U.S. Foodservice

Here’s a chance to learn about the people that make U.S. Foodservice a leader in the food distribution industry.

Helping Customers Win

Joerg Theilemann, territory manager, San Diego, and his customer John Haedrich, owner of Tip Top Meats and European Delicatessen, have a relationship that goes back decades and has helped Tip Top Meats to thrive.

“Big John” Haedrich is 81 years old. He came to the United States in 1959 and started his Carlsbad, Calif. business in 1977. Haedrich says he has known his U.S. Foodservice sales representative “since the beginning.”

“U.S. Foodservice has remained my supplier over the years because of the close relationship I have with Joerg. He is a unique guy – service-oriented, knowledgeable, with excellent sales skills. He is very reliable and is right there when we need him.”

“We have a unique relationship. The company and Joerg provide consistent service, quality and convenience versus the competition.”

Wemin Ang, a driver for the Norwich (Conn.) division, goes beyond expectations for his customers. Ang, who has worked for U.S. Foodservice for more than 13 years, received high praise from Chad Hayes, manager of Sodexo Dining Services’ Windward Café at the University of New England in Biddeford, Me.

In a message to the division website, Hayes wrote:

Wemin Ang is a kind-hearted, ambitious, motivated individual who has gone above and beyond to ensure that our product is delivered and handled properly.

Wemin has taken it upon himself to keep in touch so that he and I can stay on a more accurate schedule. He has assisted my staff and me with storage and the organization of product. He performs these tasks in half the time it would take any other driver to simply drop off an order. Wemin has made the act of receiving a frozen order with limited freezer space and multiple drop-off destinations a stress-free experience, and his demeanor is always a  welcoming start to the day. Thank you, Wemin!

Service Beyond the Ordinary

U.S. Foodservice takes pride in every item it delivers to its customers.  So when Winking Lizard Taverns called to report tearing in the packaging of a batch of tortillas delivered by U.S. Foodservice, a dynamic team at U.S. Foodservice-Cleveland sprung to action. 

Greg Ulreich, territory manager, immediately called the vendor and discovered that they were working with the manufacture to correct the problem.  Because tortillas are a key item on the Winking Lizard Tavern’s menu, U.S. Foodservice knew they couldn’t afford to wait. 

Ulreich turned to his U.S. Foodservice team to help him source a new product.  Brenda Thompson, category manager at the division asked Eileen Scott, customer service representative, to ship a sample case to each Winking Lizard location to ensure that the new product met their needs. 

Meanwhile, Chris Quinn, exclusive brands specialist, made the trip to a nearby Winding Lizard Tavern to personally ensure that the customer was happy with the replacement product.  Greg Riegelsberger, margin manager, then worked out the pricing. 

“The amazing thing is this customer issue was resolved in less than four hours,” said Denise Machesky, at U.S. Foodservice-Cleveland. “We have great teamwork at the Cleveland division and we accomplish great things for our customers every day.”

Chicago and New York Metro division employees delivered exceptional service to the Bravo Network’s “Top Chef” winner Stephanie Izard.

The Chicago division had been working with Chef Izard for six months as she has travelled and cooked all over the United States. On a Wednesday in December, Stephanie emailed the Chicago division if U.S. Foodservice could supply food for an event she was participating in at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. She was flying in on Saturday and would prepare the food on Sunday at the nearby Culinary Academy of New York. That meant the food had to be delivered on Friday!

The New York Metro team came to the rescue. Angela Vitiello, customer service representative, teamed up with Kayne Malinowski, director, Sales Administration and Nicola Genova, credit manager to make sure Stephanie had everything she needed on time. On delivery day, Emiro Franco, manager, National Accounts, drove his car containing the food through a snow storm to New York City, getting the order to the culinary academy in time.

This teamwork enabled Chef Izard to prepare a sumptuous meal and the event raised money for the James Beard Foundation and its mission to “celebrate, preserve and nurture America’s culinary heritage.”

Chef Izard is preparing to open her new Chicago restaurant, Girl & the Goat, later this year and the Chicago division hopes to be its boradline supplier.

Leading the Way

30 Years of Living our Values: Bob Stout, Southeast Region president, Greenville, S.C., won the U.S. Foodservice Paula Parker Values Award for 2009. The award is given to the employee who best represents the company’s core values.

In his 30 years in the food industry, Stout has become known to his colleagues for promoting and displaying honesty and integrity within the company and industry. He is an advocate of employee safety, partnership and teamwork, leading by example and inspiring excellence in everyone with whom he works. He lives by the values pyramid and his leadership drives the region’s results.

Leadership Under Fire: Jimmy Kiser, division president, Paducah, Ky., received the U.S. Foodservice Bob Tobin “Leadership Under Fire” award for 2009. The annual award honors a division president who has shown courage, judgment and leadership in the face of extraordinary circumstances.

When an unprecedented ice storm hit western Kentucky in January 2009, it knocked out power to more than 600,000 homes and businesses. Nevertheless, the Paducah division continued to serve its critical healthcare accounts. Kiser spent 40 hours straight at the division office working with information technology staff to reroute orders to unaffected divisions and ensuring that employees and their families were safe and had a warm place to stay. Under his leadership the division’s service to its healthcare accounts during this crisis earned U.S. Foodservice significant additional business transferred from a competitor.