Honoring Our Veterans

To many people, Memorial Day is a time of festive celebration and outdoor BBQ's as it marks the unofficial beginning of summer. To others, Memorial Day is a time of reflection and remembrance of the men and women who made sacrifices in defense of the democratic freedoms of our country.

Sugaright is proud to count many veterans amongst our team. One of those veterans is Scott Shirk, Plant Manager of our Covington, TN refinery. As an Infantry Captain in the 82nd Airborne Division, Scott’s service included combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. When asked how his military experience has prepared him to run a refining operation, Scott replied,

“I had the benefit of an excellent education and lots of leadership experience. In the military, you must be missioned focused and that translates really well into meeting customer orders. I also understand, at a strategic level, how to handle the complicated logistics of the sugar refining business. Lastly, the military taught me to be a skilled multi-tasker, as I must interact with employees, suppliers, customers and internal management, often simultaneously!”

We are fortunate to have Scott using his hard earned skills to encourage, guide and inspire our Covington team. Scott, in turn, knows that when he hires a veteran, he gets the benefits of the same experience.

So on this Memorial Day Weekend, enjoy your burgers and ice cream (lots of it!) but also please take a moment to honor our vets.