A Message from Your SNA Industry Representative

It’s exciting to see so many new people entering the school nutrition industry. With that in mind, I thought I would share a personal story about the importance of creating and maintaining a culture of “Customer Delight” in your business.

You may have the heard the saying “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ” --Maya Angelou

This quote has been the mental motivation for me to serve others with the utmost respect regardless of who they are, where they come from and what their title might be. I am sure that I have fallen short along the way, but I continue to use this mindset to direct my approach to customer service and working with others. After all, you might never really know how your positive energy, kind words, actions and service may actually impact your business, and even inspire someone else to strive and achieve more through your interactions.

A case in point. I recently received an unsolicited email from a customer that made my day. I met Cindy 23 years ago when I was an inexperienced young buck and she was a High School Kitchen Manager in a district that I was serving. Over the years, I have had the privilege to serve Cindy as my customer, watched her work her way up to become the Food Service Director in several school districts, and have had the privilege of serving with her on our state SNA’s Executive Board, where she climbed the ranks and ultimately was elected and served as state president.

Little did I know, and it was very humbling to learn, the degree to which my actions were being noticed. In her email, Cindy expressed her appreciation for the way she was treated as an individual and customer from day one, and how my personal commitment to service and passion for school nutrition over the past 20+ years were noticed and helped to inspire her on her own leadership journey.

I know this industry well enough to know that many of you have also likely had a profound impact on someone you serve, or have worked with. I share this example as a personal reminder to reinforce the case for striving for “Customer Delight” in every area of your business; with internal and external customers, and everyone you encounter. People may forget the products and services you provide, they may forget what you did and said, but good or bad, they will remember how you made them feel.

As you take on today's challenges, I encourage you to consider how YOU, as an individual member of your team, strive to provide “Customer Delight,” and different ways that you could enhance your approach to delivering this intangible level of service to everyone you meet.

Speaking of making a big impact and some lasting memories, I encourage you to consider getting involved in your state SNA affiliate or at the national level. I also encourage you to attend SNA’s upcoming Annual National Conference in St. Louis, July 14-16.

To learn more, visit www.schoolnutrition.org/anc .

I look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

Michael Miller
SNA Industry Representative
DID YOU KNOW?
The prevalence of districts participating in a purchasing cooperative continues to gradually increase. 70.1% of responding districts reported participating in some form of a purchasing cooperative or group purchasing organization (GPO), up from 61% a decade ago. Learn more in SNA’s 2018 Operations Report.
SNA CALENDAR

May 1-2, 2019
Alexandria, Va.

July 14-16, 2019
St. Louis, Mo.
Important Announcements
Last Chance to Attend This Spring’s Industry Boot Camp: Be the First to Experience the New Format Including an Evening Networking Reception (Only 3 spots available!)
Are you an industry representative new to the multi-billion-dollar school nutrition market--or a seasoned veteran that wants to brush up on the intricacies of this complex segment? Designed specifically for our industry partners, SNA's Spring Industry Boot Camp , taking place May 1-2, 2019 , in Alexandria, VA, is a dynamic educational seminar that provides a thorough overview of today's school nutrition environment, including new information on procurement ethics, a tour of a local cafeteria and a two-hour panel discussion with school nutrition directors. Reserve your spot today, as seating is limited.
 
Take Advantage of Great Advertising Opportunities at the “Hottest Event in School Nutrition”!
SNA’s Annual National Conference (ANC) this summer—aka the “Hottest Event in School Nutrition”—offers you several great ways to reach K-12 foodservice decision-makers. Topping the list is:

  • ANC Program Guide: This colorful 100+ page guide provides thousands of ANC attendees with the onsite particulars for this amazing conference.” This is SNA’s official trade show directory & guide and it serves as a helpful desk reference all year long! WHAT’S NEW: This year, SNA is offering a new opportunity with “Enhanced Listings” for exhibitors who advertise in this publication! Additionally, reach #ANC19 attendees by promoting your booth activities in the new Exhibit Hall map (a stand-alone item packaged with the Program Guide).

Contact your School Nutrition advertising representative today to find out how you can participate in the Guide, the map and many other opportunities!
Annual National Conference Reminders
ANC 2019 St. Louis Exhibit Hall Sign-Up: Less Than 35 Booths Available!
You don't want to miss an opportunity to network with fellow exhibitors, demo your culinary expertise and meet influential decision-makers. ANC is the "School Nutrition Event of the Year"!

If you haven't done so already, visit ANC 2019 Exhibit Hall Sign Up , to see what exhibit space is still available for the upcoming 73rd Annual National Conference in St. Louis, Mo. at America Center on July 15-16, 2019 (new 2-day tradeshow schedule).

Contact Crystal Harper-Pierre, Exhibits Sales Manager at (800) 877-8822, ext. 140 or charper@schoolnutrition.org , to reserve your booth space. Crystal looks forward to hearing from you.
 
Submit Your Program Description for ANC (deadline extended: May 1, 2019)
The official ANC Program Guide includes all session and event information, as well as an in-depth buyers’ guide section. It is a valuable onsite tool and future reference guide for attendees. Visit Submit Your ANC Program Guide Company Description .

Certificate of Insurance
Please provide Rain Protection Insurance (the official SNA vendor) your company’s Certificate of Insurance (COI). It is mandatory for all companies exhibiting at ANC 2019 to carry worker’s compensation, comprehensive general liability (including products & operations), independent contractors, personal injury and blanket contractual liability. It is strongly recommended that exhibitors carry insurance to cover loss of or damage to their exhibits or other personal property while such property is located at or is in transit to or from the Convention Center. You cannot obtain access of your booth until SNA receives the COI. The deadline to submit your Certificate of Insurance (COI) to SNA is May 31.
 
Exhibitor Registration & Housing
Online exhibitor registration is now open. SNA has planned an outstanding series of education sessions and General Sessions. We encourage you to attend these sessions and learn more about the child nutrition industry. Each company receives five (5) complimentary badges per 10x10 booth space purchased. Once your company goes over their badge allotment, there is a $125 fee for additional badges. No badges above your allotment will be processed without payment. Online registration allows you to make changes and additions to your badge order up until the time the site closes on Friday, June 28, 2019. Badges will not be mailed, but available for pick- up onsite at the Registration Desk at the America’s Center Convention Complex.

The Online Registration:

 
  • Click on the icon: Exhibitor Registration
 
  • User Name: Find your company name
 
  • Enter Password: ANC19STL
 
  • Click on Add New Booth Personnel
 
Complete the information that is required. If you have questions about registration, please contact Convention Data Services at (774) 247-4018 or anc@xpressreg.com .

Housing: This year’s procedures require all Exhibitors to register for badges before they will be provided access to the SNA housing system and the discounted rates at the official ANC 2019 hotels. This change in procedure is designed to help the Association better control the inventory of available rooms, ensuring that a greater number of exhibitors will have the opportunity to book their first-choice hotels on their preferred dates and still receive SNA’s discounted rates.

  1. You MUST register for your badge first.
  2. Convention Data Services (our official registration company) will forward you a confirmation receipt that will contain a confirmation number and the link to the housing site.
  3. Click on the housing site link within the confirmation receipt and you will be able to reserve your hotel rooms.

If you wish to reserve a block of rooms, please call Conference Direct/the SNA Housing Call Center at (877) 440-7549; Monday–Friday, 9 am–5pm (EST) or email: sna@conferencedirect.com .

Be a Part of One of the Highlights of ANC—Culinary Demonstrations (Only 1 timeslot available)
The Culinary Demonstrations will be held during the education session time slots; which means more visibility for your company . Culinary Demos provide an opportunity to showcase your latest food products, recipes, techniques, nutrition and food presentation skills and offer ways to enhance school meals and increase participation. These demos will be available for purchase of $3,500 each. You must be exhibiting at ANC19 to present a demo.

2019 ANC New Product Showcase
Enhance your visibility at ANC by displaying your product within the New Product Showcase. The Showcase is a one-of-a-kind display of the new products, services and equipment positioned outside of the Exhibit Hall in a high-traffic area. It is a quick and effective way to introduce and promote your product to the 3,000 ANC operator attendees. Slots are available on a first-come, first-served-basis. Take advantage of this tremendous opportunity and reserve your spot no later than May 31 . Don’t miss out!

Do You Know How to Increase Your Priority Points?
Priority points are earned from June 1, 2018 through May 31, 2019 and are compiled based on criteria found at this link . There is still time to reach out to Sherry Carrigan, scarrigan@schoolnutrition.org , to discuss any sponsorships that might still be available for ANC!

Remember that these points will determine your scheduled appointment for exhibitor sign-up for ANC 2020 Nashville. Contact the following SNA Centers to show your support and to increase your points at (703) 824-3000:

  • Meetings (exhibits/booths) at ext. 140
  • Business Development (membership & sponsorship) at ext. 151
  • Communications (advertising) at ext. 112
  • School Nutrition Foundation (sponsorship) at ext. 131

Change in Personnel
Please notify SNA when there is a change in staff or management, so that we can update your company record. Email the information to meetings@schoolnutrition.org . Thank you.
Legislative & Regulatory Update
Watch Sec. Perdue’s Address at #LAC19
On February 25, 2019, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue addressed approximately 900 school nutrition professionals attending SNA’s 47th annual Legislative Action Conference (LAC). Sec. Perdue spoke about his experiences with school meals programs and USDA’s efforts to provide flexibility to help school nutrition operators better serve students. You can watch a video of his speech here .

School Breakfast Programs Can Now Substitute Vegetables for Fruit
In a recent policy memo , FNS announced that effective immediately School Food Authorities (SFAs) participating in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) may credit any vegetable offered, including potatoes and other starchy vegetables, in place of fruit without including vegetables from other subgroups in the weekly breakfast menus.

FY 2019 NSLP Equipment Grants Distributed to State Agencies
In a recent memo,  FNS announced the allocation of $30 million in equipment grant funding to state agencies, as authorized by FY 2019 appropriations. The memo also provides guidance on the grants’ terms and conditions, period of performance, timelines, funding goals and reporting requirements. Read more .