Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/96377
Johnsonville Sausage Founded: In 1945 by Ralph F. and Alice Stayer in Johnsonville, Wis. President: Bill Morgan Chairman and CEO: Ralph C. Stayer Ownership: Privately-owned by members of the Stayer family Employees: 1,400 Headquarters: Sheboygan Falls Locations: Two plants in Sheboygan Falls, one in Johnsonville and one in Watertown, Wis.; one in Illinois, one in Kansas and one in France Exports: 30 countries Sales: $800 million in net annual Products: Bratwurst, Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, bratwurst patties, Better-for-You Sausage (chicken and chicken-pork blend sausages in a variety of flavors) Website: www.johnsonville.com "We joke that you know who your real friends are, because that's who you serve brats to. It's about being casual, fun and really genuine." – Bruce Johnson, senior brand manager at Johnsonville Everybody laughs. It's just funny. It happens all the time." The chairman of the board admits the shenanigans: "I've gone through a lot of waste baskets," he says. World's largest grills go to disaster sites ohnsonville is still 100 percent family owned. Several family members work for the company, including Michael Stayer-Suprick, oldest son of Ralph C. and now vice president in charge of the company's international group. Stayer-Suprick works for Morgan, whom he calls "a wonderful coach and mentor." "Growing up in the business, you never quite understand what a gem you have until you are old enough to realize it," w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m By 1954, the Johnsonville staff was growing quickly. Alice Stayer is third from the right. says Stayer-Suprick. "I grew up in the original factory, my brother and sister and I lived in the original house for a few years growing up. It was very interesting to live where we made product." Eventually the family moved to Sheboygan, but the business was "a constant source" of conversation. "My father made sure we understood what the business was all about, how it functioned and why it functioned the way it did." The family influence permeates the company, and many who work at Johnsonville have fond memories of the founders. "When I started, Ralph Stayer Senior trained me to hang ring baloney on a stick before they go into the smokehouse," recalls Michael Zorn, shipping coordinator. "I probably wouldn't have gone back for a higher degree if Johnsonville didn't help me out," he says. "It's a great feeling." Giving back is a big deal at Johnsonville. The company owns three semi-trucks, each with an entire side that opens to reveal "the world's largest grill." Called the Big Taste Grills, they drive to fund-raisers, such as the Madison-area's "World's Largest Brat Fest" every spring, they go to the Super Bowl each winter, and they're deployed to sites where natural disasters have occurred. After Hurricane Katrina, they gave away 10,000 brats in New Orleans; in Joplin, Mo., after the 2011 tornado, 4,000 brats were handed out in two days. After the photo shoot for this article, a huge pile of bratwurst in buns sat on a plate in the company kitchen. They were no longer hot, but the aroma lingered into the hall and through the offices of Johnsonville headquarters. As the clock ticked closer to noon, one by one, Johnsonville team members entered the café, eyeing the pile of brats and looking around for clues as to who they were for. "Are these for the taking?" each person would ask, as if he or she was the first to notice the uneaten sausages on the platter. And one by one, in a matter of a few minutes, the brats disappeared. D e c e m b e r 2 012 • Insight | 25