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Published May 2006

Jelly Belly Candy Company: Satisfying a Development Sweet Tooth

 

  Cari McLean

Brown is also in the midst of implementing a succession-planning initiative. "With the baby boomers turning 60 this year, we need to start looking ahead to make sure that we have skilled workers in place for when these folks start to retire," he said. "We have been in this for the last 12 to 18 months and at this point are overstaffing ourselves in order to ensure that we continue to produce the high-quality candy that Jelly Belly is known for, the reality being that we will need to be double-staffed for a good year or two since candy-making is more of an art form rather than a learned skill."

Because Jelly Belly's culture promotes internal growth and development, employees tend to stay with the company for a long time—even until retirement. "We always try to look internally first when we have a new position within the company or when creating a new position. We are very pro-growth with our employee base," Brown said. "There are a lot of employees that have started off with a job much lower than what they are doing today, and I am a good example of that. In fact, if I had to put a number on it, I would say conservatively that 70 percent of our employees started in one job and are now in a higher level within the company."

Brown began his career at Jelly Belly with a three-month internship writing job descriptions for all the positions in the California manufacturing facility. Soon after he graduated with a bachelor's degree in personnel administration and industrial relations in 1993, Jelly Belly offered Brown a newly created position, personnel supervisor. Four and a half years later, he was promoted to HR manager and was promoted to vice president of human resources in 2005.

"As far as retaining talent, I think we have been very successful because our company is family-owned and -operated. Herm Rowland, the owner, is a very hands-on type of person and has a lot of interaction with the employees. He also holds quarterly forums to keep everyone abreast of current events within the company—upcoming transitions, challenges and any new developments that are being worked on. This company goes a long way to ensure that its employees are informed and included," Brown said.

According to Brown, Jelly Belly's reputation is the main driver for attracting top talent. "I am amazed because any position we have open, we get a minimum of 100 resumes, and in some jobs I have gotten as many as 1,000. And we are lucky in that aspect because people associate our company with a very fun product—candy. We get a lot of talent that responds to our minimalist recruitment efforts."

Jelly Belly's education reimbursement, profit sharing and competitive salaries aid in attracting top talent. "Our owner respects all of his employees and offers very competitive pay. However, he expects strong performances in return," Brown said. "We strive to have employees that are cross-trained or -educated so they can grow when the opportunity presents itself. We are proud to be an employer that grows and develops talent among our employees."