DSR of the Month

The only monthly feature that profiles the careers of the industry’s most accomplished foodservice equipment and supplies dealer sales reps by presenting their achievements, views on customer service and secrets to their success.

DSR of the Month: Cliff Macbeth, Dealer Designer and Project Director, CMA Restaurant Supply and Design

Details: Published: May 1, 2017; Written by Lisa White, Contributing Editor

Cliff Macbeth, Dealer Designer and Project Director, CMA Restaurant Supply and Design, Kirkland, Wash., says he got started in the foodservice industry by mistake in 1973, after graduating from Ohio State University with two architecture degrees. There was a glut of architects in the market at that time, so he took a job as a foodservice draftsman.

DSR of the Month: Gilles Brochard Senior Business Development Manager, TriMark R.W. Smith

Details: Published: April 3, 2017; Written by Lisa White, Contributing Editor

Majoring in industrial organizational psychology at California State University in Long Beach and simultaneously working as a trainer and bar manager for a restaurant company was instrumental in Gilles Brochard's career at TriMark R.W. Smith.

DSR of the Month: Gina Vitagliano, Account Executive Johnson-Lancaster and Associates

Details: Published: March 1, 2017; Written by Lisa White, Contributing Editor

When U.S. interest rates began dropping, it was good news to most people. For Gina Vitagliano, a bank manager, this development prompted her to seek a new career. "One of my customers, the general manager at a small foodservice equipment and supplies dealership, offered me a job, and I decided to take it," says Vitagliano.

DSR of the Month: Eric Harrison, Director of Key Accounts Supplies on the Fly

Details: Published: February 1, 2017; Written by Lisa White, Contributing Editor

After managing a pizza franchise for a number of years, Eric Harrison, Supplies on the Fly, knew he wanted to be in sales. He joined his first foodservice equipment dealership in 2003 and was determined to educate himself about every aspect of the industry along the way.

DSR of the Month: Jack Burks, Session Fixture Co.

Details: Published: January 3, 2017; Written by Lisa White, Contributing Editor

Jack Burks, Session Fixture Co., seemed destined for the foodservice industry. After almost four decades serving in numerous capacities, he now considers it a fixture in his life.

DSR of the Month: Jim McMahon, ADE Restaurant Services

Details: Published: December 1, 2016; Written by Lisa White, Contributing Editor

With more than three decades of industry experience under his belt, Jim McMahon wears many hats handling contract sales and design at ADE Restaurant Services. His diverse background may have something to do with this: McMahon began his career at Illinois Range remodeling McDonald’s restaurants before joining Kochman Consultants to produce the KCL Cad Library for the foodservice industry.

DSR of the Month: Luke Gradishar, Grady’s Foodservice Equipment and Supplies

Details: Published: October 3, 2016; Written by Lisa White, Contributing Editor

Although Luke Gradishar has only worked 2 years as a full-time member of his family’s 67-year-old dealership business, Grady’s Foodservice Equipment and Supplies, he has been involved in the company for as long as he can remember.

DSR of the Month: Paul Roeske, Stafford-Smith

Details: Published: September 1, 2016; Written by Lisa White, Contributing Editor

With a goal to move back to his wife’s hometown to raise his two young children, Paul Roeske interviewed and received job offers from two companies in Traverse City, Mich. — one was Stafford-Smith.

Andy Dalton, National Sales, C&T Design and Equipment Co., Cincinnati

Details: Published: August 3, 2016; Written by Lisa White, Contributing Editor

Andy Dalton knew he wanted a career in sales, but wasn’t clear on what he wanted to sell. After stints selling mobile homes and cell phones, a friend convinced him to give restaurant equipment sales a shot.

DSR of the Month: Luke Green, Rapids Foodservice Contract & Design

Details: Published: July 1, 2016; Written by By Lisa White, Contributing Editor

Eleven years ago when Luke Green began his career working part-time in Rapids Wholesale Equipment’s warehouse while attending college, he didn’t realize the potential before him.

DSR of the Month: Michael Wahl, Sales Representative, TriMark SS Kemp, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Details: Published: June 1, 2016; Written by Lisa White, Contributing Editor

For some, the foodservice industry is more than a job — it's a lifestyle. This is true for Michael Wahl, who has worked in the restaurant industry since washing dishes in a military mess hall at age 13. Years later, he went on to serve as a district manager for a multi-unit quick-service chain.