FER’s 2015 Industry Service Awards

We all live very busy lives. Between our professional responsibilities and our personal priorities, time is definitely not a commodity. In fact, it’s one of the most precious assets we possess. So when we say we’re honoring service with our 2015 Industry Service Awards, we mean it. To volunteer in industry organizations and initiatives outside your immediate realm of responsibility is a huge commitment—it takes time, diplomacy and a determination to see a vision become real. Most of all, it requires selflessness and a desire to give back.

FER created the Industry Service Awards program in 2005. Because the time and energy demands of service to our industry’s organizations are so important—and intensive—we have always partnered with four industry associations to select the winners: the Commercial Food Equipment Service Association; the Foodservice Consultants Society Int’l.-The Americas Division; the Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association; and the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry. The fifth award, given to an operator, is chosen by the staff here at FER. 

For our profiles, we interviewed not only our award recipients, but their peers who worked with them, and who experienced first-hand the resulting benefits these gifts of service produced. Colleagues we spoke to have wonderful things to say about the winners. The response from the recipients is, as ever, “I got more than I gave.” 

We will honor our 2015 Industry Service Awards winners at FER’s Industry Excellence Awards Gala during The NAFEM Show, Feb. 20 at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel, Anaheim, Calif. We’d love for you to join us; just visit bit.ly/1t96MTW for details or call Christine Palmer at 847/336-2049. 

Industry Service—Service Agent
Joe Pierce
President/CEO
Pierce Parts & Service
Macon, Ga.

Years in Industry: 35
Industry Affiliations: Commercial Food Equipment Service Association; Conditioned Air Association of Georgia
Awards: 2013 NAFEM Doctorate of Foodservice, 2014 FEDA Leadership Award, 2014 MAFSI Award of Merit
Charitable Causes: Freemasonry, Shriners Int’l.

Joe Pierce is humble, soft-spoken and thoughtful and an undeniable force for change within the foodservice equipment industry and beyond.

The 35-year industry vet is president/CEO of Pierce Parts & Service, Macon, Ga., and immediate past-president of the Commercial Food Equipment Service Association (CFESA—where he was also chapter president, treasurer, v.p. and board member). 

During his term as CFESA president, he not only helped navigate the association and its members into a new management structure, he also spearheaded the creation of CFESA’s Global Training Center and World Headquarters, which opened in July 2014. Most of all, Pierce has raised awareness and respect for CFESA throughout the broader foodservice industry.

Pierce, now in his ninth year on the CFESA Board of Directors, took the helm during a very challenging time for the association. Members had become so used to the status quo that the thought of making any major changes was daunting. 

“The foodservice industry as a whole had matured, putting us at an intersection where it was time to redirect CFESA’s focus toward the future rather than staying in the past,” says Scott Hester, v.p. and co-owner of Refrigerated Specialist Inc., Mesquite, Texas, (FER’s 2013 Industry Service Award winner-service agent) and CFESA immediate past-president before Pierce. Hester helped pave the way for Pierce by leading the call for a change in the association’s bylaws to allow a fast track path to leadership—members now can run for offices after four years of membership instead of 12.

In 2012, Pierce conducted a coordinated campaign to become CFESA president. “I made buttons [‘Pierce for Progress!’], ran ads in the association magazine, called every member and shook many hands,” Pierce says, and he spent close to six hours a day returning calls and emails on CFESA issues. “I wanted members to know that I wanted to serve the association because I saw all the good we could do for the industry.” 

“What I saw as lacking was the voice of the small business owner, and many CFESA members are small business owners,” Pierce says. “My campaign focused on bringing their issues to light.”

A year later, as president, Pierce coordinated the delicate task of transitioning CFESA from a management-company-run organization to a self-operated one ready to reach out and make a few waves. “Our group had grown sufficiently that it was time we took charge of managing ourselves,” Pierce says. “It was time for new leadership to reach out and better represent the equipment service contribution to the foodservice industry.” 

“All our associations serve one person: the customer,” Pierce says. “My feeling is we could all serve that customer better if we were on the same page.”

To raise awareness of CFESA and find ways to work more effectively with the other channels of the foodservice equipment industry, Pierce attended as many allied association conferences as he could—those run by the Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association, the Supply & Equipment Foodservice Alliance, the Restaurant Facility Management Association and, of course, the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers. He spent hours getting to know other association leaders socially and sharing his association’s vision. 

“Joe has really made a full-time job of rebuilding relationships with CFESA’s allied associations,” says CFESA Executive Director Heather Price. “We had had relationships, but they’d become stagnant until Joe began attending meetings and getting involved.”

Pierce and the CFESA board saw an opportunity to make a difference in a big way: opening a training center. 

“We traditionally have held training sessions twice a year, east coast and west coast, spring and fall, but we were limited to that twice-a-year schedule and only got in about 50 ‘students’ per year,” Pierce says. “The executive board did some number crunching, comparing the cost to sponsor off-site trainings vs. the cost of setting up our own center. And the timing was right. The sluggish real-estate market put us in a prime position to pick up a property.”

Pierce kept members on track, Price says. “Joe made sure the training center was constantly talked about and discussed, and he was forthcoming with costs and other details. Joe kept the membership motivated,” Price says. “It was practically his second full-time job.” 

But Pierce is quick to interject that he was only one member in a team effort. “There is no way any of these changes or projects would have taken place without the support and commitment of many others.”

In May 2014, CFESA purchased an 8,000-sq.-ft. former manufacturing complex in Fort Mill, S.C., on the outskirts of Charlotte, N.C. CFESA’s new Global Training Center will house three state-of-the-art training/testing kitchens. 

“Manufacturers will be able to work with service agents to facilitate equipment demonstrations, conduct hands-on training and present workshops in a cutting-edge facility,” Pierce says.

Pierce says his investment of time and energy and his passion in promoting CFESA’s place in the industry has provided him with multiple intrinsic benefits. Hester understands; he describes it as “a fraternal connection—a sense of reward that comes from enacting change and helping so many good people advance up the ladder. And that’s what Joe excels at.” 

Industry Service—Dealer
Paul Gustafson
President
Ace Mart Restaurant Supply
San Antonio, Texas

Years in Industry: 40
Industry Affiliations: Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association; Int’l. Foodservice Equipment Distributors
Industry Affiliations/Awards: 2012 FEDA Award of Merit; San Antonio Chapter Special Olympics 2012 Coach of the Year & 2010 Family of the Year
Volunteer Endeavors: Special Olympics

“If I had one word to describe Paul, it would be that he’s a giver,” says Ray Herrick, executive v.p. of the Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association (FEDA), Elgin, Ill. Herrick’s had years to form his view of Paul Gustafson, president of Ace Mart Restaurant Supply, San Antonio, Texas. Gustafson was a FEDA board member from 2006 to 2011, chairing the association’s Annual Convention in 2010. He continues to serve as president of the Int’l. Foodservice Equipment Distributors (IFED), a position he’s held since 2009.

“Paul is always looking to see how to make the pie bigger and better for everyone, and he’s always giving back,” Herrick says. 

Gustafson learned to give his time and lend his talents from an early age from his father. Norman “Gus” Gustafson was in property management in San Antonio when Paul was growing up. In 1975, Paul, having graduated from high school, was studying refrigeration in vocational school when Gus offered to buy Ace Mart from Charles Birkmeyer, the original owner of the dealership and a client of Gus’s who became a good friend. The deal was made, and Paul immediately joined his father in the business, attending vocational school for half the day and working in the growing business the other half.

“Dad cashed in his life-insurance policy to buy the business for about $10,000,” Paul says. For living expenses, he adds “Mom taught piano lessons at night so Dad could reinvest everything we made back into Ace Mart.” From the get-go, the Gustafsons structured Ace Mart as a cash-and-carry business, with the cash going into expanding the inventory. 

Within a year, they moved the business from its original 1,600-sq.-ft. space to a 5,000-sq.-ft. space across the street. Today, the company has 15 locations, two distribution centers, more than $100 million in annual sales and it employs 300, many of them 20-year vets. A large number of dealers have gotten into the cash-and-carry business after making the trip to San Antonio to see how Ace Mart handles the business model, according to FEDA’s Herrick.

“Dad visited dealers all over the country to learn from them,” Gustafson says. The openness other dealers showed Gus set a precedent. “So we’ve always had an open door policy here, too,” he explains. 

The business succeeded based on Gus’s philosophy. “He believed in establishing strong relationships with suppliers, with the factories and their accounting people,” says Gustafson, “and his guiding business principle was always tell them the truth and keep the promises you make.”

Gus also encouraged Paul to get involved with buying groups such as ABC (Allied Buying Corp.) and IFED. “He wanted me to learn how to negotiate deals with suppliers, and attending these meetings gave me the opportunity to meet extraordinary people like Ken Gill and Norm Bean. Norm got me involved in IFED 10 years ago, and I’ve been president for almost five years now.” 

Shortly after becoming president, several members of IFED left to form NexGen, another buying group. Gustafson faced the challenge of holding IFED together in the wake of the exodus.

“We listened and learned what our vendors’ needs are and together we created a solution to grow profitability for all. Our model isn’t a fit for everyone; in fact, we had to part ways with several of our suppliers in order for us to ‘walk the talk,’” he says. “In the end, our strategy worked; we have significantly grown our volume and our relationships are strong.” 

Losing key people also created some power struggles within the organization, but under the leadership of Gustafson and the executive committee, the organization stabilized and became even stronger. “Now, with clear goals, our members are very unified,” Gustafson says.

Getting involved with industry organizations has expanded Gustafson’s professional horizons. Conferences and supplier trips have provided opportunities to build his network of friends and professional resources, and have led to experiences he likely would not have had otherwise, such as learning how to play golf and getting involved with the Rosati Ryder Cup competition with friends he’s made. 

“You learn so much through your relationships and the trust you build over the years; they enhance what you’re able to give back,” he says. Learning from others in the industry has helped him become a better mentor, coach and boss.

His desire to give back extends beyond the industry. Ace Mart is truly a family business, involving siblings Norma and Carl, Paul’s sons, and a daughter about to join the company. But since he has a special-needs son, Gustafson has been active in his local chapter of Special Olympics for more than a decade. He’s taken athletes to the national Special Olympics, and was named “Coach of the Year” in 2012. The whole family was recognized in 2010 for its efforts by the San Antonio chapter, as well. 

Gustafson’s advice for those who feel they don’t have the time or knowledge to volunteer is simple. “I don’t know squat about a lot of things,” he says, “but most people, not just those in this industry, are really nice and willing to help you learn. Insist on making time to do things outside the box, and outside your comfort zone, because the rewards are tenfold the effort you put in.”

Industry Service—Manufacturers’ Rep
Michael Turetzky
Vice President
Chernoff Sales Inc.
Pompano Beach, Fla.

Years in Industry: 32
Industry Affiliations: Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry, NAFEM/MAFSI Liaison Committee; School Nutrition Association; American Culinary Federation; Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association
Awards: 2014 MAFSI Pacesetter Award; 2011 NAFEM Doctorate of Foodservice; 2010-2011 FEDA Leadership Award
Volunteer Endeavors: Temple Beth El, Boca Raton, Fla., North Broward Prep (childrens’ school)

In 2004, after attending many MAFSI conferences, and on advice from his mentor Paul Garber, Michael Turetzky, v.p. of Chernoff Sales Inc., Pompano Beach, Fla., joined the board of directors for the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry (MAFSI). (Garber, now retired after 30-plus years in the foodservice industry, was the national sales manager for Amana Commercial/ACP.)

“Paul told me I had to get out there because people needed to know who I was,” Turetzky says. “So I took the plunge and joined the board.” Turetzky said he was quiet at first, listening and learning. “But then I got a phone call that they were looking for a treasurer and I put my name in. I think my personality always pushes me forward. I can never just be a spectator; I have to be in the game.” 

He stepped into the role of treasurer near the end of the Great Recession in 2009. “I became treasurer at a very volatile point in the E&S industry,” Turetzky says. But because of his background with Chernoff Sales, a manufacturers’ rep firm and factory fulfillment center, he had a handle on some sound financial principals. He restructured MAFSI’s budget plans and helped grow its reserve funds.

“Michael was very enthusiastic and generous in giving his time to MAFSI,” says Joe Andisman, president of Chernoff Sales, and fellow MAFSI member. “He updated a lot of what the association was doing so it was more balanced and in tune with what was going on with the changing economy.” 

“We ended up growing the treasury to the healthiest level it had ever been,” Turetzky says. After serving as treasurer, he moved up to MAFSI v.p. and then took the helm as president, a position he held from 2010-2012.

MAFSI Executive Director Alison Cody says because of Turetzky’s leadership, MAFSI is stronger than ever. “Michael treated MAFSI like he treats his own business,” she says. “He focused on people and processes to better position the association for the future.” 

Turetzky was instrumental in getting MAFSI to shift its MAFSI Business Development Conference & Sales Management Forum from September to January and hold it every two years instead of annually. The first conference on the new schedule took place in Palm Springs, Calif., in 2012. “We knew we had to hit the ball out of the park and put together the best conference possible so members would come back two years later,” Turetzky says. “We did, and attendance has more than doubled.”

Under his leadership, MAFSI began offering more services to members, as well, including a subscription to Agency Sales, a magazine for manufacturers’ reps (published by the Manufacturers’ Agents National Association, Morton Grove, Ill.) 

The association also started sponsoring events to help support industry partners. “I always felt that manufacturers’ reps were successful in the industry, and we needed to present ourselves that way,” he says of MAFSI’s increased involvement.

Turetzky says he owes a lot of his success as MAFSI president to Cody, as well as Danny Collis, Collis Group Inc., Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, and Mike McGuire, Zink Foodservice Group, Westerville, Ohio, who were treasurer and v.p., respectively during his term as president. 

As to his personal commitment to the industry, Turetzky says he always knew he would volunteer one day because he watched his parents. Raised in New York City, he says they constantly volunteered for religious organizations and other charitable causes. “I knew somewhere down the line there would be something out there for me and that I would follow their example,” he says. “If you want to get something out of life, you have to jump in the pool, not sit around the edge.”

Peter Nordell, president and CEO of Edlund Co. LLC, Burlington, Vt., met Turetzky in the late 80s and was the first to suggest he get involved in MAFSI. “What makes Michael unique is that it doesn’t matter whether he’s solving a problem for a customer or volunteering his time toward the betterment of his industry and peers: Once he puts out the effort, he’s all in until the job is done,” Nordell says. “And there’s very little ego behind his motivation; he just wants to do the right thing.” 

Nordell adds, “Michael is famous for saying, ‘I may not be the smartest guy in the room but…’ More times than not, the people in the room would gravitate to his way of thinking anyway. Maybe a lot of those times he was the smartest guy in the room!”

Along with rewards that come from building relationships in the industry, Turetzky says his wife, Teresa, and their children, Jared, 16, and Jocelyn, 14, drive him to give back to the industry, as well. “Whatever I do in life, it’s for them,” he says. 

Industry Service—Operator
Phil Atkinson
Food Service/Laundry Programs Manager
Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office
Minneapolis

Years in Industry: 20
Industry Affiliations: Association of Correctional Food Service Affiliates
Awards & Recognition: 2015 NAFEM Doctorate of Foodservice; Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association Supervisor of the Year (two-time nominee)
Charitable Causes: Cross Food Shelf, Rogers, Minn.; Salvation Army; Families Moving Forward program, St. Joseph the Worker Church, Maple Grove, Minn.

Faced with an impending, planned 60-day kitchen shutdown for floor replacement, Phil Atkinson, Food Service and Laundry Programs Manager at the Adult Detention Center operated by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minneapolis, was casting about for ideas on how to economically serve hot meals to inmates twice a day. The center had budgeted extra money for commercially made frozen meals, but Atkinson thought there ought to be a better way. 

A chance Internet search uncovered an unexpected goldmine of information and support: the Association of Correctional Food Service Affiliates.

“I’d been in correctional foodservice for eight years but had never heard of ACFSA. I stumbled across it by accident and joined the association immediately,” Atkinson recalls of that day back in 2007. 

Soon Atkinson was getting suggestions from correctional foodservice colleagues across the country. The solution Atkinson and Lead Production Cook Mike Sheeley worked out was to pre-make the 43,000 meals he needed on “seal-a-meal” trays to supplement commercially made boxed meals. The cost was significantly lower than buying commercially made frozen meals.

“We started double production about two months in advance,” Sheeley says. “We’d serve 700 meals but would make enough for 1,400 and freeze the extras.” The meals were stored in two freezer trailers and rethermed as needed in a back-up kitchen in an adjacent building. 

When the renovation was complete, Atkinson decided to become more involved with the ACFSA. He agreed to serve as a regional director the following year.

“When I was asked to get involved, I decided I would make it my mission to raise awareness of the association nationwide,” Atkinson says. “Correctional foodservice has long been ignored by the foodservice industry. We feed millions of people daily, and no one knows anything about us. I wanted that to change.” 

Atkinson since has served three years as a regional director and soon-to-be four years on the executive board, including president in ’13-’14 and currently as past president. As a regional director, Atkinson reached out to sheriffs’ associations in 11 Midwest states with presentations, emails and direct mailings detailing ACFSA’s training, meetings and educational opportunities.

When he stepped up as president, Atkinson further expanded ACSFA’s mission. He raised awareness and participation of culinary students in correctional foodservice and he is working to complete the ACSFA Correctional Package Equipment Specifications document that had been started in the 1990s. 

“Correctional foodservice is an opportunity for culinary students to pursue a career in cooking minus the headaches and long hours that go along with restaurants,” says Atkinson, who is always ready to facilitate a tour for students or put them in touch with key people in corrections foodservice. ACSFA now supports the National Restaurant Association’s ProStart program, which delivers an industry-driven curriculum of culinary and management skills to high school students in 48 states, Guam, and U.S. military bases. By offering free membership in the association to ProStart competition winners, “We’ve added about 10 culinary-student members to our ranks as a result,” Atkinson says.

As for the equipment-specifications project, Atkinson and his ACFSA team have identified eight equipment categories—ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators/freezers, etc.—and are listing in detail the areas of each type of equipment that may need modification for use in a corrections environment. 

“I’ve told equipment makers and sales people, ‘If you build it, [the inmates] will break it. If it sticks out, cover it. If it comes off, fasten it on,” Atkinson says. “I recently was talking with a dishmachine sales rep about the company’s latest flight-type dishwasher. I asked about the door hinges. He told me the hinges were reinforced. Well, I’ve seen inmates hang from those doors and swing back and forth, so I told the rep that they needed to consider using a piano hinge [running the full height of the door] instead. I don’t mind paying more up front to make sure the door stays on my machine.”

Atkinson expects the equipment-specifications document will be ready for The NAFEM Show in ’17. 

Atkinson encourages other people to step out of their comfort zones and become involved both to support their organizations and for personal growth. “The people I’ve met, the contacts I’ve made, have been amazing,” he says. “I’m now on a first-name basis with so many people—the president of a major warewashing manufacturer…foodservice directors of the largest jails in the country, dieticians concerned about school-lunch requirements as they relate to feeding juveniles in correctional facilities. It makes me realize we’re not alone in this mission.”

Atkinson’s mentorship and outreach continue to reverberate. “When Phil stepped up as an officer with ACFSA, he brought a great passion and energy to the association at a time it was truly needed,” says ACFSA Executive Director Jon Nichols. “Phil’s leadership has inspired others in the industry to also step up, such as his friend, Police Lt. Timothy Thielman, foodservice administrator at Ramsey County Correctional Facility in St. Paul, Minn., now serving as ACFSA v.p.-elect/treasurer.” 

Both the corrections and foodservice industries have taken note of Atkinson’s work. He twice has been nominated Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association Supervisor of the Year and will receive a Doctorate of Foodservice from NAFEM during The NAFEM Show 2015.

When asked what drives him to continue his mission to garner industry respect for the prison kitchen, Atkinson shares a favorite quote from 18th century revolutionary Thomas Paine: “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” Or, as Atkinson paraphrases, “Where there is no cost, there is no value.” 

Industry Service—Consultant
James Camacho
President
Camacho Associates Inc.
Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C.

Years in Industry: 32
Industry Affiliations: Foodservice Consultants Society International-The Americas; Society for Marketing Professional Services
Awards: 2006 FCSI Award for Excellence in Design, 2010 FE&S Top Achiever—Consultant
Charitable Causes: “Who Loves Ya” Annual Charity Golf Tournament, Northwood Country Club, Lawrenceville, Ga.; Sandy Springs United Methodist Church, Atlanta

With a busy business to run, dependent employees, clients to satisfy and family obligations, it’s remarkable that anyone would consider volunteering more of their personal time. But during a lunch years ago with his long-time friend, Pete Cabrelli, James Camacho, FCSI, president of Camacho Associates Inc., Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., asked Cabrelli why he volunteered to serve the industry year after year. Cabrelli, owner of SEMA Inc., a manufacturers’ rep firm based in Atlanta, was a past-president of the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry and served the association in many capacities.

“Pete said he wanted to give back to the industry for what it had done for him, his family and so many others,” Camacho says. “I’ve thought about that many times over the years. I volunteer to give back to the industry that has given so much to me and my family.” 

In 1978, Camacho joined his father, Joseph Camacho, FCSI, in Camacho Associates, the consulting business his father started in 1960, and he purchased the business from him in 1996.

While attending a Foodservice Consultants Society Int’l. reception in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2006, he and his wife, Cathey, met Karen Malody, FCSI, principal of Culinary Options, Santa Fe, N.M. “Karen found out I was from Atlanta and asked if I wanted to help plan the upcoming FCSI conference there as a member of the conference planning committee. I said I would,” Camacho says of his first foray into volunteering for the society. And he never looked back. 

Camacho’s list of volunteer endeavors with FCSI-The Americas (TA) division is extensive. After helping plan the 2007 FCSI-TA Conference in Atlanta, he went on to help organize two more conferences as a member of the official FCSI-TA Conference Planning Committee.

He chaired the 2012 FCSI-TA Conference in Kansas City, Mo., which he considers a career highlight. “This was an important conference showcasing the change and growth of FCSI, both internationally and in the development of The Americas division,” he says. The FCSI-TA board of directors—led at the time by Ed Norman, FCSI, chair; Jim Petersen, FCSI, chair elect; and Wade Koehler, FCSI executive director—set up a new operational model that empowered all of the society’s divisions (TA, Europe-Africa-Middle East and Asia-Pacific) to become more directly responsive to the demands of their own unique membership’s interests and demographics. The model launched a new era of growth and effectiveness for the society. 

After the 2012 conference, Camacho resigned from the conference planning committee but continues to participate on the FCSI-TA Conference Steering Committee, where he also served since 2007. He consistently represents the society at allied industry group meetings and has delivered presentations at FCSI conferences and events hosted by the Association of Correctional Food Service Affiliates, the Georgia School Nutrition Association and other industry-related organizations and associations.

Camacho joined the FCSI-TA board of directors in 2010, started serving as secretary in 2012 and accepted the position of chair elect in 2014. He will step up to chair in 2016. 

Koehler says, “What makes James unique is his Southern charm and his ability to make everyone in the room feel comfortable. He can command a room full of executives or a room full of chefs equally and with respect.”

Reggie Daniel, FCSI, director of design, Camacho Associates, runs the Charlotte office. “James works harder than anyone I know and yet he’s still able to balance his professional and personal life,” he says. “He’s constantly on the road for projects and in service to FCSI.” 

Daniel continues, “Along with his travels, every year he finds time to host the ‘Who Loves Ya’ golf tournament in Atlanta, benefiting various charities. This has gotten so popular that people fly in from all over the country to participate. His big heart is legendary, and his energy to work with others seems to be limitless.”

This past fall, his team was designing foodservice facilities for such high-profile accounts as Camp Southern Ground, a Peachtree City, Ga., non-profit organization spearheaded by Grammy-winning musician Zac Brown, and assisting in the design of foodservice facilities at the new Atlanta Falcons stadium. 

Ask Cabrelli about Camacho, and he remembers when Camacho bought the business and how he wanted to excel. “After all, the name on the door was Camacho Associates,” Cabrelli says. “James noticed that what set the industry’s leaders apart was their selfless involvement in making sure FCSI members were recognized as true professionals. He knew he wanted to make a positive contribution to the stature and professionalism of the society. Yet, for all his accomplishments, he remains humble.”

Through his role on the FCSI-TA board of directors, Camacho looks forward to continuing the development of FCSI into an association that the industry and its clients perceive as “defining excellence in foodservice consulting.” 

“We’re trying to build the society to a point where, when people think of kitchen design, the first call they make is to an FCSI member,” Camacho says. “We’re also working to add value to the membership, whether we’re helping them land a new project or teaching them how to better run their business.”

Surrounded by encouraging colleagues and armed with decades of experience, Camacho surely will continue to make a lasting, positive impact on the industry.