Frank Boudreaux, Associated Food Equipment & Supplies Company

Frank BoudreauxFrank Boudreaux arrived in the foodservice industry in a most unique manner. Prior to joining Associated Food Equipment & Supplies Company based in Alexandria, La., Boudreaux was employed as a federal prison guard for 23 years.

His friendship with Otto Abad, who worked for a foodservice equipment and supply dealer, spurred Boudreaux’s interest in the industry. Associated Food Equipment & Supplies Company hired Boudreaux in 2015. Abad purchased the company in November 2018.

Boudreaux’s book of business consists of school foodservice projects, which represent a significant amount of his clients. It also includes convenience stores, nursing homes — and in a wonderful touch of irony — jails. Boudreaux serves as a branch manager for Associated Food Equipment & Supplies Company, as well as a member of its five-person leadership team.

Q: How does your experience working in a federal prison for over two decades help in the way you approach your current role?

A: They are so unrelated, and I didn’t do anything on the foodservice side when I was there. I’m not even sure it did other than my ability to communicate with a big, wide audience. There were a lot of different cultures in the prison, so maybe that would be it. At any time in the federal detention center, there were over 100 countries represented there, so I had to figure out how to communicate with everyone.

Q: You handle a lot of bid work for your company. What’s the secret to submitting a successful bid?

A: The whole process is a strategy to me. It’s a puzzle where I have to know what the competition has done in the past, and I have to have relationships with the manufacturers and reps. Those relationships help me know where I can land from a pricing standpoint.

Q: There are plenty of equipment options out there today. What’s the best way to find the right piece for the application?

A: I believe that there is a lot of good equipment. A determining factor for me is the relationships. I have to know whomever I am buying the equipment from will be there if or when the equipment fails. You just have to know they’ll stand behind you if something goes wrong. To me, that’s the most important part of the sale. I’ve developed those types of relationships with manufacturers throughout my career and know that they will be there.

Q: What do you like best about your job?

A: The thing I like best about my job is winning. I love to outwork my competition, and the relationships I’ve made are priceless — both from industry people and my customers. I’ve developed some serious friendships. Ultimately, winning at what I do is exciting to me.

Q: What excites you the most about the future of the foodservice industry?

A: The most exciting thing is the fact that the industry continues to grow. Also, our company is growing. Watching us grow and seeing both my daughters, Carlie and Ashtyn, grow with the company. Ashtyn has been with us for four years, and Carlie just started this year.

DSR 3-2-1

Frank Boudreaux, Associated Food Equipment & Supplies Company, 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.