Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated has announced that its Monroe facility was awarded SHARP certification from the North Carolina Department of Labor.
SHARP - or Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program - honors facilities with the highest standards of worksite safety and health.
State Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry was joined by Monroe Mayor Bobby Kilgore, County Commissioner Frank Aikmus, Representative Dean Arp, as well as other current and former elected officials, at an award ceremony Friday morning to celebrate the Company's accomplishment.
"We are proud of the dedication and hard work our Monroe team has shown throughout this process, and we are thrilled that their efforts are being recognized in such a big way," said Jared Bishop, Regional Operations Center Manager for Coca-Cola Consolidated. "We always prioritize the safety of our people, but above and beyond that, we want to create an environment where they can thrive. SHARP certification is an important aspect of our approach to empowering our people."
"Safety is not just one person. It takes teamwork to ensure that each employee returns home every day to their families safe and healthy," Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said. "I commend the employees at Coca-Cola Consolidated in Monroe for having demonstrated that teamwork."
Coca-Cola Consolidated's Monroe facility was accident-free from 2012-2015 as a result of the facility's overarching safety goals. The Company applied for SHARP certification in March 2015 and was notified by the Department of Labor in February 2016 that the Monroe facility had achieved the goal.
"We are proud to have a company that places such high value on its employees' health and safety in our city," said Mayor Kilgore. "When companies value their employees and make deliberate decisions to improve and enhance their work environment, it cultivates happier, healthier employees, which in turn cultivates happier, healthier residents. The City of Monroe commends the effort and applauds the dedication of Coca-Cola Consolidated for achieving this rigorous and prestigious SHARP certification."
The Monroe facility opened in 2006 and is responsible for the refurbishment of Coca-Cola vending machines, coolers and fountain units throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia. The facility currently employs 80 people and revamps more than 15,000 pieces of equipment annually. By renovating existing equipment, the Company reduces operating costs, as well as the overall carbon footprint by minimizing the need to produce new equipment. As a result of the Monroe team's unique skillset, a vending machine originally manufactured in 1990 is virtually impossible to differentiate from a 2016 machine.
