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6 FEDA News & Views Industry Insights Investing in Our Greatest Assets Jameel Burkett President Burkett Restaurant Equipment jburkett@basequipment.com A CFO asked his CEO one day, "What happens if we invest in our people and they leave?" The CEO thought for a minute and responded, "What hap- pens if we do not and they stay?" That thought has been instrumental in shap- ing my perspective on investing in our team at Burkett. Many business owners share the belief that their most valuable asset is their people, and although I believe this is true, I'd like to refine it. I think it's our pipeline of employees that's the most valuable asset. In this changing world we're living in, cost reduc- tion continues to be a focus as companies are learning to cope with declining margins. How do growing companies do that without losing morale? At Burkett, the answer is simple. We invest in our people to ensure that as we grow, they will grow. Three programs that can help with this ini- tiative are ServSafe, the Certified Foodservice Professional (CFSP) certifi- cation, and the University of Innovative Distribution (formally known as the University of Industrial Distribution). At Burkett, every employee in Sales, Marketing, and Customer Support is required to receive their ServSafe cer- tification within the first year of their employment. It's a great help in provid- ing them with the knowledge to speak confidently to current clients and poten- tial clients about food safety, which is a constant focus for restauranteurs. Similarly, I believe every salesperson should be encouraged to receive their CFSP. This advanced program and con- tinuous education gives you, as the busi- ness leader, the confidence to know that your salesperson understands the com- plexities of the industry when speak- ing with clients. At Burkett, we've found that certified sales reps tend to generate 20-30 percent more revenue and 30 per- cent (plus) improved customer satisfac- tion than sales reps without CFSP. Finally, every year we send four to six people to UID for continuous education in various distribution-related subjects like inventory management, branch man- agement, growing profits, etc. It's been a great educational resource for our company. Everyone who attends finds at least one thing they can contribute to improve our organi- zation. These are three great programs that we all have access to and FEDA offers a limited number of scholarships for each. Sure, training has a price tag but it will pay for itself in the long run. Your employees ben- efit by improved morale from finding themselves more valuable to your orga- nization and seeing themselves grow professionally. Your company benefits by improved profits from savings on mis- takes and errors, reduction in employee turnover, and reduction in labor costs. When you look at it this way, we simply can't afford not to make continuous edu- cation and training a priority. At Burkett, we've found that certified sales reps tend to generate 20-30 percent more revenue and 30 per- cent (plus) improved customer satisfaction than sales reps with- out CFSP.