Thank You to Our Direct Connection Sponsors! |
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IN THIS ISSUE
From the Chair
FCSI OnTap
Latin America Summit 2023
Project Showcase Magazine
Event Recaps
Looking Ahead
Education Foundation Volunteer Opportunity
Membership News
Revit Standards
Industry News
Quick Links
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Spring is in the air! Finally, those of us in the hinterland will be getting out and enjoying the beautiful weather. It is a time of renewal and new beginnings – what a time to be a part of FCSI!
It was great to see so many at the FCSI TA Symposium in February. Half our membership attended - that is just an amazing start to 2023!
With this momentum, I hope that you will all join one of the three Town Hall meetings we have set up to gather member feedback on FCSI TA. The Board of Trustees will begin our Strategic Planning Meeting in September and want to hear from all of our members, both Consultant and Allied, so we can get your opinions on how to grow together over the next five years.
Strategic planning is so important for a professional organization as it sets our goals out further than just the current board. A future forward look at our next 5 years that assures future FCSI leaders have the same vision and goals.
Here are a few conversation starters to be thinking of:
- What are FCSI The Americas three biggest strengths?
- In what areas would like to see improvement?
- What do you expect from FCSI?
- What is the most important value you receive from your membership?
- How do you like to receive communication from FCSI?
- Which of these social media platforms do you regularly use: Linked in, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Other?
- Which of these FCSI communication tools do you use regularly: DirectConnection newsletter, YouTube channel, OnTap, Website, Project Showcase?
- If you could make one change to FCSI would it be?
Please feel free to email me HERE AND join us at one of the following Town Hall meetings to let your voice be heard!
Thank you for your support, and if nothing else, drop in to the Town Halls to catch up and say hello! I look forward to talking with you in April and …. Cheers!
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FCSI The Americas On Tap - Special Edition |
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SEASON 4 - SPECIAL EPISODE
Strategic Planning Message
While OnTap is on hiatus until May, we have a special video from Madam Chair Christine Guyott, FCSI, RDN as FCSI The Americas begins to embark on a new strategic plan.
We want to hear from you and offer two ways to provide your input:
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Email Christine directly HERE with any comments, concerns, suggestions, etc. you would like to see from FCSI The Americas.
- Attend one of our open forum virtual Town Hall meetings to interact with staff and Board members.
While more details will be released as each date gets closer, please note the schedule above to see which meeting will work best for you.
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Haven't watched all episodes of On Tap yet? What are you waiting for?
Catch every episode of On Tap here
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Latin America Summit - September 2023 |
Join us for the first Biennial
Latin America Summit
Sostenibilidad y Bienestar
Sustainability and Well-Being
September 14-16, 2023
Hilton Panama - Panama City, Panama
We've got a great speaker lineup for what is sure to be a new and exciting FCSI The Americas educational event and networking opportunity.
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Thank You to All Summit Sponsors |
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Alto Shaam
Salvajor
T&S Brass
True Manufacturing
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Attention Corporate Members
Check out the exciting sponsorship opportunities for this event - including a new top level sponsor benefit: one on one time at your table with all consultant attendees!
Click here for sponsorship details
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2023 Project Showcase Online Edition |
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2023 FCSI The Americas
Project Showcase Online Edition
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Congratulations to our amazing consultants who had their projects included in our prestigious 2023 Project Showcase Book.
From Schools to Race Tracks to LinkedIn HQ. FCSI Members are so talented.
Check out the 2023 Online Edition below.
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2023 FCSI The Americas Symposium Recap |
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Symposium 2023 was a huge success! The weather was perfect for a night under the stars at SeaWorld and the education sessions did not disappoint!
Thank you to all the amazing presenters, Tarah Schroeder and the Symposium planning team, and of course the generous sponsors who made it all happen!
View the recap video here, save photos from the Symposium here and access session materials here.
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Latin America Events held in
San Salvador and Guatemala City
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Hosted and Reported by FCSI The Americas Latin America Trustee Juan Matamoros, FCSI |
On March 9 and March 14, the conferences organized by FCSI and Food Gurus were held in the cities of San Salvador and Guatemala City.
Considered a success for the avant-garde themes shown for the Latin American market, topics on gastronomic trends, state of the industry, grab and go meals, commissary kitchen and restaurant design were presented by William Taunton FCSI, Juan Matamoros FCSI, Alejandra Molinar and Heraldo Blasco. In addition, Eric Norman, FCSI, past Chair of FCSI The Americas spoke about the importance of FCSI worldwide and the support they are providing to Latin America.
More than 350 people attended both events. At the end, a Q&A session called “The Gurus Table" was held, with a great participation of the attending public.
Registration is now open for the next Latin America event which will be held in Panama City, Panama, September 14-16. View full event details here.
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May 20-23, 2023
McCormick Place
Chicago
May 21, 2023
The Exchange (SAME GREAT LOCATION AS LAST YEAR)
Chicago
Registration is OPEN! Register HERE
Camacho 55th Anniversary & Who Loves Ya? Golf Tournament
September 26-27, 2023
Bear's Best Golf Course
Suwanee, GA
Details coming soon!
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Educational Foundation seeks new members |
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Have you ever thought about taking a leadership role in FCSI? Well, here is your chance!
The FCSI Educational Foundation is seeking interested consultant members to join its board of directors. The Foundation is in the process of developing a new certificate program in conjunction with Western Kentucky University. This is a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor of this exciting new venture.
The requirements are simple: one hour-long Zoom call a month and one face-to-face board meeting each year. Airfare, hotel accommodations and meals are provided.
If you are interested, please send a message to Greg Jewell, organization administrator, at GREG HERE.
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ASSOCIATE
Adrienne Blackstone - ASB Kitchen Designs
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S2O Promotes Ryan Rongo, FCSI, to Vice President of Design
Chicago, Illinois – S2O Consultants has promoted company veteran Ryan Rongo, FCSI to Vice President of Design
Rongo joined S2O as a project manager in June of 2016. During his time with the company Rongo moved up to senior project manager and played a critical role in many of S2O’s projects including Churchill Downs and the New Orleans Superdome, to name but two. He has also been instrumental in the design and construction administration of the Intuit Dome, the new 18,000-seat arena in Inglewood, Calif., which will be home to the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers beginning with the 2024-25 season.
He’s helped train and develop various members of the S2O team as they came onboard with the foodservice design firm, too.
“Ryan’s willingness to tackle new and different design projects, tasks and more has been instrumental in shaping the success of S2O and allows our company to provide best-in-class foodservice design and project management for our customers,” said Kristin Sedej, FCSI, principal and owner of S2O. “Ryan’s growth as a professional has enabled our company to continue to grow.”
Rongo began his foodservice industry career back in 2001 when he joined M.L. Rongo as a tradesman for the sheet metal fabricator and equipment dealer. Then in 2008 he was promoted to project manager, a position Rongo held until he joined S2O.
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Condolences to the family of Len Bundy
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Leonard Bundy passed away March 11, 2023. Len was a longtime member and friend of FCSI.
Our sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy go out to Len's family and friends and all who were touched by his benevolent service.
Obituary not available at time of print
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Did Your Membership Expire?
Renew your 2023 membership ASAP to avoid suspension of benefits
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Renew your FCSI membership TODAY to ensure that you continue to receive all the benefits of membership.
Renewing is easy! You should have received an email with a link to renew online. Click the link and follow the prompts to process your credit card payment.
Didn’t receive the email? You can log in to your member profile to access the invoice and make an online payment.
Forgot your username and password? No worries, contact Penny for assistance at penny@fcsi.org or 309.808.2165 ext 3.
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Consultant Members - Be Sure to Log Your Required CEUs |
Professional members of FCSI must log 12 CEUs, Senior Associates must log 6, and Associate members must log 3 CEUs annually.
FCSI Education Providers offer hundreds of programs to help you you meet your CEU requirement. Check out all the programs here. In addition to these programs, many other activities qualify for CEU credit - trade show attendance, factory tours, speaking engagements, etc. See the full list of CEU eligible activities here.
If you have questions about your CEU status or need assistance accessing your member profile, please contact penny@fcsi.org.
Instructions for logging CEU credits in your journal:
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FCSI has established standards to ensure consistency, optimum functionality and quality of the BIM content provided for foodservice equipment. The standards document has been created in cooperation with input from representatives of the three FCSI divisions APD, EAME & TAD, having formed the FCSI BIM Taskforce (2020 – 2021) of Professional Consultants. The FCSI BIM Taskforce proposes that this document is used as guidelines to assist content creators globally. The objective of this Standard is provided as a template when content creators are commissioned with producing Revit families of foodservice equipment for the manufacturers of foodservice equipment. This document is not catch all to solve all issues in all regions. We acknowledge that some additional work will need to be tailored to suit local applications and codes. View the full document here.
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Highlights from the February Report
- Majority of chains have upgraded their websites; upbeat, moving graphics, improved messaging.
- More chains are joining monthly subscription trend.
- Californias new bill would establish joint franchisor/franchisee liability for QSR.
- Off premise - DoorDash's latest tool allows merchants to download sales data.
- IRS proposes new Tip Reporting program that would affect restaurant's, tipped workers.
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Want to share your stories, projects, or insight? |
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Headquarters is always happy to feature articles from Consultant Members in the Direct Connection. We encourage you to share your experiences and ideas with the membership!
If you would like to have an article featured in the Direct Connection, email your submission to Penny by the 23rd of each month.
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