Learn from Life's Lessons
Joseph M. Carbonara, Editor in Chief -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 10/1/2008 12:00:00 AM
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Joe Carbonara, Editor in Chief |
I like holiday rituals. Eating a big beef roast on Christmas Eve or heading to my cousin Dawn's on July 4 epitomizes those holidays in my eyes. Unfortunately, it seems watching hurricanes try to pound New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, instead of the Jerry Lewis Telethon, has become my traditional Labor Day past time.
That was the situation I found myself in as the calendar rolled around from August to September: glued to the television watching Mother Nature unleash her wrath in the form of Hurricane Gustav.
It was encouraging to see this hurricane play itself out in a much less dramatic fashion than Hurricane Katrina. You can chalk that up, in part, to the people and businesses in the region. From all indications, they successfully applied the lessons learned from the last go-round.
Specifically, our two 2008 Top Achiever Dealers, Associated Food Equipment & Supplies and Loubat Equipment Co., seemingly moved with the knowledge and confidence that only comes through experience. “We all evacuated for Gustav knowing even if it did not hit us we would be without power for a few days,” says Christine Briede, Loubat's president. “When you've been through the worst natural disaster, a standard old hurricane does not phase you too much.”
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"Don't waste the lessons these proud members of the foodservice industry painfully learned for all of us." |
Both companies did a good job of securing their businesses and establishing post-storm communication plans that would allow management to communicate with one another and employees. For its part, Loubat set up a special section of the company web site where employees could communicate with one another and receive information from the dealership. In addition, any Loubat employee with a Nextel phone was given an alternate e-mail address that accessed through the service provider's national network once communication in New Orleans and the other areas affected by the hurricane became hampered.
Because the impact of the storm was mainly felt west of its Gulf Port, Miss., home, Associated and its employees came through the incident in decent shape. Some foodservice operators in the region dealt with lots of flood and wind damage but Associated was back to work in relatively short order following the storm and was able to help customers get back on their feet. The same applies to Loubat, which was up and running in a period of days, not weeks this time.
These dealers' speedy recoveries did not happen by accident. The leaders of these foodservice companies understood what happened during the last disaster and took steps to be better prepared. That's a lesson we should all learn. Specifically, Loubat has a disaster plan in place that management regularly reviews during its meetings, which allows them to expect the unexpected and spring into action.
For those of you reading along and thinking, “I don't live in hurricane country so this does not apply to me,” consider the following: Disasters come in many shapes and sizes. “It does not have to be a hurricane. It could be a fire or a flood or a tornado,” Briede points out.
In 2005, the entire world got a good look at what happens when governments fail to plan properly for a natural disaster. In a business sense, the only true failure in an instance like this, though, is failing to plan at all. Don't waste the lessons these proud members of the foodservice industry painfully learned for all of us. If your business does not have a disaster plan, start writing one today. And if you do have a disaster plan in place, make sure it's up-to-date because you never know when you are going to need it.
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