Snack Chat

A Fun Night of Football Memories and Tim McGraw!

Hi, I'm Kristin Holmes from the Frito-Lay Communication team (and Snack Chat team member), back today to share a brief recap from a fun event I attended on Friday night. As you may know, Dallas will be home to Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011, and Frito-Lay is proud to be a member of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee this year. Part of our role on the host committee is to help enhance Super Bowl XLV’s impact on the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) community -- just like many of our Employee Resource Groups are doing year-round in DFW and all across the U.S.!

Through our partnership, we're actively participating in events leading up to the big game, including the September 10th football celebration and Tim McGraw concert, “XLV Countdown: Live from Cowboys Stadium,” in Arlington, Texas. The event was open to the public, but we also provided tickets to many Frito-Lay and PepsiCo employees as a way to recognize them for their contributions to our community -- volunteering time and raising money for local organizations.

I was able to bring my sister to the event on Friday night, which included a star-studded celebration featuring seldom-seen NFL Films archival footage projected onto massive screens and scored live by the University of North Texas' symphony orchestra. Renowned pianist Van Cliburn made a rare public appearance to help honor the Dallas Cowboys’ 50th anniversary, and Jerry Jones, Cowboys owner, paid tribute to recently-elected Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith. Finally, Tim McGraw took the stage and gave us an energetic cap to the night of festivities.

Whether you're a life-long Cowboys fan or you root for another favorite team (by family tradition, my sister and I are Vikings fans!), you would have really been impressed by the event -- the historic football footage, the symphony music and seeing former Cowboys stars, like Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodsen and Tony Dorsett, share their memories about the team and their fellow players. Tim McGraw's performance was icing on the cake. If you haven't seen him perform, I recommend you do -- he puts on a great show. He may claim to be a "real bad boy," but I prefer to think of him as a "real good man."

Below are a couple of photos I snapped during the celebration. 

- Kristin

 
 

Frito-Lay Helps Kick Off High School Football Season With 'Score for Your School' Program

Hey everybody! I’m Michael Karle, Internal Communications Manager for Frito-Lay, at our headquarters office in Plano, Texas (pictured at right with my daughter, Jocelyn – born July 8th!). I’ve worked with Dave and Kristin to support Snack Chat since it launched, and am thrilled to be stepping out from behind the scenes to blog about what’s going on at Frito-Lay!

I grew up in New Jersey (which I promise is nothing like what you see on TV these days), and while I was never a great athlete, I’ve always enjoyed watching sports -- especially the local professional football teams. Since moving to Texas, I’ve certainly found my share of Cowboys fans, and living around the corner from a high school, I also have the opportunity to see (and hear) firsthand the extra passion and enthusiasm that Texans have for their high school football teams.

So, it’s clear to me why Frito-Lay is helping to kick off high school football season in Texas with the “Score for Your School” program, which invites fans to support their schools for the chance to win donations of up to $10,000 for school sports programs. Through Dec. 31, Texas fans can visit www.scoreforyourschool.com, enter the nine-digit product code listed on bags of Frito-Lay snacks and select the Texas high school of their choice. Schools collect one point for each Frito-Lay snack a fan purchases and then registers on the Web site.

I recently read an article in the Sports Business Journal about how schools across the country have had to cut their athletic budgets and either find new ways to fund sports teams or else eliminate them entirely. It’s because of challenges like this that Frito-Lay will donate a total of $90,000 to 18 high schools across the state, with three prizes awarded in each of Texas’ six divisional classes.

This program is an easy and fun way for fans across Texas to support their favorite schools and help preserve high school sports programs. You can visit www.scoreforyourschool.com for more information, and become a fan of "Score for Your School" on Facebook.

-Michael

Wheels in Motion: Our First Electric Trucks Hit the Road in NYC

Today, Frito-Lay North America put our wheels in motion for a more environmentally-friendly fleet: Five electric-powered delivery trucks hit New York City and will start servicing Frito-Lay routes this month. In total, we plan to put 21 electric trucks on U.S. streets in 2010 (additional trucks will be in Fort Worth, Texas and Columbus, Ohio). And, we plan to roll out 150 additional electric trucks in 2011, making Frito-Lay the largest commercial fleet of all-electric trucks in North America!

Last summer, we announced our relationship with Smith Electric Vehicles, the nation’s top manufacturer of battery-electric commercial trucks and producer of the Newton, which is the only all-electric commercial truck on the market. These trucks generate zero tailpipe emissions and operate for up to 100 miles on a single charge. 

Smith Electric is a leader in the development of commercial electric trucks designed to operate at peak effectiveness in urban environments. Specific benefits associated with Smith’s all-electric trucks include:

•    Can run up to 100 miles on a single charge

•    Zero tailpipe emissions

•    Emits 75 percent less greenhouse gas than diesel

•    Operates virtually silently, eliminating noise pollution

•    Provides a long term economically viable solution    

The rollout of our electric trucks also supports Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC, which is an effort to reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel efficiency of cars and other vehicles in New York City. 

I think you'll agree that New Yorkers (and soon, folks in Texas and Ohio) can feel even better about eating their favorite snacks now, since we'll be bringing many of them to market in an environmentally-friendly way!

Click here to read the full press release.

Happy snacking,

Kristin H.

The Chief Blogger's Farewell

I have mixed emotions writing today because this is my last blog post as Snack Chat's chief blogger. 

When I retired from Frito-Lay a year and a half ago, our Communications team asked me if I would like to write for Snack Chat, and I jumped at the opportunity.  I'm glad I did, too.  It's given me the opportunity to share many "behind-the-scenes" stories from my 30 years working at the company, as well as allowed me to keep up with friends and former co-workers and the current activities happening at Frito-Lay. 

The activities going on at Frito-Lay have also provided plenty of substantive material for me to share.  I’ve blogged about the launches of delicious new products, fun consumer programs, the strides we’ve made with our commitment to environmental sustainability and healthier snacking, and the diversity and inclusion programs that make Frito-Lay the employer of choice for thousands of people in North America. 

While I'm going to miss following Frito-Lay events and promotions firsthand, it's time for me –- and for Snack Chat -- to move in new directions.  I'm looking forward to traveling more with my wife, Janis, and visiting with our five grandsons.  I also want to more actively pursue my creative side through photography and writing (perhaps a novel?).

Over the last few months, you've begun to see the new direction of Snack Chat unfold with additional guest bloggers and "real time" blogging from major Frito-Lay events like national meetings and conferences. It's very exciting to see more employees join the ranks on Snack Chat, and I believe you’ll agree that the team of bloggers will provide exciting insights and fresh perspectives about the company.

In signing off, I want to thank Kristin Holmes, Sr. Manager of Frito-Lay Communications, who manages Snack Chat.  She set the strategy for the blog, managed all the behind-the-scenes technology, helped edit my blog posts (making them much better), and is now leading Snack Chat in a new direction.  She is a wonderful example of the kind of people that Frito-Lay attracts and retains by giving them exciting opportunities to make a difference. 

Finally, I want to thank all of you, the Snack Chat readers.  I've enjoyed reading your comments and I'll miss the interactive nature of the blog.  So, do me a favor and keep reading and commenting. I’ll be checking in on Snack Chat and look forward to learning about the new and exciting things going on at Frito-Lay and to reading your comments in the future.

Cheers!

- Dave

(Below: A picture of Janis and me on our trip to Santa Barbara, Calif., earlier this year.) 

 

Watch the Archived Interview of Frito-Lay's CEO, Al Carey, on KERA

An online, on-demand video of Frito-Lay President and CEO Al Carey's appearance this past weekend on KERA’s “CEO” TV program is now available. During the interview with KERA host Lee Cullum, Al discussed Frito-Lay’s health-and-wellness, environmental efforts and more. 

"CEO" is a monthly show features Texas chief executives from a variety of industries and explores what it takes to make a company successful in today's marketplace Watch the on-demand video of Lee and Al's interview, which is about 30 minutes long: http://video.kera.org/video/1576215483