Austin Young, C&T Design and Equipment Co.

One of Austin Young’s many compelling traits is his ability to bring freshness and enthusiasm to his position as a project manager for C&T Design and Equipment Co. in Columbus, Ohio. Young, who began with C&T in 2023, holds a diverse client base including chains, independent restaurants, schools and healthcare operations. Known by his clients as someone who is very proactive, a good communicator and very resourceful, Young has earned a reputation from his colleagues as someone who is always willing and able to learn more.

Q: You spent some time in the Army Reserves. What did you learn from that experience that helps you in your current role?

A: I learned discipline over and over and over again. Day in and day out. That is probably the biggest thing that I learned. I also learned how to work with a lot of different and diverse groups. That was very important and I never really experienced that until I went into the military. Much like in the military, in my current role I work with people from so many different areas and we all have the same mission: How do we make it work?

Q: Describe your approach to working with customers to find the right solutions to fit their unique needs.

A: I think listening to them is important. Just listening to them and morphing what they want and what’s reasonable is one of the easiest things to do. On the back end, you compare equipment specs and do all that stuff to give them the best equipment and the best advice. 

Q: Have you been able to take lessons learned from a client in one operator segment and apply them to another?

A: One trend that applies to all segments is the need for versatile equipment so that it can work with many different menu options. Not only does the equipment need to be versatile, you have to be able to easily train staff on how to use it. 

Q: One area you pride yourself on is helping clients mitigate risk when it comes to a project. Describe your approach.

A: I am a big believer in that I want to spend most of the time working on a project on the front end, meaning before the product gets to the end user and before the installation piece. I believe that the time of installation and the time after is really where you keep a customer. If it’s your first time working with someone, they’re not your customer yet. They really do not become your customer until they see how you perform on the installation. I make sure the project management is complete, audited and verified and that ship dates are secured. I want to do all of that in advance because when it’s time for installation, that’s when you really need to perform for the customer and for yourself. 

Q: You recently earned your CFSP designation. Why was earning that important to you?

A: I started that [process] at my previous employer and then I transitioned to C&T. I took a year off of doing it and then I realized that continuing education is very important to me. I’ve always believed in education, and I’ve always believed that you need to learn something every day. 

DSR 3-2-1

Austin Young, C&T Design and Equipment Co., sits down with Jason Wange, Foodservice Powerplant Network, to talk about being named an FE&S DSR of the Month.

Find more episodes of DSR 3-2-1 here

Foodservice Equipment & Supplies Presents DSR 3-2-1 is sponsored by Salvajor.