Understanding Foodservice Redistribution

Understanding Foodservice Redistribution provides a thorough look at the costs and benefits of redistribution for manufacturers and distributors.

Many manufacturers have a hard time getting their entire organization aligned around redistribution. Sales often has one point of view, Marketing another. Supply Chain, Customer Service, and Finance have their own perspectives. As a result the redistribution program can become an afterthought, or worse, the source of ongoing friction within the organization. It doesn’t have to be that way. Since 1996, we’ve been working with manufacturers and redistributors to put together strategies and programs that work for everyone. This experience is behind the success of Understanding Foodservice Redistribution.

Since 1974 I have worked in the foodservice industry. I started as a dishwasher, busboy, and short-order cook in Charlevoix, Michigan. Then I attended Michigan State University, and received a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management (with a Foodservice Marketing emphasis) in 1979. From 1979 through 1994 I held a variety of Foodservice Marketing and Sales Management positions with Sara Lee Bakery, Vlasic Foods, and Awrey Bakeries. During this time I earned a Master’s Degree in Marketing and Finance from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. In 1994 I joined A.T. Kearney as a Management Consultant specializing in strategic and supply chain projects for food industry clients. In 1996 I started Franklin Foodservice Solutions. My goal: "To serve food industry clients on a variety of strategic, marketing and distribution-related projects". In 2007 I wrote and published Understanding Foodservice Redistribution, then in 2008 wrote and published Understanding Jan-San Redistribution. Currently, I am writing a book about the Foodservice Supply Chain and the interactions among manufacturers, distributors, operators, brokers, and the many other participants in this fascinating business.