Fieldale Farms Corporation

To engage all of its workers in the retirement plan, some not even knowing what the plan was, privately owned poultry-producer Fieldale Farms had to get creative. A 2023 survey of new hires found their introduction to the plan had needed work. Now, all new employees get a personalized email, explaining the plan and how to maximize the match; a clearer explanation from the onboarding staff; and a bilingual flyer, newly simplified to reduce opt-out. Ongoing efforts include a chance at a $50 gift card for completing a retirement-related quiz on 401(k) Day.

Lisa Colston, corporate retirement manager. Fieldale Farms Corporation

To get to know them better, PLANSPONSOR sent the 2026 Plan Sponsor of the Year winners a list of questions from which to choose four to answer. Below are responses from Lisa Colston on behalf of Fieldale Farms Corporation.

PLANSPONSOR: How does your organization’s leadership approach its commitment to employee retirement readiness and financial well-being?

Fieldale Farms: Fieldale Farms Corporation’s leadership realizes every employee is an important part of our team and treats them as such by providing the best benefits package possible, including a generous retirement plan. Leadership is committed to making sure our plan offers financial education and planning resources that are relatable to all employees and encourages participation with matching contributions. We encourage both positive and negative feedback from our employees to improve the overall functionality of our plan. Our retirement committee meets in person on a biannual basis with both the recordkeeper and plan adviser teams, to assess the plan and address any issues or concerns. We are dedicated to ensuring our recordkeeper provides the best service and diverse portfolio options, all while remaining compliant.

PLANSPONSOR: What does winning Plan Sponsor of the Year mean to you and your employer? Will you publicize the win outside of the human resources/benefits team?

Fieldale Farms: Fieldale Farms Corporation was honored to have been chosen by PLANSPONSOR as a finalist [in our asset size] category; however, being named as the winner was truly humbling. This award affirms why our dedicated retirement committee works so diligently to offer a leading retirement plan that benefits employees of all levels and their evolving needs throughout their career. As an employer, being able to enhance our employees’ financial well-being and improve retirement readiness is an award within itself.

Sharing the news of winning this award within the company as well as with our recordkeeper and adviser teams on multiple platforms has provided a wonderful opportunity to network, engage and continue to positively promote our plan.

PLANSPONSOR: How has your involvement with your organization’s retirement plan shaped your own perspective on saving, investing or preparing for retirement?

Fieldale Farms: [It] has increased my awareness of the importance of long-term financial planning. I personally use the educational tools offered by our plan service provider—for instance, I’ve enrolled in Managed Advice, scheduled a one-on-one consultation with an adviser, set financial goals, increased my contributions and changed my investment strategy to better align with my desired future retirement needs.

Learning about retirement accounts, employer matching contributions and long-term investing has shown me that even small, regular contributions can grow significantly over time. It has evolved the way I think about investing: Instead of focusing on short-term market changes, I now see the value of maintaining a diversified portfolio and staying invested for the long term.

PLANSPONSOR: What advice would you offer to other plan sponsors aiming to improve employee financial well-being or retirement readiness?

Fieldale Farms: My advice is to offer clear communications and easy to navigate resources, including financial planning tools, retirement calculators and one-on-one coaching; to offer and promote a competitive company match; to implement automatic enrollment and contribution escalation; and to provide ongoing education that is beneficial to employees in all stages of their retirement planning process. A one-size-fits-all approach is not effective when you have employees in different phases of their financial lives, so get to know your employees and offer targeted guidance based on their specific needs. Ask how the company can better prepare them for retirement, have open and honest discussions, incorporate their feedback into the plan, and pivot when needed.

Continuous communication and personalized recommendations will help employees to make informed decisions, increase participation and contribution rates, and improve overall long-term retirement readiness.