People are the Business with Holly Baumgart

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“You can't make up a marketing spiel about your culture and put it on the wall. It has to come from the inside out, the ethos, the story, and it has to resonate with people.”

— Holly Baumgart, Vice President of New Platform Development, Sargento Foods Inc.

Every so often, I sit down with someone whose experience brings clarity to things we’re all trying to figure out — culture, growth, connection, and how to keep people at the center of it all while running a successful business.

That’s exactly what happened in my conversation with Holly Baumgart, Vice President of New Platform Development at Sargento Foods.

Right from the start, Holly shared a simple philosophy that’s guided Sargento for nearly 75 years:

“Hire good people and treat them like family.”

It’s something they actively live out — in how they hire, how they develop people, how they listen, and how they innovate.

What stood out most is how consistent that mindset is across the entire organization. Throughout our conversation, Holly explains the effort, structure, and discipline behind keeping it strong as they grow.

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

→ People really are the center of everything.

Holly talks about the intentional work it takes to protect culture as a company evolves and what it looks like to stay committed to it.

→ Intentional leaders make time, not excuses.

Her approach to one-on-ones and development conversations is simple: take the time.

Not to check a box, but to genuinely understand what people want and how to support them.

→ Recognition is part of Sargento's operating system.

They don’t just “try to recognize people.”

They track it. Review it. Discuss it. Follow up on it.

Not performative — meaningful and consistent.

→ Innovation is stronger when the consumer is part of the process.

From focus groups to “cheese Tinder,” Holly shares how Sargento stays close to what people actually want, and why seeing a product she developed go into someone’s grocery cart still fires her up.

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This episode is full of practical insight and a refreshing look at what it really takes to build an organization people are proud to be part of — and it’s a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when we stay committed to people first.

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