Celebrating 50 Years of Dedicated Tenure with Wayne-Sanderson Farms

At Wayne-Sanderson Farms, we recognize that our people are the foundation of our success. As we celebrate milestone anniversaries and the dedicated team members who make our company amazing, today we shine a special spotlight on Queen Tucker, Plant Clerk at the company’s Decatur, Alabama Prepared Foods Complex’s Customer Innovation Center.

Queen is celebrating a notable achievement of 50 years of dedicated tenure with Wayne-Sanderson Farms— a remarkable testament to her tenacity, reliability, and the strong relationships she has formed along the way.

Her story with the company, began half a century ago. Driven by her personal responsibilities, Queen sought out a job, but instead found a place to grow a career. Getting her foot in the door as an hourly employee, Queen began working in the fresh processing plant. At that time, the Decatur plant was in a previous location by the river and “everything was done manually by hand,” said Queen.

Over the years, the company grew and expanded, and so did Queen’s career. When the company built a new processing plant in Decatur, the team relocated to the new facility, and Queen stepped into a new role as a trainer, and later held the titles of supervisor and superintendent, before taking on her current role at the Customer Innovation Center.

Throughout her career, Queen has witnessed significant growth and transformation within the company. New facilities have been built or purchased, the team has grown to 26,000 employees company-wide, technological advancements have massively impacted the way the work is performed, and constant innovation keeps the company moving forward.

Witnessing the company’s growth, Queen is proud of the opportunities Wayne-Sanderson Farms has provided to countless employees. “Over the years, Wayne-Sanderson Farms has offered a lot of jobs for people to feed their families, buy houses and automobiles,” she states.

Queen’s dedication to her work and her ability to adapt to the company’s evolving needs have been vital to her success. She emphasizes the importance of building relationships with her team members and fostering a sense of open communication in order to achieve goals. “I talk to people, find out their needs, and help them address those needs,” she explains. “I then found out what the company needed, communicated that to [my team], and we worked together to provide customer satisfaction.”

Reflecting on what has kept Queen at Wayne-Sanderson Farms for her long and successful career, she mentions the practical benefits, “Wayne-Sanderson Farms offers good benefits, paid vacation, good pay, they’re a good community partner— just a good company to work for.” But what she really appreciates about the company, is the culture and values that are exemplified, “They stand for excellence, integrity, and honesty,” she states. “They care about people. They care about people’s needs.”

Her career has been filled with meaningful relationships and mentorships, and she states, “I have about three pages of names” from managers to coworkers, of people with whom she’s built friendships. One notable manager was Don Johnson, and she says, “He was a person to motivate me and help me with different things. He was a good and fair manager.”

As she celebrates this incredible milestone, Queen offers encouragement to those just starting in their careers, “Come to Wayne-Sanderson Farms, join our team, and help us make chicken amazing!” Thank you, Queen, for your unwavering commitment and for being a vital part of the Wayne-Sanderson Farms team!