Bill Bryan wins 2010 "Being a Difference" Award

FLOC would like to congratulate Mr. Bill Bryan, CPA and CEO of Mt. Olive Pickle Company, and recipient of the 2009-2010 “Being a Difference” award presented by NASBA Center for the Public Trust.  Mr. Bryan is receiving this award for his excellence in ethical leadership. “As a corporate leader, Bill Bryan exemplifies what it means to lead with integrity,” said Malcolm T. Murray, Jr., Mt. Olive Pickle Company’s chairman of the board.  (Read full article)

In 2004, after a long campaign organized by FLOC to improve wages and working conditions for cucumber workers, Mr. Bryan sat down with FLOC and the North Carolina Grower’s Association to negotiate the first ever collective bargaining agreement to cover H2A workers.  The agreement, which covers more than 7,000 migrant farmworkers, has improved working and living conditions and given workers a voice in the workplace.  

Mr. Bryan is a shining example of how responsible and ethical corporate leadership can positively impact all levels of a company’s supply chain and the broader community.  His actions have shown that despite what some corporations say, open and honest dialogue between a company and all of it’s stakeholders, including farmworkers, is possible.  We hope that other agricultural corporations will follow Mr. Bryan’s example to ensure that all workers’ rights are respected and protected in their workplace.