Letter from our President, Russ Yearwood, about COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Greetings,
As you read this, the world is grappling with an issue of enormous scale and human impact. Our hearts go out to all who have been affected by the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). Fortunately, we have had no confirmed cases at Indiana Packers Corporation (IPC) and – at this point – are not aware of any suspected or potential cases.
However, we also believe it is our role and responsibility to prioritize several things: the health and wellbeing of our team members & their family members as well as our customers & suppliers while also playing a constructive role in supporting local health officials and government leaders as they work to contain the virus. With these in full consideration, we will continue to make decisions based on the latest science-based information and guided by our company’s Mission & Values.Indiana Packers Corporation has a pandemic flu preparation component embedded in our emergency action plan. We are currently reviewing it and preparing to implement the necessary steps. At this stage, this plan includes basic good health practices for team members. It also focuses on ensuring that we have adequate supplies for preventative cleaning and hand washing. We are working with our health care partners to evaluate how we can best support the needs of those team or family members in the case where someone has potentially contracted the coronavirus. We have been actively involved with state & local health care agencies, our medical providers, and other stakeholders. We have undertaken contingency planning in order to ensure that the needs of our team members, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders are understood and fully considered.
Over the last several weeks, we have taken a series of precautionary steps in response to this developing public health issue, including increased cleaning and sanitizing procedures in the
workplace. We have also begun to prepare our leaders to respond quickly to any emerging situation, leveraging the resources we have at our disposal. As this situation unfolds, we are prepared to take the necessary steps to ensure that the health & welfare of our team members & their families are priority and we are able to continue to provide exceptional, quality, safe products & service to our customers.
For those following this outbreak, you know that circumstances are changing on a daily basis. Work is underway in Congress to craft a bill that will address some of the questions many of us have specific to employment. We’re monitoring this work and will be announcing additional information to you as it becomes available.
I want to thank our team leaders for the work they have done – and are continuing to do with respect to this issue. I want to thank our team members for their unwavering commitment to our company & our customers. I want to thank our customers for their loyalty and support and our suppliers for their commitment and contributions to our business.
If you have questions or require additional information, please contact me or a member of our organization’s leadership team.
Respectfully,
Russ Yearwood
President/Chief Operating Officer
Indiana Packers Corporation