Taco Inc. President John H. White Jr. sees his business as a community. And part of Taco’s philosophy of running a business is to give back to the community, including Taco’s employees.
White explained that this philosophy has “instilled incredible loyalty,” showing itself in low employee turnover.
Taco extends its benefits beyond just employees. Children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of workers have the opportunity to attend summer camps. Taco pays 90 percent of the cost and provides transportation from Taco to the camps.
Taco also offers college classes on-site at the Taco Learning Center immediately after work and during work hours.
Employees can improve themselves through the Agile Team Leader program. The program trains selected production employees for advancement. They provide additional compensation, along with personal and professional growth to employees who are selected based on performance.
The company provides health benefits and wellness programs. Taco pays the health insurance deductibles for its employees. They can participate in the Working on Wellness (WOW) Program through Brown University, which provides nutrition, exercise and weight-management programs to interested employees.
Taco uplifts its community of employees with the employee-of-the-year award. Employees become eligible if they are named employee of the month. The employee of the year receives a plaque, a week of paid vacation and a gift certificate.
“We pay people really well, the benefits here are great and that’s the objective,” White said. “I don’t ever want that to be a part of a discussion.” •
