This is a part of a monthly series of Q&As with members of the cider community from across the U.S. Brewer Magazine & Cider Business will share business and personal insights from decision makers in the cider industry to help you get to know each other better and learn more to better develop your own brand.
Jeff Boyd, Safety Coordinator, 2 Towns Ciderhouse — Corvallis, Oregon
BREWER: How do you cultivate a strong team culture, and what do you think leaders often overlook when it comes to keeping employees engaged and inspired?
BOYD: I think communication is by far the best way to foster a safety culture. Recognizing each team member’s unique work challenges and unique personality goes a long way. I am a bit older than most of the team, and have been injured at different positions with different companies more than I would like to admit. With those bad experiences, I am able to convey the seriousness of safety hazards in a way that people can relate to. I try to make even the more mundane safety regulations relatable. I offer “what if” scenarios, and try to use my own experience as something for team members to not just think about but act on. I think most Safety Coordinators or similar people in my position keep to their lanes too much. You have to know what people are doing on a daily basis. I have worked a shift with all of the crews, from the Cellar to DTC drivers. You absolutely must be a presence, talk with people, encourage accident/near miss reporting all day every day! If people see you as only an office person, there will not be trust, especially since many of the things safety folks do directly affect peoples’ daily activities. You must cater to your audience. You have to figure out a way to convey complex OSHA or state regulations in a way that will make sense to those out in the trenches.
BREWER: What are you sippin’ on right now from your cidery that you really enjoy?
BOYD: Dry Fidelity: Bone dry, nothin’ but apple!
BREWER: How does a typical day in your role look, and how do you balance operational demands with fostering a positive team environment?
BOYD: I think one of the most essential ways to strike a balance between operational needs and a positive team environment is communication. There is no typical day in the life of the Safety Coordinator. Everyone makes mistakes, machines fail, weather happens, things change. All of the above keeps me runnin’. Again, having a personal presence and connection goes a long way in my job. Sometimes, management may roll out a decision or directive rather quickly. It’s my job to go out and have longer conversations about the “why” behind the change. It goes both ways however, sometimes employees have concerns that they would like to convey, so I will close the loop and bring those concerns back to the management team. Being in the middle is not the funnest, but I make the best out of it.
BREWER: Are there any recent accomplishments for the cidery in your department that you want to tout? How is it going to improve your business going forward?
BOYD: I honestly think we have a super strong safety culture now. 2 Towns has always had stronger than industry safety measures, but the employee buy-in was challenging. We had started a QR driven Safety Suggestions/Hazard Reporting system in 2022. From December of 2022 to April of 2023 we had 13 submissions. When I took over in April of 2023 to April of 2024 we had 133 submissions. The increase is attributed to a contest we ran with crews — whomever reported hazards got points, the winner each month got lunch or dinner cooked by myself! That led to folks being more comfortable with the system, we now get 5-8 per month on average.
BREWER: What first drew you to the industry, and what keeps you passionate about being part of it today?
BOYD: I am relatively new to the industry. I was a union butcher most of my life, a grunt all of my life, went to college at age 40, where I got into compliance things. I took a break from that and ended up seeing an ad for the Packaging Crew here at 2 Towns. I never really drank cider, and I thought it would be cool to experience the brewing industry from the other side of the bar so to speak. I was the old guy on the packaging line for almost a year. This position opened up, because of my previous job experiences, and things I saw needed attention, this has ended up being a new role that I love. I think what keeps me going is support. Not just from management, but also from our team members. Even the owners have been more than gracious when looking at my position. Ownership, management, and employees all seem to support my approach. I may drop more than my share of Philly dialect F-bombs, but everyone knows I have both the employees and the company’s needs close to my heart! We are the number one cidery in Oregon, my goal is to make us the safest! We are getting there!
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