October 2014 – Back to School Orders
Posted: October 10, 2014
A Message from Your Industry Representative,
It seems to me as we get older time seems to go by very quickly. This year has been no exception. Many of us are getting ready for this year’s version of the commodity shows and assisting our customers in the diversion process. Others are getting set for the many fall State Conferences that are coming up. It’s a busy time for all.
One thing that seems to stand out to me this year even more so than previous years is the change of the flow of back to school orders. This, in addition to the very limited forecast information that we receive from the bid process, caused some strong concerns for many in August. I do believe that in today’s world of instant communication technology this issue seems to be quite archaic. I know we all work diligently to gather bid award information and we collectively struggle with the quantity accuracy of those bids. I do believe we will need to put our heads together on this one. The shorts and out of stocks are a product of this environment.
Just a friendly reminder to please save the date and plan to attend the 2015 Celebration of School Nutrition Heroes on March 2, 2015 during LAC. Information for sponsorship is available on the SNA website here or you can contact me. It will be an amazing evening!
In closing, let me know how I can better serve you as your Industry representative, no issue is too small or large. Thank you for what you do every day for the children of this land.
Gary D. Vonck
KeyImpact Sales & Systems
SNA Industry Representative
Published in – Industry Insider: News from SchoolNutrition.org Vol. 12, No. 9 – October 10, 2014
About the Author:
Gary Vonck
VP - Education Division
Gary Vonck has been with KeyImpact since 2007, adding to an impressive 40-year foodservice career. His knowledge and passion for child nutrition are unsurpassed. Gary oversees the Education Division, which includes sales, bid, and commodity teams across the entire nation.
Gary is an active member of the SNA and was the first and only broker/agency representative on the School Nutrition Association’s Industry Advisory Board, as the appointed Industry Representative, in 2008 and again 2014. Gary has also served on numerous SNA Task Forces and co-chaired several SNA events. Gary was also on the NSFMI national advisory council. In January 2013, Gary was awarded the Silver Friend of Child Nutrition FAME Award.
Gary Vonck is based in Illinois and can be reached at gvonck@kisales.com.