Family Coca Cola Bottling Company In Longview example essay topic

to do business it is not a easy thing COCA-COLA (R) No. 1 Coca-Cola is the most popular and biggest-selling soft drink in history, as well as the best-known product in the world. Created in Atlanta, Georgia by Dr. John S. Pemberton, Coca-Cola was first offered as a fountain beverage by mixing Coca-Cola syrup with carbonated water. Coca-Cola was registered as a trademark in 1887 and by 1895 Coca-Cola was being sold in every state and territory in the United States. In 1899, the company began franchised bottling operations in the United States.

Today, you can find Coca-Cola in virtually every part of the world. The Coca-Cola Company has more than 300 beverages in its portfolio. Coca-Cola touches the lives of millions of people each and every day. From special occasions to exceptional moments in everyday life, Coca-Cola is there. The brand has become a special part of people's lives. Over the years, hundreds of people have sent us stories about how Coca-Cola has affected their lives.

Whether it is a childhood memory, a reminder of family gatherings, or a recollection of good times with friends, Coca-Cola has impacted the lives of people all over the world. The following are just some of the stories people have told us about the special role Coca-Cola has played in their lives. To read the stories, click one of the links below or select a category from the menu on the left and click "go". If you would like to submit your own Coca-Cola story, select the link to the left and follow the instructions. We look forward to hearing about how Coca-Cola has played a part in your life. As I was growing up, my parents owned a "mom and pop" store.

As one of my duties as a helpful employee, I would have to take all the empty bottles to a back room to put them in order for the Coca-Cola driver who delivered new cases of Coke (R). He then would take the empties back to be recycled. Those wooden boxes got pretty heavy. Those were the Coca-Cola (R) days. In 1973, we moved to Florida from New York. We were building our home and, as we were clearing the lot, a large tree was felled; the tree was about 200 feet (a live oak).

And in a piece of the top of the tree was a Coke bottle with a piece of the tree growing around it. In the early 1930's, I'm told, workers on the land must have left the bottle in a small tree. I still have it. Coca-Cola was a great treat for my younger brother Charles and myself every Saturday. They cost 6 cents each at that time. Not only was the drink a special treat, it was fun saving the bottles.

When I was 12 and my brother 9, we used his wagon and gathered 100 Coca-Cola bottles to buy hula hoops. They were the biggest thing since Coca-Cola at that time for us. What wonderful days. And now I'm here at World of Coca-Cola enjoying this great drink with my oldest daughter Cecilia and my 11-year-old grandson Crosby.

These are great days also and Coca-Cola classic (R) is still my favorite beverage. I am the proud owner of a Country Convenience store and sell lots of Coca-Cola products every day. When my family went on long trips back in the early to mid-70's, we always had a special contest. We'd all go into the store and get a Coke, without looking at the bottom of it. After drinking them, we would all turn our bottles upside down to read the city name for the bottling company [on the bottom of the bottle]. The city nearest home to Americus, GA, would "win".

I could never win. One trip, to be fair, my father announced that the "winner" would be the one the farthest from home. You guessed it -- mine was finally Americus. I might not have won the games, but I won lots of great memories. Each bottle of Coke brings one or two back.

When I was approximately 12 years old, I would pick up bottles for deposits. I would save this money and my allowances to purchase a six-pack of Coke for mama for Mother's Day or her birthday. I would ride my bicycle (banana seat) to the local grocery store and buy the six-pack. I would hang the cardboard carton on the handle bars to get the gift home to mama. I would put the six-pack under the sink and instruct my brothers and sister that they'd get in trouble if they drank the Coke. There were four of us kids and we usually drank the Coke and mama didn't get any.

This was her special gift. At the office about five to six men and women would place a bet on who got the bottle of Coke from the farthest state. The state was stamped on the bottom of the bottle. The bottles were dispensed from a machine in our office.

The winner received free Coke for five days. I might add that foreign countries were also included. The winner received Coke for two weeks. My uncle is a supervisor for one of the Coca-Cola bottling companies. When I was about 10 years old, I lived with my aunt and uncle.

I had a friend spend the night, and my uncle had a lot of Coke bottles and other bottles around his house. My friend and I wanted to cash in his bottles [for the deposit] to go to the store. Well, we took ALL of the bottles, and when he got home he was really upset because some of his bottles were VERY old and collectors items. Luckily we went back to the corner store and he knew us, so he gave us the bottles back. From that time on, I started to collect glasses and I now have over 100 Coca-Cola glasses, all styles. When I was younger I collected Coke bottles.

My children wondered why. I collected them for the 2 cents and later 5 cents deposits. My brothers and I would go around the neighborhood collecting bottles so we could turn them in for the deposit. If I knew then what I know now, I would have collected them and saved them. My kids would have a ball with these old bottles!

After my parents divorced (1972), mom and I were sitting at the table eating lunch one day. She bet a quarter that her Coke was bottled the farthest away from Dallas, Texas. I remember wondering, "What could she possibly mean?" She held up her Coke, we looked underneath and on the bottom was the city name where the Coke was bottled! I won! It took me a while, but I figured out she had probably set it up so I would win to make me feel better! It's a small thing, but a very nice memory of a quiet Sunday afternoon; just me and my mom, a tuna fish sandwich and a Coke!

When I was a little kid, about 8-10 years old, the movies on Saturdays were 25 cents for the matinee. My two cousins, my baby brother and I used to take our wagon and go looking for Coke bottles. They used to pay 2 cents for small bottles and 5 cents for big bottles. This is how we used to get our 25 cents for the movies. I'm in my 50's today and the picture is still so very clear in my head. It was a great time.

Our families did not have a lot of money, and this was our only way to come up with 25 cents for the movies. I have always been a Coca-Cola drinker for as long as I can remember. When I was a Brownie and later a Girl Scout, my mom and dad would each work overtime so I could go to summer camp. There wasn't enough money for "spending" at the camp store, so I would go to all my neighbors in the Brooklyn apartments and ask them for their empty bottles, so I could get the deposit.

Luckily, there were a lot of Coca-Cola lovers in my neighborhood, and people were always willing to help me out so I could have a little extra to buy a few treats at the camp store. (That way, I could be like the other camp kids, and I wouldn't be reminded my family was poor.) So, my favorite drink also became my financial friend when I needed a little help (to go to the movies, buy an ice cream cone, a Coke, etc. ). As a teacher and an environmentalist, I now recycle at home and at school.

With the money I make, I take my 20 second graders on at least four trips a year. As kids, my brother and I spent our summer weekends at our grandparents', whom we called "Non nie and Poppies". Their house was in a new development and there was much construction. To make money at ages 7 and 8 was a challenge. So my brother and I discovered that collecting the empty Coke bottles at the construction sites at the end of the day was a great source of revenue. One summer we cleared over $15 a piece by turning in bottles at the local supermarket.

Kelly Lake is a tiny little railroad town on Minnesota's iron range. In 1959, I discovered a stash of old Coke bottles in the upstairs of our garage. I found out that when we brought them to the store, we could get money for them! I was 5 years old.

I loaded up our wagon, and off to the little store I went. My pockets were loaded with pennies and nickels. I excitedly went back for another load, and then another, until the store keeper said, "That's enough. You didn't buy all this pop here, so I won't give you any more money". That was OK, though. My, oh my -- I had enough money to buy a lot more Coke, and a few Hershey bars, too!

Life was grand! Living quite some distance from town, we rarely participated in the Halloween ritual of trick-or-treating. We only went trick-or-treating three times, but we always remembered the most important house on our visiting list: the Coca-Cola driver's house. He handed out icy cold cans of Coca-Cola (R), and nothing beat that for a treat! No one soaped his windows or toilet papered his trees, because even the most mischievous revelers appreciated their can of Coca-Cola for Halloween. I was born where Coca-Cola was born Atlanta, Georgia!

When I was a little girl, about 20 long years ago, I used to look forward to the arrival of the Coca-Cola man. I was more anxious to see the Coca-Cola truck than the ice cream truck. Whenever I saw that Coca-Cola man driving down the road, I would wave him down. He would always stop and give me all the Coca-Cola goodies that he had. Today, I work for a Coca-Cola bottling company. My customers are always trying to wave me down so that they can get free goodies from me.

A few years back I was salmon fishing with a co-worker in the very north of Norway. At that time we were both employed by a different soft-drink company. We had been hiking, fishing and camping for four days. We were very tired and very thirsty. When we got back to our car we immediately drove to the nearest convenience store.

We walked in the store and walked directly to the soft drink cooler. The store sold no products from the company we worked for. Without the slightest hesitation we both reached for a Coke (R), popped the top and downed the drink. We then looked at each other and agreed that that was the best drink we had ever had. In the very early 50's, I worked as a route salesman for Coca-Cola in Chicago, Illinois, for seven years.

In 1956 or 57, I won a speedboat as the top salesman in the Northeast Region. I still have the magazine presenting me the award. The president of Coca-Cola called to congratulate me. I grew up in a small town in Central Alberta. My parents owned the local general store. Growing up each child did their stint working in the store.

My favorite time was always when the Coke delivery truck came, because every once in a while -- on a hot summer day -- after he made the delivery, he would bring in a Coke for my dad and me. To this day, from a dedicated Coke drinker -- even my children know -- it's Coke or nothing. As an employee of Coca-Cola, my soon-to-be-wife and I decided to use an 8-ounce Coke toast instead of champagne at our wedding. We provided enough 8-ounce bottles of Coke for all 300 people who were there.

When the best man raised his glass for a toast, everyone popped open their bottles at one time. It was a great sound to hear 300 bottles of Coke being opened at once. While traveling through a highway construction area one steamy summer day, a real life Coke commercial took place in front of me. A semi-truck was stopped as on-coming traffic proceeded along the one open lane. As I passed, I couldn't help but chuckle as the truck driver opened his window and handed the sweaty, female road crew worker a "Coke and a Smile".

What better example of the generosity of our country and endorsement for Coca-Cola. When I was a child, my grandmother worked at the bottling plant in Cincinnati, Ohio. Our family had less than moderate means. One of the Christmas decorations that I remember as a child was the cardboard stand-up Coca-Cola Santa. The kids in our family started getting excited about the holidays when Grandma put out the Santa. In 1948 my husband graduated from Rutgers University.

His first job was as a Coca-Cola salesman. He had a Coca-Cola car and sold syrup dispensers and syrup to places that dispensed soda at a fountain or bar. He had to participate in a training program at headquarters in Atlanta before he started. All of the salesman he worked with in the New York City area were great guys. His starting salary was $250.00 a MONTH. It's hard to believe.

We didn't have a telephone when we first moved into our house, and I couldn't drive the Coca-Cola car -- but then, I couldn't drive. As I look back now, life was very simple by comparison to today's young couples. We were 22 years old. I still have the group picture of his training class. In the winter of 1980, I spent three very important months delivering Coca-Cola in West Tulsa, Oklahoma. Those were still the days of glass bottles, wooden crates and hand pricing.

It was hard work. My most vivid memories were of stacking the crates and hand walking them into the stores. Many times I had to wheel the hand truck into the "pit" at the rear of the store, and "throw" the heavy wooden cases up onto the dock, re-stack them and wheel them into the store to price and then rotate the stock. Then it was the driver's responsibility to sort the empty bottles and carry them back to the truck. Hard work and low pay.

I moved on to other things after a short time, but I will always remember this job, and the lessons it taught me about hard work, and delivering a product that was respected and enjoyed by so many. It was hard work. Hard work and low pay. My grandfather told me once about his mother, Emma Sanger, who worked at the family Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Longview, Texas. Emma had one of the most important and probably the highest-risk jobs at the plant.

Emma walked down the Longview, Texas, wooden sidewalks wearing a gun and holster while she took the bags of nickels [from sales of Coca-Cola] to the Longview Bank twice a day. On the quiet days, my grandfather used to make the walk with her. It was the best job in town in those days. I've drunk Coke (R) all my life and have a Coke collection from a micro Coke car to four Coke machines.

At work, people call me the Coca-Cola (R) Kid because I am never without a Coke in my hands and a spare in my lunch box. I am such an avid collector, I bought some stock so I can say I own a piece of Coke. No other sodas besides Coke products are allowed in my house. When friends come over and they have some other soda, it has to stay outside.

I even have six VCRs going all day so I can record the commercials. I have over 20 hours of Coke commercials, including "I'd Like to buy the World a Coke", the "Mean Joe Greene" ad and some from foreign countries that I got when I was in the military. I play the commercials when I clean my house instead of listening to the radio. Friends, family, neighbors, and on a few occasions strangers come over just to see my Coke collection. Thanks for all the joy Coke has brought. I used to have a beautiful German Shepherd that danced to a Coca-Cola commercial.

He stepped on his two legs and began to back up. He only did that when he heard the Coca-Cola commercial. Drop back to the early 1970's when I was about 10 years old. I was an impressionable fun loving kid just running around, playing games and growing up with all my best friends.

Pick-up games of baseball and football were more important than school or girls. You remember those days? I was always looking up to older kids and how they acted and dressed -- sort of a hero worship and wanting to be "big" like them. One of the most engrained images I have of those times was the big brother of a friend of mine who had a pair of those the funky red and white checkerboard COKE pants. It seemed to make a big impression on me that he was's oo c l in those pants with a white T-shirt and disco hair.

He was always nice to all of us and helped us get out of a lot of trouble we may have caused. Imagine that. Anyway, that impression was and still is important to me as to what an impact Coke had then with its cool commercials, songs, Mean Joe Greene, and the list goes on and on. Still, those funky checkerboard pants!! I can't imagine wearing them now, but sure wish I had a pair. By the way, we can all skip going back to the disco hairstyles, right?

The commercials, especially around Christmas, from your company and marketing team have been fabulous. The spirit of Christmas is so carefully inscribed within the commercial that I have to stop and think as I watch your commercial -- as opposed to tune it out like so many others. I am in marketing and realized that I wanted to be in this profession when I saw the Coca-Cola commercial from Christmas with "I'd Like to buy the World a Coke". I knew that I wanted to do this.

Since then, I continue to be amazed at how wonderful and continuously creative Coca-Cola is with both its print ads and television commercials. I now collect Coca-Cola magazine ads and have a wall dedicated to years of great advertising. Thanks, Coke, for giving me the push I needed to go into a field that continues to keep my creative juices flowing! My last year of high school was in 1979. During that year I was a cheerleader and enjoyed cheering at football games. I recall watching the commercial of the football player and the child who offered him a Coke after the game.

It brought tears to my eyes. I never knew how important commercials were, but as I was watching them [at World of Coca-Cola], they all brought back some kind of fond memory of the date in time. As a teenager my friends and I would all gather on our porch singing the old Coke song, "Coke adds life and everybody wants a little life... Coca-Cola". We would laugh and sing drinking Coke. Every time we would see someone with a Coke we would break out singing.

Everybody wanted to sing the last high-pitched "Coca-Cola". That is one of my best childhood memories. The day I discovered that I had a real love for Coca-Cola was when I was around 5 years old -- the 1971 Coke commercial. The Coca-Cola song being sung in the hills of Italy brings happy reminders of when I was young and first started to sing. Whenever the old '71 commercial plays, reminders of my childhood abound, and thoughts and feelings of those "good ole days" bring me back to my youth. And I still know the song!

After a very devastating start to my life (I was 7 years old), my two brothers and I were released from an orphanage to my father's care, and he promptly moved us to Chicago, Illinois. It was a new beginning and a time filled with hope and promise. That was when I first saw your commercial about teaching the world to sing in perfect harmony, and it seemed to personify what I felt in my heart, even at such a young age. My favorite Coke commercial is the one where Coke teaches the world to sing. As a young girl, I always thought that was a wonderful symbol of my hopes and dreams for the future of the world -- everyone living together peacefully.

Now, as a mother of two children, I still hope that someday this becomes a reality. Coke and my dreams will always be one. Our required diversity training for employees provides an overview of diversity management strategies in the workplace and ways to effectively implement them with an inclusive approach. We also offer supplier diversity training to help ensure that employees understand how to leverage the procurement power of the company by creating a pool of suppliers that include minority- and women-owned businesses.

Civil Treatment for Managers - This online course provides guidelines for appropriate workplace behavior as well as practical skills for effectively working with senior leaders, managers, co-workers and customers. Leveraging the Power of People and Ideas (LPP I) - A workshop for managers and employees, this course helps build a broader understanding of diversity that extends beyond ethnicity and gender. It focuses on four approaches to diversity: leveraging workforce diversity; strategic diversity management; understanding differences; and representation. Participants gain awareness and develop skills in managing diversity through experiential exercises and rich discussion that challenge their perspectives relative to real-time workplace issues. Supplier Diversity As A Marketplace Advantage - This one-day session focuses on both procedural knowledge and behavioral skills that help create an inclusive vendor pool for contracting, purchasing and outsourcing, using various proactive strategies.

Employees gain a thorough understanding of how purchasing decisions can be made to reflect a diverse pool of suppliers. WORKPLACE At The Coca-Cola Company, we are committed to cultivating a diverse, rewarding culture that encourages our people to develop to their fullest potential. The heart and soul of our enterprise have always been our people. Over the past century, Coca-Cola people have led our successes by living and working with a consistent set of values. While the world and our business will continue to change rapidly, respecting these values will continue to be essential to our long-term success. As we have expanded over the decades, our company has benefited from the various cultural insights and perspectives of the societies in which we do business.

Much of our future success will depend on our ability to develop a worldwide team that is rich in its diversity of people, cultures and ideas. We are determined to have a diverse culture, from top to bottom, that benefits from the perspectives of each individual. Please use the drop-down menu on the left to find out more about our At Work programs. CULTURE With the same spirited investment as the world's premier marketer and beverage industry leader for more than 116 years, we are focused on strategic workplace programs that help assure the success of our commitment to embracing the similarities and differences of people, cultures and ideas. Cultural Sensations - This employee awareness program takes diversity beyond representation and provides employees an opportunity to learn about different cultures and regions of the world in which we do business. Our Cultural Sensations program is designed to foster dialogue about the similarities and differences of people, cultures and ideas through the use of art, music, dance, food and special events.

Diversity Advisory Council - The company's corporate Diversity Advisory Council consists of a representative group of employees from all levels, functions and business units of the organization. The Council develops recommendations for senior management on advancing the company's efforts towards achieving our diversity objectives. Employee Forums - We believe that a sense of community enhances our ability to attract, retain, and develop diverse talent and ideas as a source of competitive business advantage. In the United States, through employee forums, employees can connect with colleagues who share similar interests and backgrounds. In those forums and elsewhere, employees support each other's personal and professional growth and enhance their individual and collective ability to contribute to the company. Forums that are currently active include: Across more than 200 countries... more than 100 languages... a multitude of cultures and geographies, The Coca-Cola Company strives to be a special part of people's lives.

This privilege comes with a responsibility. We have chosen to take a leadership role, knowing that our differences make us stronger in our business and in our communities - each and every day. We embrace our commitment to diversity in all its forms at The Coca-Cola Company as a core value. Diversity - of race, gender, sexual orientation, ideas, ways of living, cultures and business practices - provides the creativity and innovation essential to our economic well-being. Equally important is a highly motivated, healthy and productive workforce that achieves business success through superior execution and superb customer satisfaction. In today's volatile economic environment, this kind of performance requires unprecedented commitment to the principles of integrity and leadership.

We are intent on keeping that commitment. Visit The World of Coca-Cola Atlanta and trace the history of the world's most popular soft drink. You " ll journey more than 100 years into the past and explore the future of the magical story of Coca-Cola (R). The excitement begins the moment you walk through the door. Pass under our landmark neon "spectacular" Coca-Cola sign and find yourself standing in a three-story atrium hung with flags representing over 200 nations & territories where Coca-Cola is available. From there, move at your own pace through the fascinating galleries showcasing the rich heritage and global reach of Coca-Cola.

With exhibits that appeal to both young and old, the attraction boasts approximately 1,200 Coca-Cola artifacts, in addition to interactive exhibits and video presentations. You " ll be taken on a virtual journey from the invention of Coca-Cola by Dr. John Pemberton in 1886, to its present popularity throughout the world, where an average of 13,000 of The Coca-Cola Company's beverages are consumed every second of every day. Experience the nostalgia of the 1930's replica Barnes Soda Fountain, where an old-fashioned "soda jerk" demonstrates how an early Coca-Cola was prepared, while you listen to songs about Coca-Cola playing from the authentic 1930's jukebox. View vintage television commercials, watch the evolution of product packaging and vending, including the first soft-drink dispenser in space, and taste 23 exotic beverages made by The Coca-Cola Company around the world (but not available in the U.S. ), one of the most popular parts of the attraction. Tour the attraction. Before leaving, stop by the "Everything Coca-Cola" gift store and pick up the perfect memento of your visit.

There is something here for the entire family. Enjoy!