Swanson-Girard & Associates

BECKY SCHAAB

EXPERTISE: Marketing/Sales Support/Seminar Coordinator

Sales tracking, marketing, coordinating seminars, and being on the front line in our office as the first voice you hear at Swanson Girard & Associates, Becky covers a lot of ground for this company. Her abilities, in marketing specifically, allow our company to generate promotions, flyers and other marketing materials to present the manufacturers we proudly represent in a fashion that sets us apart from our competition. Our outside sales team relies heavily on Becky to provide them with up to date sales tracking information. Her diverse background gives her valuable insight to the needs of the Commercial Foodservice Industry.

MIKE KELLENSTINE

EXPERTISE: Seminar Specialist/Product Trainer

Mike has been on board for two years at SGA and has been a great addition to our organization. Mike’s experiences within the food service industry allow him to relate to operators and end users on every level. For seminars, demonstrations, product training and field work, Mike’s our guy. He has quickly become an essential sales, service, and marketing resource for SGA and we expect his responsibilities and relationships will help grow every market segment we encounter in the coming years.

LAURA IBBITSON

EXPERTISE: Customer Service/Inside Sales

The newest addition to our inside sales team, Laura brings with her a strong background in customer service and estimating/quotations. Laura recently moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to accept this position at Swanson Girard & Assoc. She comes to us from a manufacturer that we proudly represent here in the Carolina's, Bally. A 12 year employee at Bally, she has much experience quoting walk-ins, serving the customer and creating solutions. Although her expertise is with walk-in coolers and freezers, she will be available to offer customer service for all of the lines we represent at SGA.

DOUG ALLEN, CEC

EXPERTISE: Chef

A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and an American Culinary Federation Certified Executive Chef, Doug's experience in the foodservice and hospitality industry spans over twenty five years. Building on his extensive operations background and expertise in the product usage and menu application, Doug established his own consulting company in 1994. As owner of Premier Hospitality Services, Doug has had and has consulting contracts with some of the country's largest food distributors, manufactures, brokers and independent and chain restaurant operators. Over the past twenty plus years, Doug's successes have encompassed every link of the food marketing chain, from manufactures to distributors and brokers, to operators and patrons alike. In addition, he is very active and highly respected member of the American Culinary Federation, Having served as chapter president in several cities. He has been Chapter Chef of the year numerous times, and was awarded the National ACF Presidential Medallion by the past two Presidents. His foodservice experience combined with polished presentation and people skills have made him uniquely qualified to develop, demonstrate and promote product and culinary trends, as well as customize, reengineer and implement operations programs. consistently meeting the customer's/ clients objectives and expectations.

DAVID COLLINS

EXPERTISE: Outside Sales/Business Consultant

David has been in the Commercial Foodservice industry for almost 30 years. David owned Collins and Associates for 25 years before it was acquired by SGA in mid-2006. David is extremely well known throughout the Foodservice Industry. He has, and will continue to be someone we rely on for information and advice for years to come. David's expertise in walk-ins, holding/display equipment, medium duty/heavy duty cooking equipment, and refrigeration make him a key contact for training and questions within our organization, as well as one of the leading sales performers within our company.

LOU BURNOSKI

EXPERTISE: Outside Sales

Lou has been in the Foodservice Industry for 33 years. He has held positions with Vollrath, Collins & Associates, and now SGA. Lou's relationships within the Carolina's has opened many doors for this organization. His experience, knowledge and overall abilities as a sales professional make him a great asset to this company. Lou has been a valuable resource for training on walk-ins, refrigeration, and medium duty/heavy duty cooking equipment. In addition to making significant contributions to our company's overall sales volume, Lou has offered his expertise, experience and general knowledge to our entire team.

LAURA SMITH

EXPERTISE: Outside Sales

Laura has been an outside sales associate at Swanson-Girard and Associates for 4 years. She has seen increased responsibilities in major accounts across the Carolinas. She has consistently grown her customer sales by 15% or more. In a short period of time, she has become a key member of the SGA sales team and is responsible for maintaining and growing some of the largest accounts in our territory. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a BS in Marketing and Management. She has six years of sales and management experience.

DAVID HAIRE

EXPERTISE: Retail and Grocery/Deli Applications

David has been working with the retail and grocery/deli industry for the last 10 years with emphasis on proper application and use of cooking and merchandising systems. David's previous work in the retail grocery industry was in food brokerage which allowed him to understand concepts from development to completion.

MICHAEL CHICK

EXPERTISE: Outside Sales

Michael Chick joins our team directly from a prominent foodservice chain in the Carolina's, Firebirds. There, Mike served for over 5 years in customer service and as a corporate trainer. He brings with him a very distinct perspective from the enduser side. He also carries with him the knowledge of what needs are important to significant endusers like Firebirds. As an outside sales associate for Swanson Girard & Associates, Mike will be addressing these needs and creating solutions for chains, dealers, and other prominent endusers throughout the Carolina's. Mike's enthusiasm and excitement is a great fit for an organization like Swanson Girard which thrives on that kind of energy. Mike's experience in the enduser segment and strong work ethic make a positive influence on an already strong outside sales team.