Expanding Influence Through Corporate Communications
After several years in the public sector, I moved into the private sector with Triumph Foods—a transition that expanded my perspective and sharpened my communication instincts. Triumph was a lesson in scale: thousands of employees, multiple languages, high-demand operations, and a constant need for clear, timely messaging.
If you don’t already know, Triumph is one of the largest pork-processing facilities in the United States. You’ve probably heard the phrase “how the sausage is made” tossed around in conversation—I, unfortunately (or impressively?), actually know how the sausage is made. The operation was massive, efficient, and honestly a little intimidating: over 30,000 pigs move through the system every day, ending up as the cuts you find in grocery stores, restaurants, and probably your fridge right now.
The most fascinating part? Every single part of the hog gets used—yes, every part. I won’t go into details here, but buy me a beer sometime and I’ll tell you how the sausage is made.
…. I digress.
At Triumph, I led all external communications, created and distributed media releases, managed digital channels, and produced content ranging from print collateral to full-scale video initiatives. I oversaw the company’s internal employee communications ecosystem, developing programs and recognition initiatives that helped strengthen engagement across a large, diverse workforce of nearly 3,000 employees speaking 14 different languages.
Eventually, my role grew into Communications & Community Relations Manager. In addition to public relations leadership, I managed budgets, oversaw staff, and served as a liaison with nonprofits, community partners, and civic organizations. This period deepened my understanding of corporate responsibility and the importance of relationships in sustaining trust both internally and externally.
And somewhere between board meetings, crisis communications, and transforming the company’s training into video-based modules, I learned a valuable truth: communication is at the heart of culture. It can create calm in chaos. It can unite people behind a shared purpose. When done well, it can elevate a company far beyond its product or service. When not done so well, it makes things… much… much… worse.
While at Triumph, I had the opportunity to help with product development on some potential value-added products and export items. These are a couple of my designs for those projects.
Looking back, my time at Triumph wasn’t just another stop on the résumé—it was a crash course in scale, humanity, and the real weight communication carries inside an organization. It pushed me to grow up professionally, sharpen my instincts, and understand the impact of clarity, empathy, and consistency on a workforce of thousands. Those years reminded me why I do this work in the first place: because when communication is done with purpose, it has the power to steady the ship, connect people, and help even the most complex operations feel a little more human.
