Chelsea Milling Company: Evolving the Workplace into a Place of Personal and Professional Development

This article appeared in the August 2025 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.

“JIFFY” Mix, the iconic brand born from Chelsea Milling Company (CMC), is known for its beloved corn muffin mix in the “little blue box.” “JIFFY” Mix is often at the scene of birthdays and holiday celebrations — inciting memories of comfort, togetherness and joyful moments.

Born and bred in Chelsea, Chelsea Milling Company is not just a place to work — it has been cleverly designed as the place where people come to grow, personally and professionally.

Throughout his tenure at CMC as CEO, Chairman of the Board and the Cultural & Strategic Advisor, Howdy Holmes has always been a proponent of personal and professional development. Recognizing the need to strengthen development opportunities for all employees, Holmes created the Personal Development department, dedicated to supporting employee growth.

To lead the department as the Personal Development Director, CMC chose Stacy Payne, a seasoned career and employee development consultant who had previously developed and delivered sales, leadership and self-exploration training to CMC employees. Stacy’s role is designed to be more “behind the scenes” as she works one-on-one with employees to customize personal development opportunities that help them to grow and realize their potential.

Team members often express to Payne that they want to advance their careers, learn new skills, improve communication strategies or secure a professional certification. Payne performs a gap analysis to determine what skills they should develop to meet their goals, works with them to create a plan of action and serves as their accountability partner.

“Most people are grateful to have this opportunity and they know it’s very unique as this development occurs during normal working hours,” Payne said.

Initiatives that Payne has spearheaded in this role include:

• A knowledge transfer program to retain critical role-specific information across the organization.
• Training manuals that document task requirements for each position.
• The CMC leadership behavior assessment, which provides an opportunity for facilitators and managers to discuss current skills and assess future development based on assessment results.

As the current President and CEO, Howard S. Holmes II champions and supports the work of the Personal Development department, led by Payne, by reinforcing CMC’s strong commitment to the growth and development of its employees and culture.

Chelsea Milling Company is forging its own path in the manufacturing industry through its unwavering dedication to its most important asset — its people.

Learn More About Our Gamechanger

Headquarters: Chelsea
Web: jiffymix.com

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