People first

We’ve got great news at FoodService Director. FSD’s publisher, Bill Anderson, has been promoted to vice president, non-commercial foodservice. Bill has dedicated almost 30 years to our industry and he’s built relationships with many of you. Bill is always the first to offer ideas about how to make our publication the best that it can be, and his can-do attitude and positive personality are infectious.

We’ve also added a new team member, Steven Johnson, as associate editor. Steven will be covering the college and university market for the magazine. You’ll no doubt hear from Steven as he’s working on stories, but you can get a head start and introduce yourself by sending him an email at [email protected].

Now, to the not-so-great news. As many of you know, the magazine is moving its offices from New York City to Chicago. Lindsey Ramsey, managing editor, FSD online, couldn’t be pried away from the Big Apple. Lindsey will instead be transitioning to a contributing editor role, beginning July 1. For nearly six years, Lindsey has been my partner in crime. We started at the magazine around the same time and we’ve learned the industry together. Like me, many of you have created friendships that extend beyond the workplace with Lindsey. It will be sad not having Lindsey’s desk within throwing distance—yes, you read that right. Lindsey and I have been known to—lovingly, of course—throw things at each other. Most of the time it’s candy during deadline week when we’re both stress-eating.

But fear not. Lindsey isn’t going away. She’ll be writing stories for us, so be on the lookout for her calls and emails and still feel free to send her stories, especially B&I ideas, at [email protected].

Lindsey and I, both under the age of 30—for not much longer—created the questions that we ask every one of our Under 30 honorees. Our favorite question is: What is your funniest on-the-job disaster? We often get a good chuckle out of these stories.

Well, one of my favorite Lindsey work stories could be considered a minor on-the-job disaster. Lindsey was leaving a voicemail for a source, asking her to return her call. I had heard Lindsey leave a voicemail similar to this one thousands of times before. But for some reason she went blank in the middle of the message. It went something like this:

“Hi Patricia, my name is Lindsey Ramsey and I’m an editor with FoodService Director magazine. I’m working on a story about c-stores and I’d love to talk with you about your operation. Please call me back at…”

And that’s where the trouble came in. I could hear the hesitation in Lindsey’s voice. After a few seconds she turned to me (our desks faced back to back) and said, “What’s my number again?” and we both lost it in a fit of laughter.

Although it’s not a true disaster, it was pretty funny. So I’d like to thank Lindsey for all the years of laughs and I look forward to the many more we’ll share.

Speaking of on-the-job disasters and our Under 30 recognition, it’s time for you to send in your nominations. Tell us why your employee is a rising star in the industry and maybe we’ll be able to share his/her funniest on-the-job disaster. You can send in your nominations forms to [email protected].

Here’s one of our best stories from a past Under 30 recipient, to whet your appetite. This one comes from Matthew Vasquez, general manager with Eurest Dining Services at Lowe’s.

“When we have a bad ice storm in the mountains our team sets up service tents for a client, which usually feeds up to 1,500 workers. We had this ice storm where we only served 300 of our 1,500 expected guests. We found a shelter to donate the extra food, so I hauled it down there. The food shifted and we spilled about 30 gallons of beef stew all over the cargo area of the truck. With temperature at 20°F, the soup turned into a slippery mess. We had to clean out the truck with mops and hoses and with our lack of sleep and the slickness of the floor, we could not stand up in the truck. As we tried to clean we fell over and couldn’t stop laughing at the situation.”