When Dan Sudhoff responds to a work call, his customers can take solace in the fact that their problem will be addressed by someone who is far from new to the industry. Sudhoff, who is the P.M. lead service tech for Professional Food Equipment Service, a Vanco Company, and is based in Fort Wayne, Ind., has been in the industry for 35 years and brings an impressive resume. Overall, he’s been with the company for roughly 20 years.
Dan SudhoffSudhoff’s service segment journey began when he saw an ad for a maintenance position from a local company that owned a chain restaurant and hotel. In addition to that role, Sudhoff has been employed by other service companies including Commercial Parts and Service and an eight-year stint with General Parts as a service supervisor.
In 2004-05, Sudhoff redesigned a custom refrigeration line for a local unit of a national casual dining chain. That led to Sudhoff getting 26 more stores to refurbish. Sudhoff’s wealth of experience and knowledge even allowed him to run his own business for three years.
While Sudhoff is versatile enough to handle pretty much any service call, his areas of expertise are HVAC and refrigeration.
Q: Over the course of your more than 35 years in the industry has foodservice equipment become easier or harder to service?
A: It’s gotten a lot harder. There are so many more things and there are more complex electronics. You have combi ovens now that are really sophisticated. Refrigeration has even gotten sophisticated with electronic controls and electronic valves. That has really exploded in the last two or three years.
Q: You’re responsible for training many of your company’s technicians. How has training evolved over the years? And what makes for a good training experience?
A: I really enjoy training. When I started, you rode with a tech for 45 days. You have so many more resources now for training. You can train over the internet and over the computer and different things besides riding with the guy all the time now.
Q: Lots of operators scoff at the idea of buying into a planned maintenance program. How do you convince them of the value of planned maintenance (P.M.)?
A: I’m the P.M. lead guy, and in that role I prepare all the bids and email them to the customers. Being a technician, it’s easy to explain the value of it. For example, I will explain to them that when the condenser gets clogged how it affects the equipment. Ice machines being full of black mold has been a big issue with the board of health in this area and that’s something else I can use as an example.
