Stampede Meat Inc., a company working in value-added, sous vide culinary solutions, is announcing the expansion of their proprietary Butcher Certification Program to their Sunland Park, N.M., location. Through a one-of-a-kind partnership, the expanded certification program leverages New Mexico State University's state-of-the-art facilities and educators to offer an unprecedented scale of training opportunities to every Stampede employee, regardless of role or experience.

Stampede's growing Butcher Certification Program was founded at the Stampede headquarters in Bridgeview, Ill., in 2013 and continues to operate there today. As the only program of its kind in North America, Stampede's investment in this expansion signals not only a commitment to the career development of their employee family but to their customers and consumers.

"Stampede has a deep and very personal learning commitment to each and every team member who entrusts their career with us. I could not be more proud of this investment in the incredible talent we have on our team. The opportunity to build on an already impressive set of butcher skills is a real privilege," said Stampede President and CEO Brock Furlong.

Furlong envisions a future where over 500 team members display their Butcher Certifications from NMSU within the next three years — an ambitious goal created in celebration of the program's tenth anniversary and as a testament to its growth trajectory. The first class of Sunland Park trainees graduated from the expanded program last month, and plans are already in place to roll the fully-certified program to Stampede's numerous facilities across North America.

"This investment in our team helps us all understand just how important the execution of quality is for our customers and consumers," said Stampede Strategic Project Manager Kelsey Eklin, one of the first recipients of the Butcher Certification from NMSU. "It grounds us in the expectation that workmanship matters and generates a real sense of pride in the execution of the culinary creations we produce on behalf of our customers."

"While we are excited by this investment and the immediate impact it will have for our customers and consumers, this is just one of the many investments we're making in the Stampede employee family. As the leader in developing North America's sous vide industry, we take pride in our expertise and make it our responsibility to train the next generation of butchers and leaders of our trade," said Stampede Chief Operating Officer Vito Guistino. "Only through continued investment in our people will we remain the go-to supplier for menu development and retail innovation."

The partnership between Stampede and New Mexico State University was facilitated in part by Rural Partners Network, an alliance of federal agencies and commissions that helps rural people build prosperity through job creation, infrastructure development and community improvement.

Source: Stampede Meat Inc.