November 22, 2013
CEO Newsletter
Te3am,
Our differentiated strategy continues to take firm hold and no more so than with our UK operation. Adam and The Lindley Group have added another two new accounts to the portfolio in the last 30 days – the Sunderland Air Show Event and the premium restaurant operation at the Royal Ascot, a major iconic venue and sports event watched globally. Both represent great growth opportunities and take our win business tally to 11 for the year. Looking forward to winning at least 14 in 2014!
In North America we continue to see unrealistic deals being cut, particularly in the Sports business. This week we learned we were unsuccessful in attaining the new stadium for the Atlanta Falcons. Truthfully, as I’ve stated many times, in the final analysis we will prove that this will be a zero sum return for the so-called winner. Our competitors continue to buy business and are seemingly content with providing inferior product, dubious quality and lackluster service. We are not going there. They cannot continue to make bad deals forever. When the music stops we at Centerplate will be ready. We keep our powder dry until then and seek out growth that makes us proud. We are currently evaluating an opportunity with the Cleveland Browns and early indications point to yet another money deal … we’ll keep you posted.
However, while the buying madness goes on, we must continue to lead in our space, evolve our offerings and redefine the Event Hospitality experience. We need to focus on our tasks, execute like never before and work together as a team. We are not bureaucrats. We do not focus on organizational charts or titles nor do we lift ourselves up by pushing others down. We are not driven by personal gain. We do not take shortcuts around the hard issues nor are we afraid to stand alone on important matters in our industry. The Centerplate Way is to make the Event Hospitality experience better. I see it flourishing in many of the venues I have had the pleasure of visiting. We simply perform better than our competitors. Accuracy of the facts is our friend and our competitors’ Achilles heel. We continue to renew our partnerships with clients that see our offerings as a differentiator. The Centerplate Way must live universally across our enterprise in every department and venue. Are you and your team delivering? I’m betting YES!
E3 moments of the week … all underscore our team bringing the Centerplate Way to life!
Congratulations to Stefanie Warsnip, our GM at Cannon Mountain and Bank of NH Pavilion at Meadowbrook, on being elected President of the Franconia Notch Regional Chamber of
Commerce serving the towns of Franconia, Sugar Hill and Easton, New Hampshire! We are very proud of her service and dedication and know that she will be an effective leader for the local business community.
Our brewer at John Harvard’s Framingham, Robert Shultz, won the gold medal for his Oktoberfest Beer at the World Beer Championships this week in Chicago, beating Sam Adams among others. This is the second gold medal in a row for Robert in this competition. A big round of applause for Robert and our Framingham team!
At a regional competition sponsored by Woodford Reserve Bourbon and Esquire Magazine, our Beverage Manager at Music City Center, David Lipford, took second place overall for his drink “The Applewood” which was also voted the most creative by the judges. The drink features a charred apple and fall spice infusion for which David and Executive Chef Max Knoepful developed a Sous Vide vacuum bag process. Our client posted a photo and congratulations on the Center’s Facebook page. Great job by David, Chef Max and our Nashville team!
Kudos to Dorian Webster, Accounts Receivable, on being named Q3 Employee of the Quarter at the Greenville Support Center!
As stated at our Annual Conference in Denver we have to stay disciplined and actively seek out opportunities. We have clearly started down that path and are seeing results. Our UK team is on a sales roll and even more opportunities in the UK are just around the corner.
Onwards!
Walter Perez November 23, 2013 at 5:44 am
Great job Chef Max Knoepful