mar-apr-2020

Mark Jansen President & CEO PRESIDENT’S CORNER Serving Our Communities in Uncertain Times Many say the coronavirus COVID-19 could be the greatest challenge for this generation. While daily there are new challenges and uncertainties, each day is also filled with heroic action and hope. This is true for our country and certainly for our cooperative. Blue Diamond Growers is approaching this time with recognition for the important role we play. We continue to manage this unprecedented situation to the best of our abilities. It is our aspiration that decades from now, we will look back at the actions we are taking and find that our resolve and resiliency are unmatched. We are fortunate that as an essential industry, we can avoid layoffs for our team members and ensure economic certainty for grower-owners. It is our responsibility and duty to ensure the food supply and take special care for our frontline team members in manufacturing and warehousing. We are doing our part to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Blue Diamond ’s top priority remains to protect the health and safety of our team members as we ensure business continuity for our grower-owners. A number of mitigation measures were implemented, including suspending all business travel, postponing large events and meetings, increasing already stringent cleaning and disinfection protocols at all facilities and reinforcing social distancing throughout each of our campuses. As has been the case for many of our grower-owners, team members’ lives have been disrupted by school and business closures. We are supporting those team members who are able to work from home and regularly provide updates to be sure we stay connected wherever they may be. Our ongoing commitment to integrity and transparency of communication allows us to continue operating reliably and efficiently. I had the opportunity to talk with team members on the production floor and office areas in Sacramento, Salida and Turlock, and was inspired by a strong sense of pride in the important work we do. That dedication is being recognized. We’ve heard from the CEOs of Walmart, Hood and several other key customers who extended their appreciation to our grower-owners and team members for working to help them keep food on their shelves for families around the world. We are constantly assessing business needs and balancing our available workforce with our production schedules to meet these critical demands. We are also using this time to leverage our community giving strategy by partnering with organizations that provide services to those in need. With that in mind, Blue Diamond worked with local food banks and non-profit organizations to provide donations of our shelf-stable almond products to help families impacted by this pandemic. In times like these, food can provide a source of hope for many and it’s encouraging to see that Blue Diamond can make an impact. 6 A L M O N D F A C T S