News & Events

Justin Sutherland says FSMI is a valuable experience

By Justin Sutherland, Assistant Manager

University of Colorado at Boulder 

  I had the pleasure of attending the food service management institute in Buffalo this summer. I had a wonderful and educational experience, the lessons from which I will not soon forget. The institute starts right off the bat with classroom work, and then quickly ties in the classroom theory with applicable group work. Both the restaurant creation and the concept presentation were challenging projects that took our group through all the stages of development and created many friends in the process. The subjects of budget creation, cost control, menu creation, pricing theory and team management are relevant to anyone in our industry and our presenters were wonderfully knowledgeable and friendly. Rich’s was a great sponsor, and the company’s representatives, Mike and Michael, were intricate parts of the institute.  I took a great deal away from this experience, and believe that anyone interested in professional development and networking should take this institute.

Continental Region Nutrition E-Bulletin, May 2013

The Continental Region's Nutrition Committee has released the May 2013 Nutrition e-Bulletin.

In this issue:

• Member Spotlight: Sonya Gaydos
• Pollan Cooks!
• Seek the Guidance of THE Food and Nutrition Experts
• Students’ Diet and Physical Activity Improve With Parent Communications
• Congrats to Continental Region winner University of Minnesota!

Download the May 2013 Nutrition e-Bulletin

The joint Pacific/Continental Regional Conference was a WIN/WIN for Everyone!

The Pacific and Continental region combined this year to hold a spectacular conference in Reno, NV March 21-23, 2013.

The Council and Committee Chairs started early with a council meeting on March 21st.

Cindy Hogenson-Information Office, Marianne Jurayj-Education Chair, Chris Justice-President Elect, Mike Kosevich-Treasurer, Eric Webb-Membership, Orlynn Rosaasen-Strategic Liaison, Paul Mineau-Internship, Kerry Paterson-President (Not Pictured: Lisa Gibson-Past President, Stephen Hull-Industry Liaison, Adria Gillitzer-Nutrition Chair, Barbara Lettich-Conference Liaison

The two regions held a joint First Timers event. 

The region had five competitors in the Culinary Challenge.

Phil Edwards, Concordia College-Moorhead, MN

James Nelson, North Idaho College

Nicholas A. Nordberg, University of Wyoming

Miles Moorman, U of Colorado-Boulder

Peter Testory, Colorado State University

Congratulations to all the competitors for earning a medal.  Peter Testory was awarded the highest score and opportunity to represent the region at the national challenge.  Good luck, Peter!

Back Row: Nicholas A. Nordberg-Bronze, James Nelson-Bronze. Front Row: Phil Edwards-Bronze, Peter Testory-Silver, Miles Moorman-Silver

Announcing Travel Reimbursement Incentive for 2013 Regional Conference

Message from:

Kerry Paterson CEC
President
NACUFS Continental Region

Happy Mardi Gras

Your Continental Regional Council is offering a $150 per person travel incentive to Continental institutional members who attend the Regional conference in Reno from March 21 – 24, 2013. Attached is information about this incentive and the reimbursement form you’ll need to use after the conference.

Travel Reimbursement Information

Form for Travel Reimbursement

This is going to be a great conference with dynamic speakers and a culinary challenge that is starting to heat up (sorry for the pun!!). The Pacific region has worked hard to bring us this conference and I want to encourage all Continental Region Institutions to send some people to this event. Not only do you get to network with your fellow Continental members, but also have the opportunity to pull ideas and gather information from those in the Pacific Region.

Early discounted registration is due to close next Wednesday 2/27 so don’t wait – Register now. The link below takes you to the conference page on the NACUFS website,

http://www.nacufs.org/regions-continental/regional-conference1/

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions related to either the conference or the travel incentive.

Thanks

Kerry Paterson CEC
President
NACUFS Continental Region

Christina Voyles shares insights from the Marketing Institute

Submitted by

Christina Voyles, Director of Marketing

University Dining Services, University of Montana

December 8, 2012: I’m at the Atlanta airport, waiting for my flight home from having participated in the NACUFS Marketing Institute. And the interesting thing is, this isn’t the same airport I flew into five days ago. Somehow in the terminal, now I’m aware of marketing everywhere! Now there are logos and branding to mull over, customers to watch queuing at certain places but not others, employee uniforms to look at, slogans to take in, traffic patters to try and understand, guest service to notice, placement of products in restaurants, delis, and news shops to consider. How come only five days ago, these things weren’t more than the typical landscape of daily life? Suddenly, everything has changed; its mind boggling, overwhelming, frightening, inspiring, and exactly what I’d hoped for!

December 19, 2012: I’ve had time to think about what I’ve learned from the institute and some immediate projects come to mind:

• Clarify and solidify our "brand."

• Work with our Coke representative to better utilize their student ambassador program, scholarships, and to highlight Coke’s sustainable efforts to further our own sustainable efforts.

• Improve our social media.

• Establish a Marketing Budget.

• Increase communication and interaction with our customers (via surveys, focus groups, working more closely with various student groups), for a better understanding of our customer’s needs.

Perhaps the most important element I’m coming away with is our need to develop a brand. We have failed in this area – our messaging is convoluted, we lose our customers attention, and they are confused by many of our programs and offerings. Once our brand is better established, we can begin the fun and innovative part of getting our messaging out there!

Two examples from this institute that I plan to try are "Movement Marketing" and "Interruption Marketing." Movement Marketing seems counterintuitive, as the focus isn’t on the product or the services offered, rather on beliefs, or a cause. We have an incredible Farm to College program, and Movement Marketing would involve focusing on it without trying to "sell" it. We would simply be honest and sincere about how important our program is not only to us as a major food provider, but to our community and economy as well. If you believe it, and do it, the customer will take on your cause and become very loyal to your brand.

Interruption Marketing is a more humorous approach in which the customer’s activities are disrupted. A good example was the tweeting "war" between Taco Bell and Old Spice.

Interruption Marketing would go over well with the millennial generation on our campus. We currently do a fantastic job of putting on fun, "monotony breaker" events in both our Board Plan and Retail Operations, but we could better align our messaging with that lighthearted humor.

I’m beginning the process of rebranding our department (new names, logos, uniforms, marketing collateral, etc.). While I don’t have a Marketing Degree, I’ve done a lot of reading, studying, thinking, networking, but the Marketing Institute has given me much more than what I’ve learned on my own. I now have inspiration, encouragement, resources, support and budding partnerships that I am confident will blossom into invaluable working relationships and future friendships. I’d underestimated the importance of gathering with peers who face the same challenges; it has been invaluable. Prior the institute, I’d had many sleepless nights thinking about how we would rebrand our department by this Fall Semester. Since attending the Marketing Institute, I feel well poised to take on that monumental task and I can’t wait to being implementing what I’ve learned.

 Christina Voyles

President's Message

Kia Ora,

I hope everyone had an enjoyable and memorable Thanksgiving and if your schedule allowed, you managed to take some time off to spend with family and friends.  

This month marks the start of a new era for NACUFS as our association’s new Executive Director Gretchen Couraud assumes her role at the national office in Okemos, MI.  Gretchen is only the third executive director in the association’s 54-year history.  On behalf of the Continental Region I would like to welcome her to the association and wish her every success in her new position.  After having met her at this month’s board meeting, I know she is already busy learning the ins and outs of our NACUFS organization.  You will all have an opportunity to meet her at the upcoming regional conference in March.

Speaking of which, the 2013 Continental Regional Conference is being held in conjunction with the Pacific Region in Reno, Nevada from March 21 -24, 2013.  The theme of the conference is “Generations” and the conference committee has been busy putting together an exciting list of speakers, including;

• Chef Jeff Henderson – A tough South Central L.A. and San Diego street kid who ended up in prison at age 24.  While serving his sentence he discovered a passion for cooking and a drive to turn his life around.

• Meagan Johnson – A highly charged, participatory presenter who will outline the dominant generational forces in today’s workplace and how each generations’ “generational signposts” drive motivation, influence loyalty, and deliver high quality services.

The conference committee currently has a call for programs out, so if you have an idea or success you feel you would like to share with everyone, please submit the necessary forms by January 21, 2013.

One of my favorite parts of the NACUFS conferences is watching the culinary challenge.  This year’s competition is shaping up to be no different, with a high standard once again achieved around the mandatory ingredient of duck.  The rules for this competition can be found on the NACUFS website under the “Recognition” section.

Competitors will compete in Reno to decide who will have the honor of representing the region at the National Conference in July (along with regional bragging rights for a year!!!).  The winner’s institution will also be reimbursed up to $2000 towards travel expenses.  Believe me, competing in this competition challenges you as a culinarian. It also gives you exposure to new levels of talent, experience, and organization skills.  It’s a great opportunity to network with, learn from, and exchange ideas with fellow culinarians from the other universities and colleges.  Those wishing to enter this competition will need to have their completed entry form submitted to Vaughan Vargus, Executive Chef, University of California – San Diego, vvargus@ucsd.edu by January 7, 2013. So pass this information onto your culinary staff and encourage them to participate.  

I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Reno.  Keep watching the region’s website for additional information on registration, conference speakers, and schedule details.

Another great opportunity for your establishment to participate in is the Foodservice Management Internships.  These are paid internships sponsored by NACUFS and offered in cooperation with the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I).  The program allows students to put all that classroom theory into practice by working in a real world work environment, providing invaluable on-the-job experience that they can use after graduating.

A number of universities within our region take advantage of this program every year and have rated the experience extremely beneficial for both the intern and the host institution.  Paul Mineau, Montana State University – Bozeman, pmineau@montana.edu, is our committee chair overseeing the internship program for the region, so please contact Paul if you have any questions, or if your campus is interested in becoming a host school for the 2013 summer interns. Applications to be a host school close January 18, 2013.

Remember that the regional council continues to encourage our members to get off their own campus to visit other NACUFS Continental member campuses within a day’s drive with our “Go Local” program.  The region will reimburse your university or college for vehicle rental and mileage costs up to $300.  This is a great way to get a van load of your employees and go visit another dining operation and exchange ideas.

In closing I would like to wish everyone and their families a Happy Holiday Season and a wonderful New Year.  May all your holiday wishes, New Year resolutions, and goals come to fruition.

Hei konā mai      (Goodbye for now)

Kerry Paterson CEC
President
NACUFS Continental Region

FMI a valuable experience for Joe Hostetler

Submitted by Joe Hostetler

The Financial Management Institute of 2012 was overall a very thought-provoking experience.  Having just taken a new role in my workplace, I saw this as an opportunity to learn more insight on the various areas of financial management, and many of the potential outside factors which impacts this area.  The institute offered a good mix of finance and accounting subject matter as well as operations-based material, making this a valuable institute for those of different backgrounds.

            Some of the best things I was able to take away from this experience include: contribution margin analysis and menu engineering of convenience store items; contract development and negotiation; the principles of creating a zero-based budget; gaining some insight of how other colleges and universities operate in different aspects; and working on the final project which tied everything we’d discussed together into summation, even including interpretive dance!

This was a good group of industry professionals with whom to work and network.  In the evenings it was nice being able to break away with different groups for dinner each evening.  The presenters and facilitators of the institute were all very knowledgeable regarding the subject matter and clearly have had extensive real-life experience to back up the points they were working to convey.  I would recommend this institute to anyone who has an interest in this area.

Joe Hostetler

CBord/Business Systems manager

University of Colorado - Boulder

Justin Sutherland recounts his experience at HRI

Submitted by Justin Sutherland

In June I had the pleasure of attending the HRI institute in Marshall Minnesota. As a first time institute attendee I was very excited and a little hesitant about what I would actually take away from the week. All my hesitation was assuaged as I quickly found out that my peers and leaders were wonderful, and the material was extremely relevant. Peter was a great facilitator and our Schwann’s hosts could not have been better. The entire week was well planned out with tours of the Schwann’s facilities punctuating the class room time to keep things fresh. By the end of the week I came away with a great deal of knowledge regarding HR specific to our industry.  On several occasions I have directly used the material we covered on how to structure an effective meeting and one on one conversations with great success. I would recommend this institute to anyone who is interested and am looking forward to the opportunity to attend NACUFS institutes in the future!

 Justin Sutherland

 Assistant Manager

University of Colorado at Boulder

Pacific and Continental Regions Hosting 2013 Conference in Reno

Welcome to the Biggest Little City in the World!

2013 Pacific & Continental Regional Conference
March 21-24, 2013  |  Reno, Nevada
 
The 2013 NACUFS Pacific/Continental Region Conference Committee is gearing up for one of the most exciting regional conferences EVER!  Host school, University of Nevada, Reno, and our partners from Azusa Pacific University, Brigham Young University, Eastern Washington University, and the University of California, San Diego are getting ready to welcome you to the high desert for a high level of education and entertainment.

The conference is being held in Reno, Nevada, a world-class vacation destination only minutes from beautiful Lake Tahoe.  Popular attractions include the Virginia City National Historic Site, the National Automobile Museum (site of our closing function), and the national Bowling Stadium.  Along with dozens of great ski resorts within easy driving distance, Reno offers an expansive variety of things to see and do, appealing to guests of all ages from around the world.

Click here for more details

Call for Programs!

The Pacific Regional Council would like to know if any of you have ideas for programming or perhaps interest sessions you would like to see at the upcoming regional Conference in Reno 2013.  Please click the link below to download the call for programming form.  There are certain criteria that any submissions should meet, including being aligned with the theme of the conference “Generations.”

 http://www.nacufs.org/regions-pacific/regional-conference4/call-for-programs3/

 Thank you very much for your help!

Volunteering!

Join us in the biggest little city in the world for our 2013 Regional Conference.  If you would like to volunteer, email rfmeyer@unr.edu

Region's Council gathers for Fall meeting

Kerry Paterson, Continental Region President, hosted the council and committee chairs at the University of Colorado, Boulder for the Fall meeting Oct 1-3.  The primary topics discussed were the budget, membership, and co-hosting the regional conference with the Pacific Region in Reno, NV.  The meeting minutes can be found in the Library on this website.

Back row: Stephen Hull, Eric Webb, Kerry Paterson, Chris Justice, Cindy Hogenson, Orlynn Rosaasen, Mike Kosevich

Front row: Adria Gillitzer, Lisa Gibson, Barbara Lettich

Chris Justice celebrated his birthday while at the meeting.  The delicious cake was made by the UC Boulder bakery.