David Brown, executive director of food service, and Sonjia Kinsey, director of  operations/training, were both selected for going above and beyond in foodservice achievement and management excellence.

David Brown, who received the FAME Silver Leadership Award, turned around a department that was deep in the red by following a simple philosophy: "If it doesn't make dollars, it doesn't make sense."

Beginning in 2004, Brown scrutinized every aspect of the district's foodservice operations and its $60 million budget, using his "Lean Six Sigma" training to identify inefficiencies. Then he took quick, aggressive action.

He initiated new food and labor cost control systems that cut overall payroll costs by $1.8 million. Then he made menu changes that increased breakfast and lunch participation. He also launched a catering division and expanded the a la carte sales program, which resulted in a fourth quarter revenue increase of 121 percent.

Not content to rest on his laurels, Brown addressed the warehousing operation in his district, implementing state-of-the-art automation. Costs fell while performance increased, earning the operation a "best practice" citation from the state comptroller.

Thanks to Brown's efforts and the cooperation of his staff, the department's bottom line went from a $6 million loss to a $1.2 million profit in a single year.

One of the key individuals who contributed to that turnaround is Sonjia Kinsey, who oversees all departments that support school meal operations serving 160,000 students. Since assuming her position in 2001, Kinsey has increased total participation for school meal programs by 3 percent, which includes a 15 percent increase in the breakfast program at the high school level.

Kinsey also eliminated approximately 800 labor hours during the last two years, utilizing a system of converting all meals and revenue into a standard equivalent for all schools.

Recognizing that staff turnover results in inefficiencies, Kinsey developed and successfully implemented various training, reward and certification programs to boost morale and performance. Her manager training program resulted in a 98 percent retention rate.

Finally, Kinsey developed an in-house ServSafe sanitation certification class that created a more highly trained workforce and resulted in an annual savings of approximately $8,000 for the district. The district currently has 12 ServSafe-certified trainers and more than 250 certified managers and cooks.

For her efforts, Kinsey received the FAME Silver Management Award.           

"I love to train," Kinsey said. "I teach workshops throughout the city and do regional training. It's really rewarding." 

For more details on the School Nutrition Association, go to www.schoolnutrition.org.