U.S. Sugar Corp.

Live the Values and show unquestionable character;
Show exemplary contributions and efforts on a special project or major accomplishment;
Be recognized as an individual who is an ideal co-worker;
Model superior leadership skills and ability;
Demonstrate a willingness to "go above and beyond" their job to assist others

Based on the estimated timing for the City of Clewiston's water treatment plant, U.S. Sugar's treatment plant needed an additional 500,000 to 1,000,000 gallons per day during the transition period. Using ingenuity and spare parts, Ezell and Carter took an old clarifier and installed it in an original 1940s clarifier tank (which had trees growing in it at that time), cut an abandoned molasses tank in half to produce two filter bays, and built a motor control system to connect the clarifier tank with an old 150,000 gallon holding tank. They wired and installed the equipment themselves, plumbed the water lines and tapped the raw water supply line. This set the capital costs for this project of producing one million gallons a day at about 37¢ per gallon. In comparison, a typical new plant of Clewiston's size will produce water at an estimated cost of $8.33 per gallon. The dynamic duo also determined that utilizing polymer coagulation would produce high quality water with much less sludge.

In earning the President's Award, Ezell and Carter each received a US Sugar MasterCard valued at $1,250 and a personalized crystal statue.

Additional annual awards were granted focusing on leadership, teamwork, safety, process improvement, and community service. Each of these Annual Award recipients receives a US Sugar MasterCard valued between $150 and $1,000 plus a personalized crystal statue.

The Excellence in Leadership Award was presented to the Southern Gardens team of Dennis Ortega, Pedro Rangel, John Webb, Jim Daniels, Steven Hayes, Owen Evans and Rodney Passmore. This award has been designed to commend individuals or teams who:

Lead by example, creates positive employee morale and sets high expectations for peers to reach
Promote communication both inter and intra departmentally;
Promote team spirit and a positive attitude
Promote company values

This group showed leadership and personal commitment by staying at the citrus plant during Hurricane Wilma. They inspected the plant for safety and functionality and made emergency repairs that enabled the plant utilities to get up and running so that juice could be shipped to customers less than 48 hours after the hurricane. They also worked into the night to repair a nitrogen leak that prevented the loss of $18 millions gallons of orange juice.

The Excellence in Team Playing Award was earned by Mark Banky, Debbie Stewart, Patsy Davis and Belky Sanchez from Southern Gardens Citrus Processing. This award has been designed to:

Promote the recognition of teamwork;
Recognize the unique contributions of a team that has demonstrated excellence and innovation;
Reward superior ability to work with employees

When their department lost two accounting managers, this team made a commitment to get the job done without replacing those positions. Rising to the occasion, they worked diligently to insure that the work was done accurately and efficiently and that both internal and external customers' needs were met. In addition, the team pushed forward on continuous improvement efforts to refine the flex budget forecasting process to allow more efficient monthly forecasting. They also streamlined the entire citrus organization chart of accounts from 195 to 10 to allow for more efficient financial analysis.

"Without intervention from management, this team restructured their work schedules, coordinated time off and shared responsibilities to ensure that "the job," not just "their job" got done," said Ginny Pena, Southern Gardens Controller.

Brasington Beakley received the Excellence in Continuous Process Improvement Award. This award recognizes an employee and/or team whose actions and ideas have resulted in significant cost savings for US Sugar by:

Directly increasing efficiency or effectiveness;
Conserving time, supplies or equipment;
Directly contributing to the increase in productivity, decreased cost or better service to customers/employees

Beakley was instrumental in managing the premium pulp recovery system expansion in house rather than as an outside contracted turnkey project, saving the company over $700,000. The pulp recovery from the expanded system more than tripled our previous best recovery in its first year of operation. The higher than expected pulp recovery created other challenges, such as speeding up the pulp packaging process to match system capacity and modifying reorder points on packaging materials. Due to the cost savings and excellent output of the system, the project paid for itself in less than three months. The additional production allowed Southern Gardens to sign long-term sales contracts with two of our major customers without further expansion of the system.

"Beakley has gone above and beyond to save Southern Gardens Citrus countless dollars and in doing so, has exemplified the Company's missions and values," said Tris Chapman, VP and General Manager of Southern Gardens.

The Excellence in Safety Award recognizes an employee or team of employees who have demonstrated outstanding efforts to prevent accidents, injuries and damage to property. This year's winner is Jack Mendiburo.

Mendiburo worked with both citrus groves and citrus processing groups to change the overall mindset and focus on safety. Everyone now has a clear understanding of their personal responsibility to always work safely. Supervisors and team leaders have accepted their inherent responsibility to maintain a safe working environment. This overall training effort has resulted in the elimination of unsafe acts and unsafe working conditions. By personally interfacing with medical providers concerning our return to work via modified duty philosophy, Mendiburo has virtually eliminated lost time cases.

Finally, the Excellence in Community Service Award was presented to Bob Lawson, Pam Phillips, Rhonda Welky and Linda Anders. This award has been designed to recognize an employee or team of employees who have made a significant contribution to the community through volunteering their time to worthy causes.

This team has been involved in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life since it began in Clewiston five years ago. They have raised money for the national event and each year the team has placed first or second in money raised by a team. This year, they won the Spirit Stick award, walking for 18 long hours yet still exhibiting their enthusiasm and support. Most of the funds raised were used in our own Clewiston community for cancer-related programs. In 2006, they raised more than $9000.

They have also worked with Healthy Families and participated in their annual Kids Christmas event. This past Christmas, they provided presents for 110 local children. In showing genuine concern for the people who live in our community and supporting others in need, these four employees have made a positive difference in our community.

"Individual excellence combined with strong teamwork and commitment -- as demonstrated by those honored with these awards -- strengthens both our business and our community. We salute their efforts," said Robert H. Buker, Jr., President and CEO.