House Resolution 9

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING MR. JOE F. SANDERSON, JR., UPON THE CELEBRATION OF HIS 75TH BIRTHDAY AND UPON HIS LEADERSHIP OF SANDERSON FARMS, INC.

WHEREAS, Mr. Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., the philanthropic chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Laurel-based Sanderson Farms, Inc., is celebrating his 75th birthday; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Sanderson was born on January 17, 1947, which is the same year that his grandfather, D.R. Sanderson, founded Sanderson Farms, and after graduating from Laurel High School and Millsaps College, in 1969, he joined Sanderson Farms where he has held various roles over the years; and

WHEREAS, through the leadership of Mr. Sanderson, who is the third generation Sanderson CEO, he has helped the family

business- Sanderson Farms - develop into the third largest poultry company in America with revenues that exceeded $4.8 billion last year; and

WHEREAS, Sanderson Farms, a publicly held company, employs more than 17,000 people and has built from the ground up the last eight plants built in the broiler industry, and the company's assets include 13 processing facilities, 11 hatcheries and nine feed mills in Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana and North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, Sanderson Farms, due in part to Mr. Sanderson's promotion of a culture within the company that demands corporate accountability through operational success as well as environmental and social responsibility and to that end the company was named by Forbes Magazine as one of America's 100 Most Trustworthy Companies; and

WHEREAS, as one who is strongly involved in industry and business associations, Mr. Sanderson currently serves as the following: director of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, Mississippi Poultry Association and the National Chicken Council, and he also serves on the Board of Trustees for the National World War II Museum and is past chairman of the Business and Industry Political Education Committee, Inc., Mississippi Manufacturers Association, Mississippi Poultry Association and the National Chicken Council, and he is a former director of the Mississippi Economic Council and U.S. Poultry and Egg Association; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Sanderson, who is the Chairman for the Growing Campaign at Batson Children's Hospital, has philanthropy at the heart of the company's mission and knows that giving back to the community and state is core to the company's corporate responsibility; and

WHEREAS, with that worthy mission in mind, Mr. Sanderson champions company-wide volunteer hours in the community, donations of poultry, contributing millions of dollars to charitable organizations and hosting the Sanderson Farms Championship, which is a PGA Tour event where more than $7.7 million has been raised for Friends of Children's Hospital; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Sanderson has also contributed his time, expertise and support in other areas such as: serving as vice chairman of the Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal for the Mississippi Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and as a trustee for his alma mater, Millsaps College, as well as the Laurel School District, the Mississippi Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and served as chairman for the Governor's Restart Mississippi Commission in 2020; and

WHEREAS, as an inductee into the Mississippi Innovators Hall of Fame, and a member of the Mississippi Poultry Hall of Fame and a Laureate of the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame, Mr. Sanderson has been lovingly supported in all his endeavors by his beautiful wife, Kathy, and their three wonderful daughters, Emily, Katy and Julie and six grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to pay tribute to a great Mississippian such as Mr. Sanderson, who, through much of his 75 years of blessed life, has set a fine example of not only being an iconic leader in business but also being an iconic leader of giving:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Mr. Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., upon the joyous celebration of his 75th birthday and wish him much success in all of his future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Mr. Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.