In a post last week, we mentioned the success of recent Nebraskan grads being hired by a wide variety of companies. In particular, it always feels gratifying when Nebraskans live, work, and volunteer in their home state.

This is only made possible when companies located in Nebraska, headquarters or not, commit to hiring graduates from the area. Manufacturing is an industry with plenty of potential for anyone, and it’s our goal to get the word out there that there are jobs available for those willing to work hard and sharpen their skills.

One particular company we mentioned last week was ConAgra Foods, a company consistently available at job fairs and on the tip of every soon-to-be graduate’s tongue. If you live in Nebraska or even if you don’t, you’ve almost certainly eaten a ConAgra Foods brand: ReddiWhip, Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choice, Swiss Miss, Orville Redenbacher’s, or any of their others. ConAgra is one of North America’s largest food companies, with over 36,000 employees (and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska). And what we particularly love about them is that this Fortune 500 company recruits fantastic candidates from Nebraskan schools and communities.

They’ve won every award across the board: most adoption-friendly, best training, and more. The company culture is one of a family-owned business that happens to include thousands of employees. Each member is treated as if they’re family, and business cultural values reflect that.

As with many other Fortune 500 companies, they look for individual team members with a passion for leadership, personal excellence, and dedication to the final product. As they say about their corporate values:

Our people are passionate about making the food you love even better. Food you turn to every day, food you count on as part of your life. We’re very proud of our work, because we know that there is nothing, nothing more powerful than great food.

Anyone who has ever been hungry knows the truth of that statement.

For those interested in , look no further. All companies need all areas, but manufacturing and operations is the bread and butter (so to speak) of any food manufacturer. From sourcing, to production, to efficiency, this is an exciting field to maximize the potential of food production while minimizing the waste. Environmental health and safety, electricians, supply chain managers, packaging, and maintenance jobs are all part of this vital section.

Students wondering where their career path may take them (and teachers hoping to direct and guide students to jobs they love) will find plenty of inspiration for the future in a ConAgra career. For more information, .