Hormel passes out bonus checks on Thanksgiving Eve at Austin plant

AUSTIN, Texas -- Black Friday shopping might be a little more pleasant for some workers at Hormel. The company passed out bonus checks on Thanksgiving Eve because of a year of record-breaking profits. 

For Hormel, the makers of Spam, it's the people behind the iconic name who received the recognition. The company distributed hundreds of checks to employees at its Austin plant as part of its annual profit sharing plan. 

"Personally, it means that I get to tell the employees 'thank you.' It means that I get to get in front of them and say 'thank you for everything you've done in the past year.' It's not easy. This is hard work and it's my opportunity to say 'thank you,'" 

This year, the company has a lot to be thankful for! The corporation reported its fiscal fourth quarter net earnings for 2012 are up 13% from last year -- another reason why Hormel is giving back to its workers.

"It's not a guaranteed thing. It's a discretionary thing that the Board of Directors approves on an annual basis, but we've done it for 74 years because for 74 years we've had great results in this company," 

Missie Lindberg has worked at Hormel for 15 years and is one of the employees who contributed to the results.

"It's an exciting day for everyone in the plant. It's fun to come and see all my co-workers with smiles on their faces. It's a pretty exciting day -- a pay-off for all the hard work for the year," Lindberg said.

Despite the stagnate economy, Hormel distributed over $16 million to thousands of hourly and salaried workers on Thanksgiving Eve.