Skip to content

Making a World of Difference

Mary Burich | December 7, 2017

People | Pride of the Jersey

Halfway around the globe, Pat Duan is Hormel Foods through and through

Pat Duan is proud to work for Hormel Foods.

Pat Duan

Pat Duan and Norman Gu, general manager of Hormel Foods China.

“I think the best part of working with Hormel Foods is the cultural beliefs. We communicate very openly,” he says.

What Pat fails to mention is that he plays an important role in keeping the company’s values alive and well, given his position as plant manager of the Shanghai plant and the new facility in Jiaxing. Among other things, the plant will be producing SPAM® products in China for the first time in the company’s history.

Pat believes the new plant led to his recent selection as a Pride of the Jersey recipient, the year-long program that celebrates the team members who embody the beliefs and values of Hormel Foods.

“We will meet so many challenges,” he says. “New team, new workers. We are focused on personal safety and food safety, and on keeping the plant running on schedule.”

Norman Gu, general manager of Hormel Foods China, gave Pat the signature jersey. Intentionally oversized, Pat found it too large to wear to work. But he didn’t miss a beat when it came to taking it home to show off to family and friends, and keeping it front and center in his office.

Outside of Work

Pat was born Duan Junjie in China’s Henan province. (Pat Duan is his English name.) He worked for a local food company immediately after school, joining Hormel Foods 14 years ago.

He’s married and the father of a 15-year-old son. In his time away from work, he enjoys reading, surfing the internet and visiting with friends.

“It’s a great honor for me to receive the Pride of the Jersey award,” he says. “Thanks to everyone who gave me great support, including the Chinese team and everyone in the United States.

global
Born In Henan Province
in central China
15
Years
with Hormel Foods
executive team
Plant Manager
Jiaxing Plant