Steve Evans, vice president of community development for Smithfield Foods, was honored with a Black Business Ink Power 100 Award as one of the 100 most influential leaders in North Carolina.

Evans leads Smithfield’s community development team, enacting proactive and coordinated community engagement efforts for Smithfield's U.S. operations through partnerships with its employees, local officials, business leaders and community organizations.

“Steve is a remarkable leader who has shown tremendous capacity for serving and supporting our communities in North Carolina and across the country,” said Shane Smith, chief executive officer of Smithfield Foods. “This well-deserved recognition demonstrates the impact Steve has in guiding Smithfield’s outreach programs and strengthening our longstanding partnerships with minority and underserved communities.”

The Black Business Ink Power 100 Awards recognize 100 of the most influential leaders from across North Carolina in a variety of sectors, including educators, health care professionals, politicians, clergy, and other professions and organizations. The awards were presented on June 8 at the annual State of Black North Carolina Conference, which brings together leaders statewide to address disparities in Black and brown communities.  

Evans was also recently named to Business North Carolina’s Power List 2023: Agriculture, recognizing North Carolina’s most influential private-sector leaders. According to Business N.C., the power list is a sampling of the thousands of talented leaders in North Carolina who make things happen at their enterprises and in their communities.

Source: Smithfield Foods Inc.