I think really understanding how food is formulated helps with recommending products for applications within the hospitality space. I have a master’s degree in food science and I put that to work for my clients. My team can get in front of customers and show them new and innovative items. We show our expertise in the categories we manage and offer a broader outlook on the category. We can show them the ideas they may not otherwise be exposed to.

We can also use our experience to educate our customers. For example, a common misconception is that meat production is “bad.” It is not all bad. We try to partner with those suppliers that are doing things the right way. We spend a lot of time vetting the suppliers we partner with to make sure they are providing good manufacturing practices.

Listening to our customers’ needs and helping them solve problems leads to great experiences not only for our clients but also for our Avendra sourcing team. Our best days happen when we’re negotiating and finalizing great deals for our clients, showing the value we bring to suppliers.

Knowing how food manufacturing works and the costs associated with that production allows us to negotiate the best prices for our customers. We also have deep relationships with our suppliers and understand their pain points and business plans. Understanding the situation from both the customer and the supplier side allows us to create deals that are the best for everyone.

I was fortunate to be chosen for a program called Women in Seafood and travel to Alaska to experience the wild salmon season in Dutch Harbor. We went King Salmon fishing, visited a few processing facilities, and took one of the boats used in the “Deadliest Catch” TV show from Dutch Harbor to the Aleutian Islands on the Bering Sea where we whale-watched and fished for pollock. I was lucky on that trip and was also able to visit Katmai National Park, which is only accessible by float plane. While I was there I got to see brown bears hunting salmon in one of the abundant falls: Brook Falls (made famous by National Geographic).