Thank You to Our Direct Connection Sponsors! |
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IN THIS ISSUE
Save the Date --
Symposium 2021
On Tap Podcast Series
BizEssentials Webinars
Membership News
Industry News
Quick Links
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Who Would Have "Thunk" It? |
It has been a long year, but I am not about to wish us all a Happy Anniversary! What we went through in 2020, was not at all a happy occasion, but the fact that we seem to be coming out of it is still cause to celebrate. |
As we were going through the pandemic, I received Georgia Tech’s Alumni Magazine. Being that I am a proud Rambling Wreck, I go through the magazine thoroughly, looking for the latest and greatest happening at the school and with the alumni. As I passed the pages, I came across a picture of people at a Georgia Tech football game wearing a mask and it was not Halloween. It was a picture of someone in a 1918 football game, during the time of the last pandemic.
Looking back into last year, I ask myself and all of you the question of “Who Would Have Thunk It?”
- That we were going to get hit with a pandemic that turned our lives upside down.
- That the full world was going to be in the same situation.
- That a year later we are still trying to get out of it.
- That the vaccine was developed in record time.
- That the stock market, although at first went down, came back up and we are in record levels.
- That a brand new dictionary of words in foodservice would come out, including pivoting, new normal, social distancing and furlough, among many others.
- That we would figure out how to run our businesses virtually and many from our homes.
- That the foodservice business overall was able to pivot as they did and succeed for many, albeit with some surprise offerings (e.g. selling meal components, even in the raw state).
- That, unfortunately, there were many personal and business casualties that are still being counted.
- That off-premise and digital ordering grew providing a springboard to many technology companies, some of which have current valuations that are not rational to many.
- That based on the FCSI survey most FCSI members, have endured the pandemic pretty well.
- That the NRA Show would be cancelled two years in a row.
Hopefully, the events of the last year taught us all a thing or two. For one, it taught us that an industry that is not made to be shut down more than a few days made it through. I hope that this crisis made us better people -- better family members , better colleagues, better businesses, better countries, and a better world.
If you are wondering about the future, and you are like me, like the song goes….. “I feel good”. Here are some initial positives I offer:
- We can now use the lessons learned from the last year and help shape a better future.
- NAFEM is still on. Yipee! We FCSI board members are optimistic that it will happen, albeit in a different way. But even happening at all will be a big deal for all of us in this industry considering that this may be the first major gathering since the pandemic started.
- Our medical community has incredible capability to come out of critical situations, proven by the speed at which a vaccine was created and is moving very fast to vaccinate the entire world.
- There is willingness for communities to open up.
- Foodservice executives are feeling positive. There is talk of a great rush and demand to eat out as openings continue to grow.
- Overall, there is great optimism that soon we will be back to this so called “new normal”. When I hear this word, I remind people that even prior to the pandemic hitting, we really had “new normals” each day of our lives. Just the fact that we are a day older and wiser (hopefully) each new day would constitute this.
Who would have “thunk” the happenings of the last year? We can easily focus on the bad that came out of it. Being an optimist, instead I suggest that we all apply what we learned (how we pivoted, how we socially distanced, how we virtually stayed connected, how we ran our personal lives and businesses) to the new normal that each day brings forth.
-- Juan Martinez FCSI
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SAVE THE DATE FOR SYMPOSIUM
August 24 & 25, 2021
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Rewind to the Good Times! |
Join us for our first event in more than TWO YEARS!
Our FCSI TA Symposium will be August 24-25 in Orlando prior to the NAFEM Show. Registration will open soon -- keep an eye on your inbox for details!
Interested in sponsoring? Corporate members who want to support the 2021 Symposium can contact Wade (wade@fcsi.org) to learn more or download the application!
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FCSI THE AMERICAS IS ON TAP
New Episodes Every Tuesday
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The first season of On Tap presented by FCSI The Americas is now available!
Episodes premiere every Tuesday morning and are always available on our YouTube channel, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Each week, Wade interviews a consultant member and quizzes them on their professional accomplishments and gets an insight into their personalities.
March special guests were
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You've seen all of the fun we're having with Season 1 -- now it's your turn to be the Special Guest Star!
We want to get to know you better. How did you get your start as a foodservice consultant? Who were your biggest influences? Do you prefer the toilet paper to go over or under?
Introduce yourself to your professional association and industry peers AND get a professionally produced video at no cost to you that you can share with potential clients.
Contact Wade to be considered for Season 2 of On Tap! |
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BizEssentials Webinar Series |
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Reading the RFP: How to Get
from the Fluff to the Good Stuff
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 @ 3:00 pm ET
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Presented by Kathleen Held, Chief Executive Officer and President at Cini-Little International, Inc.
The request for proposal (RFP) process can be confusing and time-consuming. Some potential clients provide pages and pages of information that are difficult to slog through. Some of them provide one page of specific requirements, with no information about the project’s big picture. How can we understand and respond to requests without losing our minds?
In this first session of a two-part series, we’ll share tips for reading and understanding complex (and not-so-complex) requests for proposals. April’s session will answer these questions: How do you decide if the proposal is even worth a response? What else do you need to know before you can answer?
This interactive session will give you a chance to learn new techniques and ask questions about the challenges you face. Bring your ideas and questions!
Sponsored by
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Associate Members
Bernadette Ventura, Prism Hospitality Group
William Seufert, Prism Hospitality Group
Alan McDonald, Prism Hospitality Group
Individual Allied
Kevin McTague, McTague Associates
Senior Associate Upgrade
Jessica Price, Culinary Advisors
Corporate Members
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2021 Priorities from the Small Business Legislative Council |
FCSI The Americas is a member of the Small Business Legislative Council, a nonprofit collaboration of small business trade and professional associations. SBLC works with member organizations to present a strong, united front to the US federal government.
In March, FCSI signed onto a letter urging Congress to extend the Paycheck Protection Program beyond the March 31, 2021 sunset date. The SBLC continues to work with government agencies that are implementing the American Rescue Plan that was passed by Congress early this month.
The 2021 legislative priorities for the small business organizations represented by SBLC include:
- advocating in favor of measures that help small businesses recover from the pandemic
- helping small businesses navigate the skilled labor shortages, immigration concerns, and independent contractor issues
- focus on critical infrastructure issues and funding
- monitor trade issues including tariffs and supply chain concerns
- protect small business from burdensome taxes
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It's Not Too Early to Track Your 2021 CEUs |
One you have logged all required CEUs DON'T STOP!
Professional members can roll forward up to 6 CEUs to 2022. Senior Associate members can roll forward up to 3, and Associate members can roll forward 1 CEU. Continue learning to continue earning!
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FCSI Joins CFESA to Remember Neven Stanisic |
We join the CFESA community to mourn the tragic loss of Neven Stanisic, a victim of the King Soopers shooting in Boulder, Colorado. At 23-years-old, Neven was struck in a KD Service vehicle during a call to the store. CFESA Cares created a GoFundMe to support his family.
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Registration Is Open for The NAFEM Show, August 26 to 28 |
Attendee registration opened this month for The NAFEM Show, taking place August 26 to 28 at the Orange County Convention Center.
NAFEM offers complimentary registration to the show for FCSI consultant members. Register at http://www.thenafemshow.org/ and use code FCSI21 to receive the free registration.
NAFEM is also offering a $500 scholarship to offset expenses for first-time attendees. If you have never been to the NAFEM show before apply for the scholarship when you register for the event. There is no limit to the number of individuals from a single company who can apply.
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MAFSI Announces Tom Mitchell To Be Its New President |
MAFSI announced this month that Tom Mitchell, TLC Marketing, Calgary, Alberta, was chosen as the organization's sixty-second President. Mitchell will serve a two-year term through Spring 2023. He previously served as Vice President and Treasurer, respectively.
Tom has been a manufacturers’ representative for 38 years and is the president of TLC Marketing in Calgary, Alberta. Prior to becoming a manufacturers’ rep he spent ten years in Hotel and Restaurant Management.
“Tom has been on our board for over seven years, and is a tremendous asset both to MAFSI, and to the industry as a whole” said Alison Cody, MAFSI’s Executive Director. “He’s a big-picture thinker with a can-do attitude, that is positively infectious. He’s already pushing MAFSI and our members further than ever before, and reaching outside our membership to solve issues that affect our entire industry.”
As president, Mitchell leads the Association alongside Vice President Neil Inverso, Treasurer Stephanie Perry, Chairman Kevin Eaton, and MAFSI’s 24 person Board of Directors.
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NRA Show Names 2021 Kitchen Innovations Awards |
The National Restaurant Association Show named 16 products from 15 companies as the recipients of its 2021 Kitchen Innovations Awards. The awards honor foodservice equipment that increases efficiencies and productivity in commercial kitchens. Congratulations to this year's award recipients!
- Antunes’ Touchless Sauce Dispenser
- Curtis’ GemX Narrow IntelliFresh Coffee Brewer with FreshTrac
- Eastern Tabletop’s CleanLite
- Ecolab’s Cockroach Multi-Station
- Eloma/Ali Group’s Compact Pro
- Frymaster/Welbilt’s FilterQuick 120
- Hobart Food Equipment Group’s AMTL Two Level Door Type Dish Machine with Hobart Smart Connect IOT App
- Hoshizaki’s 2by2 ice cube machine, IM-50BAA-LM
- Manitowoc/Welbilt’s CrystalCraft Premier
- Minipack America’s MX-Infuser
- Picnic’s Automated Pizza Assembly System
- RATIONAL USA’s iCombi Pro
- Sunshine Innovations’ Luccy
- T&S Brass and Bronze Works’ T&S WaterWatch
- TurboChef Technologies’ Plexor
- UNOX’s MULTI.Day HOT VACUUM
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Compass Consulting November Industry Report |
The February issue of the Compass Restaurant report is now available. The report highlights that despite the bad weather monthly operator optimism rose slightly in February. Consumer sentiment, however, declined by 2.4 points from January. Again, the decline is blamed on the impact of the COVID crisis and the negative consumer outlook. |
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Want to share your stories, projects, or insight? |
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Headquarters is always happy to feature articles from Consultant Members in the Direct Connection. We encourage Consultants to take some time and share experiences with the membership. No idea or topic is too silly!
If you would like to have an article featured in the Direct Connection, submit it to Amy by the 23rd of each month.
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