Snack Chat

Got Plans for the Summer? Why Not Give Back?

With June here, one of the most frequent questions I hear is: “Got plans for the summer?”  Usually when people ask this question, they’re eager to share their own plans. If I’m asked that question, my answer is a little different. 

I officially kicked off my summer last Thursday by going on a Food for Good route. Food for Good is a PepsiCo initiative that provides healthy meals and fun games and physical activities to underserved kids during the summer when they’re out of school. In fact, over the last three summers, our team has served several hundred thousand meals to kids in need. It’s a real partnership between the community and PepsiCo and exemplifies the heart of Performance with Purpose, our corporate vision. (That's one of our route trucks, pictured above.) 

I spent the past few weeks getting more and more excited for the program to start up again.  At the end of my first day, I was overwhelmed –- just like the first day of previous years.  The kids are a year older than the last time I saw them, and it was great to catch up on the school year that just ended. Community members expressed their gratitude for our efforts -- many even remembered us from the previous year and had been hoping we would be back!

I also had the pleasure of meeting a new face last week, a man named Donald. Donald works at night and takes care of several kids during the day -- kids from his church whose parents cannot afford daytime child care.  When Donald saw the Food for Good crew pulling up, he couldn’t hold back the tears as he thanked us.  The free meals, he explained, eased the burden for many families that were struggling just to get by. Even more, the program showed him that others cared about his community as much as he did and were willing to reach out and make a difference.  While we talked, I noticed so many happy children eating and playing nearby with smiles and laughter on their faces.  Programs like Food for Good, and community members like Donald, are giving kids a chance to be kids and to have the summers they deserve.

So if you ask me what I am doing this summer, I’m doing a small part in making a big difference.  And in return, I’m giving myself some of the best memories I will cherish for years to come. What are you doing this summer?  Whatever it is, I encourage you to make a difference in some way.

- Randy

Tostitos and Dollar General Team Up to Support the USO

In January, I had the chance to work on a really special program – the Tostitos Connect to Home Bowl. Through the program, Tostitos, in partnership with the USO, celebrated our military heroes by bringing a one-of-a-kind college football experience to troops serving in the Persian Gulf. That experience was followed by the surprise reunions of several of the troops who played in the game overseas with their families during halftime of the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game. 

It was a wonderful way to celebrate our military, and I’m excited to share that the partnership between Tostitos and the USO continues this summer with a new in-store promotion at Dollar General.

From now until July 24, 2011, Tostitos will donate $1 to the USO for each $1 off coupon redeemed for the purchase of two 9 oz. or larger bags of Tostitos tortilla chips at Dollar General. Tostitos will donate up to $50,000 as part of the promotion. The funds will be used to support a variety of USO programs and services, all designed to lift the spirits of American troops and their families.

- Alexia

PepsiCo's Ring of Honor: Showcasing the 'Best of the Best' of our Sales Force

For 43 Frito-Lay employees, a career-long dream became a reality last week, as they were among 224 employees inducted into PepsiCo’s legendary “Ring of Honor” – our parent company’s top honor for its sales force from around the world.

Only one-quarter of 1 percent of PepsiCo’s global sales force earns this prestigious award each year – which, in a company known for its outstanding sales team, truly makes them the “best of the best.” Former PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Roger Enrico created the Ring of Honor in 1999, and each June, the winners gather in New York for business sessions, best practice sharing, site seeing and a celebration of their achievements, culminating in a formal awards dinner and ceremony where PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi personally congratulates each inductee.

These employees are on the “frontlines” everyday, delivering our snacks to directly to stores, stocking store shelves, working with store managers to help meet their shoppers' needs and more. Many of them go above-and-beyond the call of duty, from withstanding blizzards so they don’t miss a day of replenishing retailers' shelves, to volunteering to mentor new employees, to working long hours and weekends in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, Labor Day other especially busy times for snack sales.

So for these “everyday heroes” and their spouses to be flown to New York for three days and honored with everything from a red-carpet welcome at PepsiCo’s world headquarters to a personal congratulations from PepsiCo’s CEO is truly well deserved. Some of the comments from this year’s winners during the induction ceremony capture just how special the moment is for them: “Winning the ring of honor means everything. It’s a very proud moment,” one of them said. “It’s an experience of a lifetime” another said. And still another added, "It's like winning the Super Bowl."

I think Indra captured the sentiments of all of us at Frito-Lay and PepsiCo when she told them, “You have a very special place in our hearts because you are the pride and joy of PepsiCo.” Congratulations – and thank you – to all the winners.  - Katherine

Andrea Tackett (left), a Frito-Lay sales representative with our “Motown Central” sales zone in Michigan, receives congratulations for being inducted into this year's Ring of Honor from PepsiCo co-founder Donald M Kendall (center) and Mohit Saxenna, a sales leader with PepsiCo’s India Beverages business. 

 

Robots Rule at Sarah Zumwalt Middle School Thanks to Frito-Lay MOSAIC

For the past 20 years, Frito-Lay associates from MOSAIC, PepsiCo’s African American employee resource group, have mentored students at Dallas-area schools, including Sarah Zumwalt Middle School. Located in the heart of Oak Cliff, an inner-city community in Dallas’ southern sector, Zumwalt is a school with lots of heart, but not many resources. This school year, in addition to the ongoing mentorship program, MOSAIC added a new class for some of the school’s high achieving students –- Robotics. 

I must admit, when I heard about this program, I was a little intrigued and a little confused. What can a snack food company teach kids about robotics? But I quickly learned robotics and automation systems are alive and well in our manufacturing and warehouse facilities, helping keep our product lines running smoothly and our associates safe. Also, we have Terrence Southern, an award-winning robotics engineer, on our team. Prior to joining Frito-Lay, he programmed and installed robots for the automobile industry, which is no stranger to automation. 

Terrence is passionate about sparking kids’ interest in engineering and robotics careers, and even coached a middle school robotics team in his native Detroit, leading them to second place in the World Robotics Competition. Upon arrival at Frito-Lay, he presented his ideas to MOSAIC, received the necessary funding and recruited three other engineers to help. Now, we have a group of Frito-Lay associates helping 15 teens build and program their very own robots right in the heart of Dallas. 

During National Robotics Week this year (April 9 - 17), the Sarah Zumwalt/Frito-Lay MOSAIC Robotics team held a Robo Sumo competition in the school’s auditorium, where 150 students, friends, administrators and media members joined together to cheer on the teams. The all-girl "Deathbots" team took home first-place trophies, and their pictures were broadcast on local news stations announcing their win. Watch the NBC DFW broadcast.

The MOSAIC engineers who made this event happen -- Terrence, Telly Davis, Sheila Wright-Henry and Isaac Johnson -- could instantly see the impact that volunteering their afternoons every Friday for the past eight months to teach robotics had on the students. In addition to forming new mentorships, more students are requesting to be in the class next year and several of the students hope for futures as robotics engineers.

I recently sat down with Terrence to learn more about the robotics program, how he got involved with Sarah Zumwalt Middle School and the enthusiasm of the student participants. CLICK HERE to listen to this brief audio podcast.

This event reminds me to never underestimate the power of one idea, or the impact sharing your talent and giving your time can have on others. I hope it reminds you of that too. 

- Deanna

Happy Administrative Professionals' Day from Frito-Lay!

As many of us at companies around the country mark Administrative Professionals’ Day today by thanking and recognizing our administrative professionals for their hard work and dedication, at Frito-Lay, we’re shining the spotlight on Aspire, our employee resource group for administrative professionals.

Aspire, one of several employee groups our parent company, PepsiCo, officially sponsors, focuses on offering support employees training, professional growth, leadership and community service opportunities. It started right here at Frito-Lay headquarters in Plano, Texas, in 2003, and has expanded to other sites over the years, recently becoming a national group across all of PepsiCo. I’ve been impressed by the group’s programming and initiatives, from informal “brown bag” lunchtime seminars where Aspire leaders bring in company executives to update members on various parts of the business, to an internal website the group runs that provides all employees with easy access to key company resources and information.

This month at our headquarters building, as you can see from the photos below, Aspire showcases memorabilia honoring the heritage and importance of administrative professionals, including quotes from many of our own support team members about their roles in our organization. It’s a unique way to celebrate Administrative Professionals’ Day -– and even more importantly, a reminder to everyone of the critical role our administrative professionals play in our business each and every day.   

- Katherine