Author: haley_beard2

Posted on by haley_beard2 Uncategorized

M&M Mars in Waco

(This is a view of what the M&M Mars plant in Waco looked like during the 1980s.)

The M&M Mars company was created back in the 1920s by a man named Frank Mars when he opened up a small confectioner’s store in Seattle. After that store failed, he moved to Minneapolis and began making the Milky Way bar. The creation and sale of the Milky Way bar spurred their business to become popular and led to the creation of many other operations in different cities. A task force was instructed to be in search for a plant west of the Mississippi to go with existing facilities. North Texas was chosen for its freight connections after the task force studied business trends. From there, they decided to expand to Waco because of its water situation, sewer capabilities, the site availability, an available labor force, and the real interest expressed by the town fathers. However, the main reason M&M Mars created a plant in Waco was for the people. The people in Waco take pride in their work and have extreme commitment and dedication to everything they put their minds to.

(Here we have Forrest E. Mars, the founder of M&M Mars, and Howard A. Mitchell, in charge of the Waco plant, breaking ground where the Waco plant is to be built.)

The company first broke ground for the new plant in 1973 and was destined to become the largest candy making facility in the worldwide Mars organization. After the opening of the factory, one ideal that helped the company to become successful was that they took the approach that its employees are not lazy, dishonest, or should be treated like children. This is unique for the Waco plant because other companies start with the premise that its employees are dishonest and you need to watch them, but not Mars. The M&M Mars in Waco is majorly based on a team concept and believes that everyone wins or loses together. All workers are seen on the same level and are treated equally. No one has a reserved parking spot, everyone shares the locker room, and there aren’t private offices to make communication a whole lot easier.

(This is a glimpse into the lives of workers in the M&M Mars Waco plant. They have an open work area that easily allows for workers to talk to one another and work together.)

Just as the company believes all employees have a common stake and interest in the company, M&M Mars looks out for the interests of the local economy. The local plant uses Waco firms for all maintenance and upkeep chores. Waco Mars is highly invested in the community. Likewise, they have a stake in a healthy local economy, so they try to incorporate and make use of as many local services as possible.

The Waco M&M Mars plant was the top site for candy corporation expansion in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1977, the company planned to double their Starburst production because the candy had become so popular. They also decided to enlarge their locker room for the employees since they increased employment in the factory. Waco Mars expanded their plant to add a Starburst wrapping room because in 1981, the Waco plant was the only producer of Starburst Fruit Chews, which was the number one non-chocolate candy in the country. Throughout these years, M&M Mars spent one million dollars in expanding the Waco plant to produce Skittles, Twix bars, and more Starburst Fruit Chews. Skittles proved to be a major success for the M&M Mars Waco plant because they surpassed Starburst Fruit Chews in terms of popularity. They were also able to generate a large percentage of the firm’s Snickers bars sold in the United States. The Waco plant exclusively manufactured Skittles, Starburst Fruit Chews, and Twix during this time, generating a large revenue that they fed back into the expansion of the company. The M&M Mars plant in Waco was able to get itself into a healthy cycle of producing large quantities of candy, generating a high revenue, and putting their revenue toward expanding the company for more production.

 

(Left: A couple of the candies that the Waco plant produces are shown above, some of which are exclusive to the Waco plant. Right: Here are some of the workers preparing the Twix candy to be shipped from the plant.)

The Waco plant was able to earn many awards for their plant production. They earned the 9002 quality certification, making the plant the first confectionary manufacturing plant in the world, and the only finished-goods plant in the United States. This award is based on inspecting what the plant does and how well it does it. The M&M Mars in Waco surpassed their expectations with their cleanliness and attention to detail. They also received the Lloyds Register of Quality Assurance certificate which was an ante into the game. This award was important for the Waco plant because quality has become something that is mandatory, not that is desired.

M&M Mars expanded their candy production to include the Hispanic market. They launched a new M&M candy called Dulce de Leche-Caramel Chocolate Candies. The release of these candies began in Miami, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Antonio and McAllen-Brownsville, five predominately Hispanic markets, to get a feel of how the candy will be received. The varieties they sold were designed to have Hispanic tastebuds in mind. After the candy exploded in the five Hispanic regions, M&M Mars had a nationwide rollout of the candy.

The Waco plant experienced a fire in 2017 near the loading docks. It was caused by a malfunction in one of the refrigerated trailers and the wind spread the fire to five other trailers. The fire was contained to the loading docks and had no reports of injuries. The plant was evacuated, but the employees were able to re-enter the building after a couple hours. The fire produced smoke that made it hard for drivers to see through on nearby roadways. The town was encouraged to avoid the intersection of Mars Drive and Texas Central Parkway along with Imperial Drive due to the smoke for that day. There was no internal damage to the Waco plant and it was able to continue their production of candy.

M&M Mars in Waco has been one of the pride and joys of the people in the working community. It is a staple for how everyone working should be treated and is also a model for how a business should be run.

        

(Left: According to the Waco Tribune-Herald on June 25, 2007, the M&M Mars in Waco sought to use landfill gas for power. They transitioned to using methane to power the plant, even if it took longer to produce. Doing this has helped the environment since methane is the worst greenhouse gas. Right: According to Austin American-Statesman on August 3, 1997, the waste that the Waco plant produced was too rich with organic materials that it couldn’t be sent directly to a treatment facility. A solution the Waco plant found was to try an experimental vertical flow reed bed that helps filter out solids from the wastewater.)

(Billy Joe Southwell recalls his experience working at the M&M Mars plant in Waco. ~ Source Southwell, Billy Joe, Interviewed by Robert Gamboa, April 28, 2014 in Waco, TX. Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Waco, TX.)

 

Works Cited:

Bennett, John, “Photo of M&M Mars groundbreaking,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 27, 1976. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

“Plant Manager Relates View Toward Workers,” Waco Tribune-Herald, May 18, 1977. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Darden, Bob, “Waco Was Top Site for Candy Corporation Expansion.” Waco Tribune-Herald, July 23, 1980. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

O’Grady, Eileen, “Inustry in Waco M&M/Mars Plant Employees Have Tastiest Jobs in Town,” Waco Tribune-Herald, January 11, 1981. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

“Celebrates A Decade Of Progress In Waco During Texas’ Sesquicentennial Year,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 27, 1986. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Nelson, Alan, “M&M Mars to spend $1 million expanding Waco operations,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 8, 1987. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Nelson, Alan, “Skittles spell success for M&M-Mars,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 9, 1987. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

“M&M/MARS Expansion –  A Vote of Confidence for Waco,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 26, 1987. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Nelson, Alan, “M&M-Mars plant chief oversaw steady growth,” Waco Tribune-Herald, January 22, 1989. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Copeland, Mike, “Prestigious award a sweet success for M&M Mars plant,” and “MARS Facility takes prestigious honor,” Waco Tribute-Herald, November 20, 1994. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Black, Richard C., “Waco plant finds alternative to dumping waste,” Austin American-Statesman, August 3, 1997. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Corzo, Cynthia, “M&M candies target Hispanic population,” Valley Morning Star, July 11, 2001. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Bond, Pamela, “Mars plant seeks to use landfill gas for power,” Waco Tribune-Herald, June 25, 2007. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Hoppa, Kristin, “Industrial fire affects Mars Chocolate facility,” Waco Tribune-Herald, May 2, 2017.

1 Comment Posted on by haley_beard2 Uncategorized

Man vs. Machine

For many years there has been a debate regarding being on “Team Human” or being on “Team Machine”. It is an issue that questions whether we need to stick to doing things the way humans have been acting or have an unfair advantage over others by using and inventing new technology. An article that helped me gain more information over this subject is “Business Does Not Need the Humanities – But Humans Do” by Gianpiero Petriglieri.

The article talks about how a few years ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg lost a game of Scrabble to a friend’s teenage daughter. Zuckerberg decided to write a computer program that would look up his letters in the dictionary so that he could see and choose from all the letter combinations before he played a second game with her. After the game, the teenage daughter of Zuckerberg’s friend talked about how“during the game in which [she] was play[ed] the program, everyone around [them] was taking sides: Team Human and Team Machine” (Petriglieri). This brings in the main topic of discussion within the article which is whether the machines are doing more good than harm and if it is really the machines people are rallying against.

Image result for man vs machine

image from sysomos.com

An unintended consequence of this assumption of there being teams for humanity and machine is that people believe we are up against the physical machine itself. In actuality, we are up against the people who create them. Petriglieri claims that the truth is there is no “Team Machine.” The contest is always between humans. Some humans havemachines, but those machines are not always a gift. The concerns about what technology will do to humanity cover up the problem of what powerful humans will do to the rest. If there is a “Team Machine,” it is not on the side of machines, instead it is just humans who have machines on their side. The main issue is what the machines do for leaders and to leaders, because soon enough they will be doing it for and to the rest of the population.

The complexity of the fight between people who are against machines and those who are for it, makes people wonder if any solution could be met. A solution proposed to help settle the score in the Scrabble match against the algorithm is to counter the corruption of “consciousness, community, and cosmopolitanism by a blind faith in instrumentality” (Petriglieri). By establishing the case that consciousness is more than a state of mindful composure in the present, there is consideration of the consequences of a person’s work whether that be in a private setting or in a broad space. Countering the belief of some people that a community is not just a tribe that reinforces our performances, it can be said that it is a group of people who are committed to our well-being and learning. Lastly, laying down the groundwork that cosmopolitanism is not an elite identity, introduces an attitude of curiosity regarding what lies beyond the boundaries of our territories, cultures, and faiths.

What is feared in regards to fearing the machines is that the fight might become uneven. We fear the loss of emotions humans have whether that be doubt or the feeling that there is more to humans than being productive, rational, objective, and effective. People fear losing the paradox that comprises humanity. Humans want to live and try to control the future, yet to feel alive they must be free to imagine it. By siding with machines, that paradox and all emotions associated with humans are thrown out the window. People need to keep in mind all of the gains and losses that goes with team machine, rather than think being progressive is always good.

1 Comment Posted on by haley_beard2 business, state, and society, Uncategorized

How Sears Challenged the Social Structure Jim Crow Enforced

When thinking about Jim Crow laws and how they fought to keep racial segregation in the south, I did not take into consideration that other groups besides the African Americans would be fighting against them. My mind automatically thought of the African Americans that would rally against the law and not to other white people, or even businesses, who would fight. An article posted a couple weeks ago by The Washington Post titled “Sears’s ‘radical’ past: How mail-order catalogues subverted the racial hierarchy of Jim Crow” opened my mind to see that other people fought against those unjust laws as well.

Within this article, I learned about how the catalogues Sears released, primarily the 322 page one released in 1894, was seen as a radical act during this era of Jim Crow. The Rural Free Delivery Act allowed Sears to reach communities in the south and be able to send them catalogues. This gave the opportunity for people who weren’t as literate to fill out order forms that would be sent through and processed no matter what the format looked like. These forms allowed anonymity for the customers, especially African Americans, by not having to go in to face racist treatment from storeowners and instead, being allowed to purchase however many goods they want no matter the color of their skin. This way, the playing field was leveled for all races by ensuring they would be treated the same way. If an African American were to go into a retail, grocery, or any type of store, they would have to wait until all the white customers purchased the goods they wanted first and only be given the leftovers/lower quality goods. However, with the catalogues Sears provided, African Americans were able to buy the same goods white people had.

       

(image from age fotostock and Marketplace)

One of the part owners of Sears, Julius Rosenwald, became a philanthropist for black communities. He donated millions of dollars to build schools for African Americans to attend and earn a fair shot at learning, since the new schools would omit racial discrimination when teaching. Rosenwald wanted African Americans to have the same opportunities at a better life that white people have. Rosenwald helped fund financial support, as well as helped fund YMCA’s and YWCA’s for African Americans. Sears was able to give African Americans something white people took away from them, their dignity.

The Sears catalogue, in a way, was a beacon of hope for African Americans during the time of Jim Crow laws to show that not everyone wanted to keep the racial segregation that the south imposed. The most prominent “Big Idea” from our course within the Sears article is business, state, and society. We are able to see how a business, Sears, can capitalize on the south’s Jim Crow laws by passing their own, the Rural Free Delivery Act, that allows their business to reach the African Americans the south is trying to suppress. Sears is undermining the state in attempt to give the African Americans a society in which they can be seen as equals, even if it is in something as small as ordering clothes or supplies from a catalogue that allows everyone to be treated equally. Also, Julius Rosenwald is defying the norms of how white people are supposed to act toward African Americans by trying his hardest to give them the society they deserve, one of equality. Businesses, such as Sears, have the ability to go head to head against the state or society and fight for the change they believe in. It only takes the defiance of one, whether it be one business, one state, or one society, to give others the courage to stand up as well to fight for what they want.

Through looking at the actions of Sears during the late 19thcentury, we are able to see that a small act of defiance against the Jim Crow laws by Sears can go a long way. They were able to give African Americans the opportunity to be treated the way the state should have. Businesses have the ability to change society for the better if they just choose to act, the way Sears did.

2 Comments Posted on by haley_beard2 20th century

Big Government Cheese

When reading about President Trump’s promise to the farmers, the article kept mentioning how it will bring back the “government cheese” event from Jimmy Carter’s campaign. Prior to reading this article, I had not even heard of the term “government cheese”. To hear about more on the subject, I listened to the Planet Money podcast on Big Government Cheese.

Within this podcast, I was informed about how in 1976, Jimmy Carter was running for president and proposed to give farmers an equal break. He planned to do this by raising milk prices by 6 cents per gallon every 6 months. Carter followed through on his promise to the farmers and tried to figure out a way the government can step into the market to make it happen. They figured out they can either make demand greater or lower supply. USDA decided to go down supply the chain one step to find milk products that could store well. They came to the conclusion of cheese, specifically cheddar cheese. The government sent out sheet of paper to farmers that states they will buy as much butter, cheese or nonfat dry milk they are willing to sell at certain prices. By the government buying more cheese, cheesemakers buy more milk which in turn drives milk prices up.

Consequently, the government had an issue with storing cheese and had to store cheese in caves in Kansas because they had no other place to store the cheese. By early 1980s, the dairy support plan for cheese was costing tax payers around 2 billion and the government was buying 1 in every 4 pounds of the country’s cheddar cheese. This dilemma reached the point where the Agricultural Secretary held up hunk of cheese in a press conference and talked about the mold deteriorating cheese and how there wasn’t a market for it. A new program was created to give cheese away through food banks so that the market for cheese wouldn’t take a huge hit.

Government cheese became a symbol of crappy government handout as well as a parable in how government intervention in markets can have a butterfly effect, Jimmy Carter makes an innocuous announcement to help farmers and then the government ends up spending billions of dollars filling caves with cheese they couldn’t get rid of fast enough. The most prominent “Big Idea” for this course that is brought to our attention within this podcast is unintended consequences. Failing to acknowledge what might happen to the markets or the fact there will eventually be a large surplus for cheese came come back to bite the government. After finding the solution of food banks, the caves slowly emptied and the price for milk automatically froze every 6 months. The government did not foresee that price controls would be hard to unwind once they are started. Because of this, the government pondered how to get out of cheese business without harming the farmers too much. They ended up paying money to the farmers to encourage them to stop producing milk.

Due to the argument that our country has to be able to produce its own food because if our farmers go out of business, then we become reliant on other countries for food which is a security risk. It’s one thing for the government to provide stability and it is another to step into the market in a big way and possibly the wrong time because playing with price controls is like playing with fire.

 

(image on the left from twitter and image on the right from the podcast)