Pam Bernardi, The Wasserstrom Co., Phoenix
-- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 9/26/2007 8:45:00 PM
 Pam Bernardi Regional Account Manager The Wasserstrom Co., Phoenix, Az. |
Pam Bernardi, regional account manager for The Wasserstrom Co.’s distribution center in Phoenix, prides herself on providing superior customer service.
“I have trained myself through the years to listen, to really understand what my customers’ needs are,” she said. “I also take it upon myself to make sure I know the new things that are out on the market, to carry them around and show them so I can keep my customers educated as well. And I return calls within 15 minutes, which they tell me is unusual.”
A veteran of more than 25 years in the foodservice business, Bernardi came to Wasserstrom from R.W. Smith & Co. three-and-a-half years ago as the dealer’s first-ever Phoenix-based DSR serving the regional market. She now services as many as 125 accounts.
“We’ve always had somebody on the national-accounts side here,” she noted, “but I’m the first one they put in the market to sell to the local accounts.” Her accounts vary greatly, and include resorts, country clubs, independent restaurants and small regional chains. She is one of four Wasserstrom DSRs serving local customers.
Bernardi has built a reputation as a positive, results-oriented DSR. She accounted for approximately $2 million in sales last year and said she stakes her reputation on serving “high-quality customers who want better-quality product.”
“The Wasserstrom Co. itself believes in supporting the people who have supported Wasserstrom over the years by selling quality products,” she said. “I think of that as a philosophy from the top down. I think we give a fair price for the best quality out there on the market.”
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Wasserstrom’s management team recognizes that Bernardi provides outstanding service to customers both within and outside the company. “I treat the support team as a partner in what I do in the business,” she explained. “We’re in it together. I try and involve everybody, and be friendly, and listen to their concerns as well as my customers’ concerns.” These qualities clearly stem from her experience on the operations side. Bernardi’s first job in the foodservice industry was serving as a manager at Barclay Jack’s, a steakhouse in Tempe, Ariz., which is now closed. She moved onto sales from there in the early 1980s as a marketing associate with Allied Sysco in San Francisco. Throughout her career, Bernardi learned her craft from top executives. One of them was Rosemary Hagman, vice president of purchasing for Allied Sysco with whom she worked many years ago. “Back in the early days of my career she [Hagman] taught me a lot of the different areas of product knowledge and the different manufacturers to go to, and really how to sell on quality vs. price,” Bernardi said. When it comes to the customer service aspect of her job, however, Bernardi added, “I just kind of developed that on my own.”
While Bernardi is versed in all types of equipment, she said she makes no claims of being a “guru.” But I know where to get the information,” she said. Her biggest single project for Wasserstrom was a 300-seat restaurant she helped open in north Scottsdale a couple of years ago. Bernardi not only handled purchasing for all of the equipment but also for a challenging collection of smallwares. “They wanted unique things because they didn’t want their restaurant to be just another me-too,” she said.
Bernardi is looked up to as a mentor by her three younger colleagues. Following their orientation sessions in Columbus, Ohio, each tagged along visiting accounts for a couple of weeks soaking up knowledge and pointers.
She regularly tells colleagues seeking advice to “follow-up, follow-through, communicate and educate.”
“Educating your customer is a matter of you taking the time to look at what’s new on the market, to get samples, and then share them,” she said.
