Foodservice Equipment & Supplies magazines is an industry resource connecting foodservice operators, equipment and supplies manufacturers and dealers, and facility design consultants.
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MAY 2015 • FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES • 47 effciency focused. The approach has always been, "What systems can we build to be more effcient?" He has never been about throwing more bodies at it. Fred wants us to work more intel- ligently. He has seen what technology can do for the company." Across each of Clark Associates' three main distribution channels, relationships and technology play a key role in the company's success. And Clark Food Service Equipment, perhaps the company's most traditional distribution channel, is no exception. "We use the best of technology to get the best of the relationship, now and in the future," Gene Clark says. In the case of Clark Food Service Equipment it's a negotiated relationship that may take the form of an account manager regularly calling on an operator customer to determine their smallwares needs to a turnkey, architectural relation- ship that helps a customer design and build a new foodservice operation, such as a retirement community. The typical Clark Food Service Equipment customer tends to be a larger, more sophisticated operator that requires a specifc level of service that is something more than The Restaurant Store can provide. For example, the Clark Food Service Equipment team visited a site managed by a contract feeder and took several pictures while touring the facility. Upon returning to the offce, the team developed a report specifc to that facility that included recom- mendations on how to enhance the appearance, customer experience and overall effciency. The relationship may start out as project based, as is the case with 11400, but can evolve into something more long-term. As such, Clark Food Service Equipment typically has about 150 to 200 active jobs at any given time, mostly up and down the East Coast, Gene Clark says. To help keep track of the current projects and those in the pipeline, Clark Associates uses a proprietary system developed in house by the IT team. This system provides quick snapshots of projects and allows managers to dig deep into the details. And Clark Food Service Equipment can handle its cus- tomers' ongoing smallwares orders via its online arm — Clark Pro. The Clark Food Service Equipment team, similar to other parts of the com- pany, also uses lots of web conferencing to coordinate projects internally, with clients and with other members of the project team. In addition, the company makes a lot of information available on its website, including inventory levels, product specs and videos that show how to use specifc products. 800.988.8103 360.650.1111 woodstone-corp.com Discover why OVER 13,000 OVENS, rotisseries, charbroilers, tandoors, and planchas have been S OLD IN 75+ COUNTRIES worldwide. Made in the USA. Visit the Wood Stone Booth #4456 May 16-19, 2015 McCormick Place, Chicago, IL STONE HEARTH & SPECIALTY Commercial Cooking Equipment Changing the Way You Cook since 1990 2015