Kneaders Bakery & Cafe, a Utah-born company with a focus on creating quality from scratch offerings, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary by providing $25,000 in scholarships to ten employees across the company. Each scholarship recipient walked away with $2,500 to pursue their post-secondary education goals.
The ten scholarships were awarded internally at two company-wide meetings earlier this month in Salt Lake City, Utah and Phoenix, Arizona. This is not the first time Kneaders has offered employee scholarships over the past two decades, but it marks the beginning of an annual scholarship program focused on serving and developing the people that continue to help make this local establishment a staple within each community it serves.
“It’s hard to believe that it has already been 25 years,” said James Worthington, CEO of Kneaders. “To have had the opportunity to bring our vision of creating a place that communities can ‘come home to’ and rely on for simple and honest food to over 50 places across the country, has been a dream come true. We would not be where we are today, celebrating this incredible milestone if it were not for the dedicated and enthusiastic employees that have backed us along the way. It only felt right to make them the center of our celebration by giving back to those that have given so much to us.”
The scholarships were available for all employees pursuing post-secondary education throughout the company’s 51 locations across six states. A scholarship selection committee comprised of Kneaders’ founders, executives, and corporate teams reviewed and selected the top ten candidates based on video nominations submitted by applicants expressing how their education will shape them and their various communities. The selected winners plan to use the additional funds to pursue their dreams, some of which include becoming a child psychologist, math teacher, anesthesiologist, nutritionist and more.
“What impresses me about Kneaders is how they care about your individual growth,” said Caitlyn Nye, one of the scholarship winners. “I’ve done cross-training and leadership training, which has made me a better employee and taught me valuable lessons that I can take into my future, and now Kneaders is helping me pursue my educational dreams with this scholarship. I am studying at Weber State University to be a math teacher, and I’m so grateful for the support Kneaders has shown me and continues to show me throughout my years working here.”
This is just the start for Kneaders, as the company looks to continue to build on the momentum from the past 25 years to further invest in their employees and communities, innovate through recipes and designs, and bring their creations to more people across the country in the years to come. Guests can be on the lookout for a fresh and modern restaurant design coming to new locations in 2023.
To learn more about Kneaders or to find a location near you, visit kneaders.com or follow along on social media at @Kneaders.