WORKS
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Learn more about JBS USA’s commitment to their team members, communities, and the environment at JBSBringingMoreToTheTable.com.
“We don’t want to be extractors of success,” says Cameron Bruett, head of corporate affairs for JBS, which operates more than 65 facilities across the country, often in rural areas, and employs more than 67,000 people. “We really believe that there’s a direct correlation between taking care of our team members and our communities, and the viability of our business.” This stems from JBS’s integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into its business practice. As Bruett puts it, “The social component is often given short shrift [in the marketplace]. We’re woven into the fabric of rural America in a very unique way. We really wanted to focus not only on our net zero and environmental targets—a huge contributor to a well-performing society—but also, how we give back locally, both to our communities and to the men and women who drive our business.”
Building a Better Future
JBS provides free education for its
team members and their families at
55 community colleges in 24 states
—and one online program nationally.
Its goal is to build the largest free-tuition program in rural America.
By aspiring to provide the largest free-tuition program in rural America, JBS USA is nourishing the minds of its team members and their dependents while strengthening the communities where they live and work
Food for thought
03-17-23 | jbs
BY FASTCO WORKS
When Alisia Quevedo, a single parent of five, recently enrolled at a community college in Omaha, little did she know that she would find herself at the forefront of sustainability innovation. Her higher education was being supported by her day job as a quality assurance technician for JBS USA (JBS), one of the largest food companies in the world—and she was doing it completely on the company’s dime. The JBS Better Futures program pays full tuition up front, not as a reimbursement, for team members and their child dependents to pursue associate degrees and trade certificates at community and technical colleges. The full tuition part resonated with Quevedo, whose siblings are still saddled with debt tied to their higher education. “I have always wanted to go back to school, but being a single parent, I don’t have a lot of extra money,” she says. “So Better Futures came to me at the perfect time.”
Quevedo says the skills and knowledge she has gained since enrolling have improved her sense of wellness, which speaks to the societal benefits encompassed within sustainability goals. But what makes her situation innovative is the way JBS has adapted sustainability objectives—often relegated to theory—into real-world practice at a grassroots level. Their M.O. is focusing on a strategy of shared success. Quevedo’s educational progress makes her a more confident and enthusiastic member of the team (“I feel like I bring more to the table,” she admits), which in turn strengthens her parenting skills. Meanwhile, her colleagues and their dependents doing the same increases collective opportunities within their broader communities.
“We don’t want to be extractors of success,” says Cameron Bruett, head of corporate affairs for JBS, which operates more than 65 facilities across the country, often in rural areas, and employs more than 67,000 people. “We really believe that there’s a direct correlation between taking care of our team members and our communities, and the viability of our business.” This stems from JBS’s integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into its business practice. As Bruett puts it, “The social component is often given short shrift [in the marketplace]. We’re woven into the fabric of rural America in a very unique way. We really wanted to focus not only on our net zero and environmental targets—a huge contributor to a well-performing society—but also, how we give back locally, both to our communities and to the men and women who drive our business.”
REDUCING LONG-DISTANCE LATENCY
JBS’s approach is complementary and straightforward: Establish programs that benefit team members as well as the communities in which they live and work. Given that the rural areas in which JBS operates—where the plant is often the largest employer—are seldom a magnet for federal funds, in 2020 the company established Hometown Strong, a $100 million community investment initiative. The program works closely with local leaders to determine which infrastructure projects best suit long-term needs, often in the form of renovating dilapidated resources, reinvesting in parks and recreational facilities, or ambitiously developing affordable housing, for which $20 million alone has been earmarked. Other areas of investment include purchasing delivery trucks (or providing food donations) for local food banks, underwriting resources at STEM innovation centers, and funding improvements at literacy councils that offer free English as a Second Language courses.
When it came to benefitting team members, JBS understood the demographics—largely first-generation Americans—and sought ways to help them further integrate into their communities. Pilgrim’s—a majority-owned, publicly traded subsidiary of JBS—already had a scholarship program for which one team member per facility was given a full ride at a four-year university. But JBS and Pilgrim’s decided to double down on this idea, providing tuition-free education across the entire workforce—and to their dependents—to have an even greater impact. Better Futures allows people to pursue an education in any field of study they choose. “We really thought we could make a transformational change by allowing people to empower themselves and upskill,” Bruett explains. “This could perhaps have a greater impact on the lives of our team members and their families than anything else we could do.”
And so, in March 2021, JBS launched Better Futures, with a goal to build the largest free-tuition program in rural America, simultaneously providing a much-needed injection of capital into small community colleges. “If we benefit the community, ultimately it’s going to benefit our business,” Bruett says.
Initially, the company expected roughly 80% of the participants would be dependents, but to Bruett’s surprise, nearly the opposite has occurred: two-thirds of the participants are JBS team members. “It shows that the men and women who work alongside us every day really want to improve their station in life,” he says. “And we’re pretty thrilled about that.”
So is Quevedo. She has already completed courses in English composition, financial literacy, human growth and development, sociology, and world affairs. She hopes to finish her degree in Human Services within two years and, ideally, remain at JBS in a position where she could help with community affairs—perhaps even as a Better Futures program manager. “The program has definitely opened up opportunities for me and broadened my future,” she says. “I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished so far, and knowing the company is there to support it, makes me come into work feeling a lot stronger in the decisions I’ve been making.
“Education is a privilege,” Quevedo adds. “And when it’s accessible, as it is here, families can really reach out for themselves and for their children. When you better yourself, you make your family stronger, your children stronger, your community stronger. And that contributes to a better future for everyone.”