One Take CEO Interview: Take Two with Jeff Kiesel from Restaurant Technologies Inc.

Описание: (Segment links below). During this unrehearsed, unedited interview, Restaurant Technologies Inc. (RTI) CEO Jeff Kiesel shares how his business overcame significant COVID-19-related challenges and along the way, improved its go-to-market strategy and how it takes care of its 10 largest clients. It also consolidated/simplified its IT systems and centralized administrative work. When COVID first affected RTI’s business, it furloughed 250 people. All but 7 have since returned to work (five retired), plus another 350 have been hired during 2021 and dozens more a month are expected to be added through December.

ABOUT RTI
https://www.rti-inc.com delivers new and recovers used cooking oil for more than 30,000 restaurants as well as food service providers serving commercial and non-commercial customers. RTI is based in Mendota Heights, Minn., and operates though 40 depots located across most of the country. It also provides fry cook hood cleaning systems and services, a niche it began covering about four years ago.

INTERVIEW SEGMENTS
00:33 Since we last talked one year ago, how did things go relative to what you were planning then, how many people were furloughed and what surprises came up?
02:44 [Prior answer mentioned the importance of internal communication] How did you communicate during COVID with employees at your depots who are typically out in the field all day and are only on site briefly when coming and going?
04:18 What is your retention rate?
04:33 How are you doing with attracting talent and how many positions do you have
open?
05:33 How did you change your sales approach, and how have your sales teams adjusted?
06:58 In what areas did you centralize parts of your business, and in what other areas did you enhance verticals?
08:35 In instances where a major client has a dedicated sales team or lead acting as a chief client officer, how do things work when a matter needs to be transferred over to centralized services?
10:51 How have these changes improved your pipeline, closes, engagement and other ways of tracking sales and customer service?
11:57 Any potential acquisitions you can tell us about?
12:26 How much did your employment levels drop during COVID, how much have they bounced back and how many people are you looking to hire by year’s end?
12:46 How are you dealing with the challenge of bringing people back to the office?
13:54 How has collaboration changed at RTI following COVID?
14:19 How did you deal with the polarization around face masks, and how are you now dealing with whether employees should be vaccinated to work?
16:18 Through COVID and everything else during the last 18 months, what if anything would you like to have thought of earlier than you did?
17:32 What went well that you are most proud of?
18:19 How did you go about consolidating software and other IT tools or services used by your employees?
21:05 What is the one platform you chose to help achieve this?
21:54 How have you dealt with all these challenges and changes personally; how have you made sure to stay healthy both physically and mentally?

ABOUT ONE TAKE
About One Take: Minnesota CEOs discuss how they're navigating the latest challenges and opportunities facing their businesses, leadership teams and employees during one-on-one unrehearsed, unscripted and unedited interviews. CEOs are selected based upon the degree of interest they may provide to One Take's audience. One Take receives no compensation from those it interviews or their companies. The interviews are produced by award-winning journalist Dale Kurschner, who today serves as an executive consultant with Platinum Group, Minnesota's most experienced firm guiding business owners and leaders through acquisitions, divestitures, turnarounds, family business disputes, and crises.