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Palmetto Gourmet Foods Creates New Investments and Increases Jobs Following SCMEP’s Human Resource Services
With the help of: South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP)
About
Palmetto Gourmet Foods, located in Saluda, South Carolina, is one of the fastest-growing food companies in the U.S. and is the first American producer of innovative sustainable, plant-based ramen noodles. Their expandable 165,500-square-foot food-grade facility is one of the largest noodle production plants in North America.
The Challenge
The company needed a functional HR department and HR manager. There were many issues with inconsistent training and language barriers so there needed to be a standardization of on-the-job (OJT) training. For help Palmetto turned to SCMEP, part of the MEP National Network™.
The professional approach provided by SCMEP was timely. We did not have a functional HR Department and they provided the framework and assisted in recruiting for our HR Department.
MEP's Role
SCMEP was able to provide on-site and remote HR administration and consultation. Objectives throughout the project included: recruiting and identifying qualified HR manager candidates immediately; identifying an EEOC compliant skills assessment to assist recruiting processes in better identifying individuals capable of available jobs; identifying vendors of automated options for the application and onboarding processes and present to management for implementation; identifying workforce partners, programs, and financial incentives available through SCMEP and the State of South Carolina to recruit and retain the company’s future workforce; and setting up PGF jobs on the SC State Jobs Database as another free mechanism to post jobs to a wider audience.
SCMEP also assisted in locating potential funding for workforce expansion through ReadySC and new equipment lines through Enterprise Zone and negotiating and implement those programs/incentives. SCMEP staff also provided supervisory training and soft skills training to existing employees and guidance on standardization of OJT training.