Country Life workers know their voices are welcomed

From top managers to entry-level workers, Country Life welcomes all of its employees' voices, several said.

Those kinds of sentiments led the Hauppauge-based  seller of vitamins, health supplements and body-care products to be ranked first among mid-sized employers in Newsday's 2018 Top Workplaces, a position determined by anonymous employee surveys. The surveys were conducted by Exton, Pennsylvania, research firm Energage.

“This is like a family company. It’s a good place to grow … You can learn anything that you want,” said Angelica Hidalgo, a quality assurance inspector who has been at Country Life for a little more than a year.

Managers listen to her ideas and encourage employees to learn all aspects of the production process, she said.

Founded in 1971, the private company makes 550 products, including Country Life vitamins, BioChem whey protein powder and Desert Essence natural personal-care products, such as shampoo, toothpaste and lip balm. 

Its products are sold in Whole Foods, The Vitamin Shoppe, Kroger, Trader Joe's and other stores.

Last year's sales were $75 million.

Country Life has 235 employees, including 190 on Long Island, most of whom are at the 93,159-square-foot corporate office, headquarters and manufacturing facility on Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, said Kim Latini, Country Life’s human resources manager.  Fewer than 20 are at a 43,315-square-foot distribution center on Corporate Drive.

The rest of the employees are national sales team members in Texas, Florida and other states who are based in their homes, Latini said.

Since 2006, Country Life has been owned by Kikkoman Corp., the Japanese company that makes soy sauce.

Harvard University graduate Wendy Lucas, who became Country Life’s president in July 2017, is the first woman to lead a Kikkoman company.

The parent company moved deliberately to not disturb Country Life’s culture when it promoted its president from within instead of bringing someone in from the outside, Latini said.

Lucas was general manager and chief sales and marketing officer for about three years before taking the helm of Country Life. Prior to that she was a general manager for Desert Essence.

“I think it’s a great company to work for.  We believe in integrity.  We believe in treating everyone equally,” Lucas said.

One of Country Life’s biggest assets can also be a challenge: Its workforce is diverse in age and backgrounds, so making sure everyone’s voice is heard can be daunting, she said.

“But I also think that’s what makes us a great company,” she said.

In 2008 women accounted for about 20 percent of Country Life’s leadership positions.  Now they account for 50 percent.

In response to a Top Workplaces survey question on what workers liked most about their jobs, Country Life employees commented on the benefits, collaborative atmosphere and flexible scheduling, among other things.  Some of the responses:

• “Team work. Good team. ... (I) feel really good working with everybody. The time is perfect for me 5-9.”
• “Everyone is friendly and I feel engaged."
• “The benefits that the company offers are pretty good."

Country Life’s benefits package includes health, dental and vision insurance; company-paid life insurance equivalent to one year of salary; 100-percent-paid long-term disability; a 401(k) with a company match of 25 percent for up to 6 percent of an employee's salary; and 10 vacation days, five paid leave days for sick and personal time, and two floating holidays for the first year of employment, Latini said.

“What I always tell people during the interview process is that the company, although it was family-owned at one time, it’s held on to the good things about working for a smaller, family-owned company,” she said.

The company’s culture and strong leadership also have contributed to a low turnover rate, Latini said. The average employee age is 47, and the average tenure is seven years, she said.

Packaging associate Rood Papillon, 65, of Brooklyn, is Country Life’s longest-employed worker — 32 years.

“And I like it because it’s a safe environment, safe place to work. The officers are respectful to all employees,” Papillon said.

He cited as an example Sherif Amin, director of production and engineering, who suggested that workers use positive communication methods as a way to prevent employee conflicts.

- Tory N. Parrish

By Tory N. Parrish

tory.parrish@newsday.comToryParrish1

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.