The first stop today was at the Pharmacia and Upjohn company in Portage, MI. It was founded in 1886 by W.E. Upjohn and had 12 employees. Their core business was animal health, over-the-counter products, fine chemicals, and prescription products. It was the 9th largest pharmaceutical company in the world. Their revenue was $6.8 billion with 34,500 employees. Their biggest sources of business was with food stores and drug stores (41% respectively). Their competition was with internal analgesiacs, GI products, and dermatologicals, nutritionals, and hair growth care.
Our second stop was with the Kellogg Company in Battle Creek, Michigan. What an impressive building! It was tall, with glass, and filled with skylights. We had a lovely lunch in one of their conference rooms. We got to see some of their newest ad campaigns with Rice Krispies Cereal. 98% of households had cereal in their homes. The first Rice Krispie Treat recipe was included on the box in 1941.
The plastic bag was made, filled, and pressed. Then, the bag was stuck in the bottom of the box and then sealed automatically. This plant was machine efficient. We were the only group to be able to see the inside of this plant. Our instructor, Frank Gambino, knew some of the executives at Kellogg, so he was able to get a special tour.
The City of Battle Creek wasn't anything special. It looked pretty run down. The creation of the corn flake was actually an accident.
Today's final stop was at Vic's World Class Market in Novi, Michigan, which was off of Grand River Ave. This was a neat Italian designed store. It had a greenhouse, wines, and a seafood department. The prices were a bit high. It catered to the wealthier customer. It took 7 months to construct and 4 days to set up the store merchandise.
On Christmas Eve, 150 deli trays were made.
When we got to our hotel, Fontrise and I went to the pool and did water aerobics.
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