Performance Food Group

Over the years, CRT/tanaka has counseled Fortune 500 food distributor Performance Food Group (PFG) on a range of public relations efforts including corporate social responsibility, internal communications and branding, crisis communications and media training. To help PFG preserve its tight-knit culture as it made a series of business acquisitions, CRT/tanaka developed the “We’re Driven” initiative, a virtual road trip allowing all employees to “visit” and connect with each operating company in the PFG network. The agency has also worked with PFG to develop and rehearse a company-wide crisis response plan – a necessity for any company in an industry where the risk of crisis is fairly high. Over a four-month period in 2007, the agency conducted 19 crisis drills and four media training sessions for PFG and its operating companies. CRT/tanaka continues to work with PFG to periodically review and revise its crisis response platform.

DEVELOPING A COMMON CRISIS RESPONSE PLATFORM

Challenge

Performance Food Group (PFG), a Fortune 500 food distribution company, has 34 operating companies (opcos) located across the country. Over the past several years, PFG has grown rapidly by acquiring smaller distribution businesses with similar business models. PFG has been working to bring these companies together under a common operational and cultural umbrella. Despite being in an industry where the risk of crisis is fairly high, PFG did not have a company-wide crisis plan.

In 2006, CRT/tanaka began working with PFG’s management team to develop a crisis response plan for the company. After initial risk identification and assessments were completed, the team – dubbed the Quick Response Team (QRT) – developed crisis protocols, processes and a crisis manual. Top leaders went through on-camera media training and QRT members participated in live crisis drills and other training. At the same time, CRT/tanaka worked with the QRT to develop a plan to address a pending Avian Flu pandemic. Once the headquarters team was up to speed, the agency was challenged to find a way to bring the opcos into the process. There was no budget for travel, and many of the opco presidents were reluctant to allocate time and resources to training, preferring to handle things on their own.

Solution

In 2007, CRT/tanaka developed a crisis training program that educated the opcos about the need for a unified crisis platform and allowed them to participate in hands-on drills. Using WebEx technology, opcos were provided with a crisis scenario and required to work through the response steps. Back at headquarters, our facilitators could listen to their planning and continually update the scenario with new information to assess their ability to use the plan, make sound decisions and react to changing situations. Immediate debriefs after the exercises, followed by written feedback reports, helped opcos find the holes in their teams and their processes so they could improve.

Results

CRT/tanaka conducted 19 crisis drills over a four-month period. Additionally, four opcos requested media training for their leaders. Feedback from the opcos was overwhelmingly positive; even the teams that initially were skeptical about the process admitted they found them very valuable. At the request of one of the opco presidents, we conducted a surprise drill on-site so the team could test its skills without prior notification of the training. Since the completion of the training, both headquarters and opcos have used the crisis plan protocols to respond to situations with the potential to escalate to a crisis. Next steps include crisis drills that involve multiple locations along with additional media training and practice for PFG’s key leaders.

CREATING A COMMON CULTURE

Challenge

Performance Food Group, a Fortune 500 food distribution company, had grown rapidly over a five-year period through the acquisitions of small, independent companies located across the United States. PFG wanted to preserve the strong, tight-knit culture of its 34 operating companies while building a common culture and emphasizing the values the companies shared. The parent company also wanted to emphasize the benefits operating companies would realize by being under the PFG umbrella and to engage associates in working to meet company goals.

Solution

CRT/tanaka conducted a communications assessment to determine what associates knew about PFG and its vision for the future, what they wanted to know; and how they wanted to learn about it. CRT/tanaka also queried associated about the culture within their operating companies in an effort to understand the current cultures of those companies and how they meshed with the overall corporate culture.

To accommodate the varied roles and backgrounds of PFG’s associates (e.g., warehousing, truck drivers, sales, accounting), CRT/tanaka created a flexible research tool that included: face-to-face interviews with senior managers; employee focus groups at headquarters; telephone interviews with the communications/HR contact at each operating company; written, mail-back surveys distributed to approximately 10 employees (representing a diverse sample) at each operating company and a collection and assessment of PFG’s collateral/communications vehicles.

Results

Based on the results of the research, CRT/tanaka developed and implemented:

• Communications training for the operating company representatives.
• A communication champions program.
• A brochure on PFG history and a newsletter template to be used by all operating companies.
• Internal brand positioning for the company along with key messages to build a unified culture.
• We’re Driven!, a year-long cultural initiative that incorporated every operating company and united employees under PFG while celebrating the uniqueness of each remote location. PFG took a virtual road trip across the country to “visit” each operating company. Employees could track the road trip’s progress by moving a company truck across a large map, with stops at each operating company. Employees participated through games, trivia contests and opportunities to work on a company “scrapbook” with profiles and photos from each operating company. Because associates wanted to be updated more frequently and hear more information from PFG leaders, top company officials traveled to several operating companies to deliver state-of-the-company meetings. These field trips provided an opportunity to share company information as well as talk informally with associates and celebrate the overall PFG culture.

ENHANCING THE CULTURE & DRIVING ASSOCIATE ENGAGEMENT

Since the initial program to bring its operating companies together under the PFG umbrella, CRT/tanaka has continued to work with the company to drive associate engagement and enhance the corporate culture. Programs to make the culture come to life and involve associates from across the country include:

• Annual State-of-the-Company meetings and activities. Associates come together for an annual meeting, participate in activities that help cement the culture, celebrate the past year’s accomplishments and learn about the company’s plans and visions for the upcoming year. Operating companies send line representatives to the headquarters meeting and hold their own meetings that include the same information and similar activities.
• Culture-sharing activities. Each year, PFG develops a unique program that highlights the culture at individual operating companies and allows associates from across the country get to know each other.
• Recognition programs. Associates at all levels have an opportunity to recognize each other for outstanding work. Awards are presented at various times and include group and individual recognition.
• Enhanced communication channels. PFG developed and put in place a number of two-way communications channels that allow associates to provide their thoughts about what is going on at the company and ask questions directly of top management.