Amelia Island, FL – Members of the International Foodservice Distributor Association (IFDA) — representing annual sales exceeding $110 billion — hailed McCain Foods USA as the 2010 IFDA Supplier of the Year, giving the company top ranking in a survey rating five key performance indicators. The survey rated 47 leading foodservice manufacturers who participated as “IFDA Partner” members in 2010. The company was presented the award during the opening event of the 2011 IFDA Partners Executive Forum in Amelia Island, FL.
“Each year we survey the IFDA distributor membership and ask them to rate the effectiveness and performance of manufacturers that participate in the IFDA Partners Program,” stated IFDA Chairman Mac Sullivan, president & CEO of Pate Dawson Company. “Our goal in presenting this award is to recognize exceptional manufacturer performance in working with their distributor customers,” said Mr. Sullivan during the award presentation.
Randy Wieland, SVP of Foodservice Sales for McCain Foods USA, accepted the 2010 IFDA Supplier of the Year Award on behalf of the company. The award was presented at the IFDA Partners Executive Forum, which is attended annually by approximately 50 leading distributors and 50 leading manufacturers.
“I am personally privileged and very proud to accept this award on behalf of McCain Foods USA employees who work very hard to make us an easier company to do business with,” said Randy Wieland, senior vice president foodservice sales for McCain Foods USA. “As I look out across the room here, there are a lot of manufacturers that we admire and that makes this award that much more special. McCain makes a commitment to take an industry leadership role, and that includes initiatives that we are undertaking with distributors to make our industry better — more effective, more efficient, and to drive out costs,” said Wieland, who thanked the IFDA distributor community for this honor.
Randy Wieland (2nd from right), SVP foodservice sales at McCain Foods USA, accepted the 2010 IFDA Supplier of the Year Award on behalf of the company. IFDA Chairman Mac Sullivan (left), president and CEO of Pate Dawson, and IFDA President & CEO Mark Allen (right), presented the award during the IFDA Club Sizzle Reception at the 2011 IFDA Partners Executive Forum. Other members of the McCain team on hand include VP Marketing & Innovation Joe Bybel (2nd from left – right), VP Foodservice Sales Mike Sullivan, and VP Corporate Business Development Chris Behmer.
McCain Foods USA received the highest score in the survey with excellent ratings on handling account issues, effectively communicating product information, and providing appropriate sales training tools, among others. IFDA also publicly recognized the second and third place ranked manufacturers, including second place finisher Tyson Food Service Group, which received excellent ratings in conveying product information and providing effective sales training materials, and third place finisher General Mills Bakeries & Foodservice, which received high marks from IFDA members for effectively working with the distributor sales force.
For the 2010 survey, 47 suppliers were rated on their effectiveness in five key business areas:
• Conveying product information,
• Working with the distributor sales force,
• The quality of sales training material,
• Communicating advertising and promotional information, and
• The availability of company representatives for handling account issues.
• The IFDA Partners Executive Forum, at which the award is presented, is a top-to-top conference where executives from foodservice distributor and manufacturer companies hold meetings to discuss goals and strategies for business growth.
Source: International Foodservice Distributors Association