Anne Gadon Rodriguez, CFSP, Zepole Restaurant Supply Company

Prior to joining Bolingbrook, Ill.-based Zepole Restaurant Supply Company 11 years ago, Anne Gadon Rodriguez spent six years as a salesperson with Performance Food Group, a broadline distributor. More than a decade after making the move to the equipment and supplies side, she has grown the company’s client base into a new segment by securing the business of The Hatchery, a shared kitchen concept in Chicago. In turn, that led Zepole into other projects, including a growing number in the rapidly evolving shared kitchen space.

Q: You’re known as a good networker. How is that important to you and your company?

A: Being near Chicago, which is a major market, there are a lot of groups to meet. I met a woman from The Hatchery at a networking event. Also with projects, networking helps you build relationships very early with architects and contractors. You tell them that we’ll help with the early design processes. When approaching a project or a relationship, I look at how I can help someone else. I’ve built up my referral network and I consider it very reciprocal.

Q: Breaking into new market segments isn’t an easy process. What is your approach to that?

A: It evolves over time. You have to cultivate relationships early in the sales cycle to remain top of mind. You have to be willing to stay the course. You have to respect the time it takes to get those results. The sales cycle is long. We get in with equipment and do a good job, then we can do everything in the supply business. We have a family culture and our reps have more integrated relationships and are more nimble. Larger companies are more siloed. We’re very unique and we really partner more.

Q: You came to the equipment side after having worked for a broadline distributor for six years. How much did you know about equipment and supplies at that time?

A: I didn’t know anything about equipment, and I thought that was OK because I knew supplies. But sometimes what you know is what you don’t know. It took me a while to come to appreciate that a few $100 supply orders could lead to greater things. It was very humbling. I was used to selling green beans and beef; this was a major shift in focus. Now it’s second nature, but it was hard in the beginning.

Q: What’s the key to getting an equipment spec right?

A: We do it in a couple of ways. We work as a team and I work with Kristina Dancy, who is our equipment and design specialist. We set her up to do the equipment quoting. To make sure I get the right specs, I work within the team concept. If something is more complex or the customer wants to look at more options, this is where we have Kristina’s full-time commitment to equipment. The advantage to that is Kristina will work with them for the exact specs. The customer knows we have the resources to fill in if they need a single piece. That helps me grow and work faster. I have a chain that backs me up and I can keep growing. We want to meet the customer’s needs through price, lead time and usage.

DSR 3-2-1

Anne Gadon 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.