FUNDAMENTAL RESOURCE GUIDE WEST REGION
Vol. 5, March 2025
CRITICAL CONVERSATION
SPOTLIGHT
Each month, a tactic and strategy will be shared for onsite leaders to use when having critical conversations.
HOW TO HAVE A CRITICAL CONVERSATION
STRATEGIES TO PREPARE
▪ Research and homework
▪ Define clear objectives
▪ Anticipate questions and concerns
DURING THE CONVERSATION
▪ Start with shared goals
▪ Use clear and neutral language
▪ Foster a two-way dialogue – ask for the client’s perspective
▪ Acknowledge accomplishments while addressing issue
AFTER THE CONVERSATION
▪ Summarize key points – highlight agreed actions and confirm next steps
▪ Follow up in writing – send a detailed summary and include timelines for actions
▪ Monitor progress – schedule periodic check-ins and measure key performance indicators
GREAT RESOURCES
§ Operational Excellence – Knock Critical Client Conversations OUt of the Park this Season
§ SDX Access – new Ingenium
§ Success Factors Learning Center – numerous short videos and Ted Talks
» Search honest conversations, constructive conversation, difficult conversations
SAFETY
REFOCUSING ON OUR ZERO HARM MINDSETS
February saw three lost time incidents, each one a reminder that safety is proactive, not reactive. The goal is to create an environment where hazards are mitigated, where every team member feels empowered to raise concerns and where incidents are stopped before they happen.
THE POWER OF NEAR MISS TRACKING & SAFETY WALKS
Data shows that sites actively tracking near misses and safety walks see a measurable reduction in incidents. These tools:
Identify hazards before they cause harm
Encourage a culture of awareness and accountability
Provide actionable insights to improve site safety
By prioritizing these efforts, we collectively reduce risk and reinforce a safety-first mindset.
Thank
SAFETY
SUPPORTING EMPLOYEES WHEN INCIDENTS HAPPEN
If an incident does occur, our priority is ensuring the affected employee receives the care and support they need. Proper claim management helps:
§ Ensure timely medical care and returnto-work plans
§ Keep communication open to support recovery
§ Protect the employee and the team by learning from the event
Every step taken today prevents the next accident tomorrow. Let’s refocus, stay engaged, and keep safety at the forefront. Revisit Brian Varner’s Claims Management Training from February 28 for all the resources!
Regional Support
Galin a Schweitzer
Regional Safety Coordinator (RSC)
Tanya Barrett
Kerr District Safety Coordinator (DSC)
Che ryl Katzberg
Schweitzer District Safety Coordinator (DSC)
Patty Graves
Skawski District Safety Coordinator (DSC)
Su zanne Howard
Vogt District Safety Coordinator (DSC)
Mi chael Adella
Williams District Safety Coordinator (DSC)
Tara Shipp
Wall District Safety Coordinator (DSC)
Take the
March featured clovers and St. Patrick’s Day promotions.
Accounts that combined Lucky Tray Days with prizes and meals experienced growth!
April is our opportunity to launch Earth Day promotions with marketing and emphasis on local produce.
Earth Month Challenge
Take the Earth Month Challenge.
“Dig in” and do your part to save our planet. Pledge your commitment to small actions that reduce, reuse, and recycle items throughout the month. A better tomorrow starts today, make a plan to lead the way! This
MARKETING
SPRING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY
The Fall Survey resulted in opportunities around food quality and variety along with positive customer service call outs. Each account that participated should have provided the results.
To show we are seizing the opportunity and share yearly results, we need to participate in the Spring Customer Satisfaction Survey. The Spring survey opened on March 1 and will run until May 2. Each account can use its Fall link and flyer to advertise and collect data.
For further assistance, please contact your marketing manager, Michell e Heistand.
Spring Survey Guide
MARKETING
FUEL THE FEED
Get ready to FUEL the Feed and bring our incredible work to life!
This initiative is designed to boost participation in social media content creation while reinforcing promotions and operational standards.
Operators will take on a month-long photo scavenger hunt, capturing and sharing their achievements. It’s also a chance to BRAG about their great work and inspire their peers.
The challenge will be simple and fun to complete!
§ Snap a photo for each challenge.
§ Post your pictures to Viva Engage using #BRAG and #FUELtheFEED.
This exciting campaign will begin in April. More information will be provided soon.
VIVA ENGAGE
Viva Engage is our internal social media platform. Post best practices with a photo, share business operation insights, and see others’ activities!
VIVA ENGAGE
Join Viva Engage Schools West Region by clicking on the image to the right. An administrator will review and respond to your request promptly.
Monthly Munch
Keep an eye out for our social media spotlights through the Monthly Munch! Each month, our social media manager, Maleiyah Kelly, will showcase top highlights from our West Region Facebook and Instagram accounts. For assistance with launching a nutrition services site for your district, please reach out to Maleiyah.
MENU SYSTEMS & PROCUREMENT
Promotions
§ Arab American Heritage Month
MONTHLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Fall Forecasting starts March 18 and closes on April 21
§ Fall planning must be completed for September 2 – October 7, regardless of the school start date.
§ Best practice: each calendar week, complete a week of planning in the fall
§ Please include any production adjustments in your menus that reflect the local needs of your district. A strong forecast helps decrease product supply issues.
§ Tools and resources are loaded in the West Region Menu & Operational Resources Menu folder
Oregon Accounts
§ We are switching to Tostitos Chips as the S1 product for next school year. Mission Tortilla Chips no longer qualify for the local Farm to School grant funding and do not provide equivalent VDA value.
Sysco
Portland and Spokane
§ Cheese Raviolis will be assigned to menus throughout May & June to help reduce the amount of stock on hand at Sysco. These are on the SAD in large quantities and stock needs to be reduced/eliminated. You can also add through Production Adjustment : NWR4432 + SR5292
§ Wellness Education: Take the Earth Month Challenge
§ 4/2: National Sunbutter and Jelly Day
§ 4/20: National Tea Day
Big
City Bites
§ Featured City: Atlanta, GA
§ Featured Recipe: Crispy Chicken Pimento Cheese Sandwich
§ Use production adjustment to offer more often, switch menu days, or if you are running BBK
MENU SYSTEMS & PROCUREMENT
PROCUREMENT REMINDERS
When Sysco deliveries are late, please ensure the following process is followed ASAP (same day) for consistent reporting and follow-up issues to be addressed:
§ Name of School District along with unit number
§ Name and address of school site
§ The date the time of the delivery
§ Comments and concerns
§ When sending the emails please include all of the following:
» Sodexo Call Center
» District Manager
» Cheryl Katzberg
» Sysco account manager
CULINARY & COST CORNER
Reminder to work with vendors and communicate when the sites will be open or closed due to spring break- dairy, bread, produce and Sysco.
Reduce all fresh foods before leaving on break by working 3 weeks in advance of school closing. Utilize more canned and frozen fruits and veggies the week prior to break. Have quick prep items to batch cook to ensure there is no disruption in service (frozen prepped pizzas, chicken burgers, etc.).
SUPPORT LINKS
West Region Menu & Operationa l Resources
PrimeroEdge ( PRE) Support
SoUnified – PrimeroEdge U ser Request
Nutrisl ice Support
SY24-2 5 W est Region Pantry List
Distributor Update P ortal (DUP)
Client Procurement Services Call Center (CPS)
SUPPORT CONTACTS
Heather S teele, RD/LD Senior Nutrition Manager:
Elle n Hoiby, RD Database Specialist/NW Dietitian
Che ryl Katzberg Procurement Specialist
Made line Sublet California Menus & Procurement
Ayshia Ranjitsingh, RDN, LD, CD Salem-Keizer PS, Oregon
Desti ny Lee, RDN Lake Washington SD, Washington
HUMAN RESOURCES AND LABOR MANAGEMENT
VOICE ENGAGEMENT SURVEY
Every year, we conduct a global survey of all permanent employees to better understand how they are feeling, what keeps them motivated and what improvements could be made to make Sodexo a better place to work.
The Voice Survey launches on April 22 and will be open for 6 weeks. The survey will consist of 20 questions and comes in 40 different languages. Let’s make sure everyone’s voice is heard!
REVIEWS START IN
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT
This month, we are highlighting the exceptional work of General Manager Gwen Haycock and her team at Murray City School District in Utah. For the second year in a row, Gwen successfully applied for and received a $1,000 Sodexo Stop Hunger Backpack Grant.
Since 2006, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has been supporting backpack programs across the United States, providing nutritious meals to children who are at risk of hunger when school meals are unavailable. Gwen partnered with USANA Kids Eat, a local initiative aimed at eliminating hunger in Utah schools.
In January, Sodexo presented USANA Kids Eat with their grant check, prompting an outpouring of gratitude and appreciation from them towards Gwen and the Murray City SD child nutrition team. The funds were instrumental in distributing 60,000 backpacks during the 20242025 school year.
Additionally, Gwen led a PB & J food drive, encouraging students and families to donate to the Murray Children’s Pantry, a food pantry in the Murray community that provides direct assistance, bags of nonperishable food items, to anyone in need. The drive was a success, resulting in the delivery of 200 pounds of peanut butter and jelly to the pantry.
Thank you, Murray City School District, for advancing the Sodexo Stop Hunger Mission and making a meaningful impact on your community.
From Left to Right: Stephen Cook, Manager of Global Operations for USANA Kids Eat, Angelia Vierra, Development Manager for USANA Kids Eat, Gwen Haycock, Sodexo GM and Doug Perry, Director of Murray Education and Public Relations Officer for Murray City School District
FROM THE GM COUNCIL
Highlights from March 2025 Meeting
The Operations Support team is inclusive of Field Marketing, Culinary, Nutrition & Wellness and Technology. The team is responsible for these programs as well as the related communications.
The GM Council members provided feedback through a Microsoft Forms survey prior to this month’s call on such items as national calls focused on marketing, training resources and sessions, marketing newsletters, opportunity assessments and menu formats. The goal of Operations Support is to simplify and enable operational success by identifying the gaps and where they can help.
Rachel Nicometi (Director, Marketing) and Farina Lees (Sr. Manager, Audience Engagement) joined the March call to further discuss the results of the survey with specific suggestions from the GMs.
Cindy Scott, VP Finance, also joined the call to discuss questions about budgeting training dollars and how we can look at things differently as a segment. Specific examples were shared on how some units have increased participation. She will join the April call to discuss this topic further as well as minimum wage compression. More details will be shared to a broader audience in the future.
FINANCE
Do you know you have access to inventory-related metrics at your fingertips for up to 24 months in eVision? This allows you to check your inventory, DOH trends and spot possible errors.
Log into eVision and navigate to the inventory metrics.
FINANCE
You will see a full view of all inventory-related metrics. Please take some time to explore.
Use dropdown to toggle the view: RM perishable, Schools commodity, etc
24 Months View
Click on YOY Trend line to expand to 24 months view.
CONTACTS AND RESOURCES
Wendy Surak Senior Vice President
509.385.5902
wendy.sura k@sodexo.com
Michelle Heistand Senior Marketing Manager
360.280.6099
michelle.heistan d@sodexo.com
Marketing T EAMS Channel At Schoo ls Marketing Market ing Playbook
Sarah Pagliasotti Director, HR Business Partner
405.885.3481
sarah.pagliasott i@sodexo.com
DE&I – Our Programs
Money Netw ork Services Labor Pulse Xue Atherton Director
910.372.8580
xue.atherto n@sodexo.com
Sue Sluyter Director, Client Partnerships
812.878.4616
sue.sluyte r@sodexo.com
Client for Li fe Resources
Galina Schweitzer District Manager Regional Safety Coordinator
360.259.6108
galina.schweitze r@sodexo.com
SALUS
First Report of Injury Form Safe ty at Sodexo
Heather Steele, RD/LD Senior Manager
918.619.2601
heather.steel e@sodexo.com
West Region Menu & Operational Resources Primero Edge Support
SoUnified – PrimeroEdge User Request
Cheryl Katzberg Senior Manager
425.301.8541
cheryl.katzber g@sodexo.com
Inventory Resources –Teams Channel
PROJECT COORDINATOR
Cathy Willis Project Coordinator 314.561.0366
catherine.willi s@sodexo.com
GM COUNCIL MEMBER
Patty Graves General Manager 541.270.2146
patricia.grave s@sodexo.com
GM COUNCIL MEMBER
Murrough Murphy
General Manager
858.349.6330
murrough.murph y@sodexo.com
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Schools West Region Teams Channel 24-2 5 O pportunity Assess ments Folder Sodexo Safety Cal endar FY2025 All Team Update Calls, PowerPoint Presentations an d Recordings
