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14 FEDA News & Views continued on page 33 Foster Frable Where Have All the Wise Ones Gone? And How Do We Replace Their Knowledge? By Foster Frable Jr., Clevenger Frable LaVallee fosterf@cfldesign.com I am currently working with an architectural firm in Chicago that has been in business for more than 35 years. Their specialty is renovating and rehabilitating historic structures like the ones in many downtown areas where hip restaurants want to renovate and relocate. Prior to the 2008 recession, this particular firm had more than 100 employees, including a core group of 50 specialists who had experience in every aspect of historic preservation design—from finding old bricks and tiles to helping clients secure grants and tax abatements for rehabilitating old structures. Unfortunately, the market for their skills evaporated during the recession, and the firm went from 100 employees to 15 at the low point of the downturn. Now it is back to 35 employees, mostly younger designers that were hired as the economy improved. When the firm tried to re-hire the 50 specialists that had been let go during the recession, not one of them wanted to return. They had either taken an early retirement or given up on the profession entirely. Their departure from the architectural field created the loss of a unique skill set and experience, to say nothing of the nurturing and mentoring these specialists could have offered to the next generation of architects. Unfortunately, this story is not an isolated example. Almost every day I hear about young engineers, service technicians, and restaurant managers making gross errors in judgment because the experts who could have guided them through complex situations are gone. As an example, it's quite com- mon these days to find inexperienced plumbing engineers who have never thought about specifying a grease trap, or per- haps don't even know what one looks like. They think steam is a computer program, not something piped to a kettle or dishwasher. Newly-minted service technicians may have basic technical skills, but without the knowledge gained through experience and mentoring, they aren't capable of figuring out solutions for that "one in 50" problem that prevents a walk-in cooler from maintaining proper temperature or stops draft beer from foaming. We can't depend on books and manuals to find the critical information about selecting, selling, installing, and servicing modern complex foodservice equipment…and that is unfortu- nate. We may try winging it, or hoping the customer will come up with the solution, or pray that the problem will go away, but these aren't reliable tools for success. An automated tool (AutoQuotes is an example) makes finding product specifications easy: just type in a set of parameters and a matching piece of equipment will appear. But finding solutions to problems isn't that easy because the specifications usually don't include the functionality and per- formance a customer needs for a specific operation or menu. What can we do to solve this problem? First we need to acknowledge the problem. It's not going to go away, and people with solutions won't suddenly appear when they're needed. Here are some options: a. Find an experienced sales rep. He or she often knows far more about the brand, the equipment, and what it can do to solve specific customer needs beyond the basics. b. Take advantage of every possible program offered by manu- facturers, the rep community, buying groups, and industry associations to provide group training to DSRs, project managers, and installation staff. c. For employees who need specific technical skills, enroll them in courses and other training opportunities offered through community colleges, culinary schools, and techni- cal schools. d. Take employees to industry trade shows. Many of us who attended the 2013 NAFEM Show in Orlando were impressed by the number of new employees Clark Foodservice brought to the show. Could this be one of the reasons for Clark's rapid rise in industry sales rankings? e. Offer lunch-and-learn programs. Assemble printed equip- ment guidelines so the architects and engineers you work with can better understand the support system and infra- structure to support the equipment you sell. There is a wide range of excellent information available in magazine reprints, guidelines from equipment manufactures, and