Saddle Creek Corporation Del Monte Foods

Saddle Creek Corporation and Orkin Rise to the Challenge and Win a Gold Medal IPM Partner Award

A true partnership may be worth its weight in gold, but for Saddle Creek Corporation’s Fort Worth, Texas facility and Orkin Commercial Services, it actually earned them gold – a Gold Medal IPM Partner Award.

Saddle Creek Corporation is a leading provider of contract and public warehousing, transportation, contract packaging and related logistics services for thousands of companies nationwide. In Fort Worth, Saddle Creek relies on Orkin’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) recommendations to help ensure quality assurance for its customer, Del Monte Foods, at each point of the supply chain. In honor of their dedication to IPM, the Saddle Creek facility and Orkin won a Gold Medal IPM Partner Award presented by Orkin, The IPM Institute of North America, and NSF Cook & Thurber.

To learn more about the award-winning partnership, we spoke with Randy Weygandt, director of operations for Saddle Creek. Here is an edited transcription of that interview.

Why is Saddle Creek Corporation deserving of the Gold Medal IPM Partner Award?

“For Saddle Creek, prevention is the name of the game. So many details go into our IPM program, and we go the extra mile with Orkin to make it environmentally responsible. Our success takes focus and diligence, but it feels effortless because our two teams have a great rapport. We appreciate Orkin’s responsiveness and expertise, and they value our hard work and commitment to implementing their recommendations.

Why is IPM so critical to Saddle Creek Corporation’s business?

“Our internal foodservice safety program demands the highest standards of cleanliness. Not only must Saddle Creek meet its own internal food safety requirements, but Del Monte Foods also regularly inspects our facility. We consider our facility to be like our castle, and we are the guards protecting all the valuable goods housed inside. Nothing can get by us, or our food supply will be at risk. Our partnership with Orkin is like our ammunition; they’ve greatly reduced our chance of pest invasion.”

How does each partner contribute to the pest management efforts at the facility?

“The word ‘partnership’ truly defines the working relationship between Saddle Creek and Orkin. Our two teams hold weekly conference calls to discuss all current IPM initiatives, which vary depending on pests’ seasonal behavior. Our Orkin pest specialist conducts weekly inspections and maintenance, as needed, and trains every new Saddle Creek employee on best IPM practices. Thanks to Orkin, IPM is a way of life for us now.”

What results has your award-winning partnership achieved?

“With Orkin’s Gold Medal Protection program, we consistently see high results, namely outstanding scores on the pest management portion of our third-party audits. We expect to maintain this level of excellence and will continue to work hand-in-hand with Orkin.”