History

A History of our Society - Excerpts from "Foodservice Consultants Society International: 50 Years of Service 1955 - 2005

The foodservice Consultants Society International is the respected and truly professional organization of men and women offering design and management consulting services across the world.   However, five decades ago, the profession existed, but only in the minds of those who believed in working together to promote their common good...

The Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) traces its founding to the mid 1950's.   The profession and its organization grew out of the widespread cultural and social changes that swept over North America following the Second World War.   As the association grew, its influence broadened and gained enthusiastic members in Europe, then Asia and across the globe.

The postwar revolution in foodservice started, matured and grew and eventually adopted an international view.   It has been transformed into a profession that benefits from a global outreach and sharing of ideas, techniques and approaches.

The pioneers who worked so hard to establish the European Chapter often toiled amidst traditional American insularism.   Yet, despite those drawbacks, they realized there was much to be learned from their American colleagues and much that Americans could lean from them.   Today, the international spirit of FCSI provides intellectual stimulus for ideas which benefit members and the general public irrespective of the oceans dividing them.

Flexibility, professionalism, education, and adaptability are all the hallmarks of a flourishing and healthy association.   FCSI has attained that maturity and today stands as a benchmark for others to measure in an international marketplace.

To accomplish this in five decades is not only unusual; it is a tribute to the people who founded the Society as well as those who work so very hard for its current well-being.

In the beginning...
In 1950 Fred Schmid saw what was happening.   He also knew others who saw the future as well.   In 1950 Fred started his own foodservice design consulting company, Fred Schmid Associates.   As early as 1952 Fred thought it was a good idea to gather with the other pioneers working in the fledgling field.   He wrote to seven colleagues, inviting them to join him for lunch at the 1952 National Restaurant Association Convention held in Chicago.

Fred's vision for a Society percolated for a few more years.   Relentless in his enthusiasm, Fred again called his colleagues together, this time at the 1955 National Restaurant Association Convention, held once again in Chicago in May of that year at the venerable Drake Hotel.   Twelve consultants met with Fred at the May 11, 1955 meeting that had the following three tenets listed as common convictions:

Thirteen consultants voted to form their own association to be called the Food Facilities Engineering Society (FFES).   The members drafted and approved a statement of organizational purpose: To promote research and improve design of public food facilities .

As his reward for coming up with the idea and encouraging the others to join together, Fred Schmid was elected president-treasurer of the organization.   Ohio consultant John Hargrave was chosen vice president and Bert Persson of St. Paul, Minnesota named secretary.   Three additional members were chosen to serve on the newly formed Executive Board of the organization.

Plans were made for a constitution and bylaws-writing committee and Fred was authorized to retain an attorney to form the non-profit corporation.   At the start, FFES was headquartered in Fred Schmid's office in Los Angeles and the organization was incorporated in June 1955.   The bylaws were completed and approved by the Charter Members in October 1955, and specified the following FFES member classes:

Shortly after the bylaws were adopted, FFES accepted and approved an inaugural "Code of Ethics", written primarily by John W. Hargrave.

The first annual meeting of FFES was held in conjunction with the National Restaurant Association Convention in Chicago in May 1956.   Fred Schmid invited representatives from related professional organizations, trade publication editors, and other industry representatives to attend some of the sessions and address the members.   Through that, he set the stage foe and FFES (and subsequently FCSI) tradition of continuous dialogue and information sharing to benefit the members while also advancing the industry awareness of FFES.

In September 1957, the fledgling FFES achieved one of its first major accomplishments as a truly professional organization by joining with Cornell University to inaugurate the school's Food Facility Engineering Course Program.   Members contributed financial support and literature, including drawings, specifications, depictions or completed projects, and photos of installations to provide documentation and archives for the program.

FFES archives report the first mention of a possible naming controversy... several members reported to the leadership that in their home states, they were having issues with state registration boards over their use of the word engineer on their letterheads.   Conditions would eventually force a change.

Another matter of concern and interest to FFES members was the formation of what was apparently a competing professional organization: the International Society of Food Service Consultants (ISFSC).

The continuing ideological struggle over independent consultants vs. those employed by equipment manufacturers resulted in several of the latter being excluded from the FFES membership.   Several decided to form their own professional organization.   On May 4, 1958 they formed the International Society of Food Service Consultants (ISFSC).   Harry Friedman served as the group's first president.   John fellers served as secretary, a job he would hold on a part-time basis for the next five years.   In its early years and through the 1960s, ISFSC was the larger and healthier of the two competing organizations and grew at a slightly faster rate than FFES.

From the start, ISFSC was more innovative than FFES.   ISFSC was also the first to look beyond the North American continent. ISFSC's second president, Richard Flambert, stressed the importance of the annual programs and seminars and soon ISFSC became well-known for the outstanding, informative, and beneficial programs put on for its members.   ISFSC also began what would become FCSI's prestigious professional publication, The Consultant, in 1968.

In 1962, to better serve the FFES's geographically diverse members, some of whom were Canadians, the Society made two moves which were expanded greatly in future years.   First, the Canadian members were to become the first regional chapter of the organization and began calling themselves members of the "Canadian Chapter of the FFES".   Second, a regional meeting separate from the annual gathering at the National Restaurant Association Convention took place in New York City.

In 1964 there was a growing professional divide between those who were independent consultants and those who provided facilities consulting and design services, but were employed by equipment dealers.   Each group knew they shared much in common with the others, however, FFES explicitly refused membership to those associated with the sale of equipment.   In order to allow for information sharing and collegiality, in 1965 both groups met jointly for a liaison session at the May National restaurant Association Convention held at Chicago's sprawling McCormick Place Convention Center.

In 1968, with the membership now totaling more than 100, the organizations name was changed from the Food Facilities Engineering Society (FFES) to the Food Facilities Consultants Society (FFCS).   1970 saw the formalization of the FFCS Canadian Chapter, which had been operating informally as a chapter in name only for several years.   Jacques Beauchemin took the role of guiding the Canadian Chapter, and with that the organization took its first tentative steps toward internationalization, a theme that would become very important to the Society two decades later.

In 1971 FFCS established a new membership category, Member Emeritus, designed specifically to provide continuing association with the Society for those members who retired from active practice.

By 1976 members saw that joining forces with ISFSC would work to the benefit of everyone working in the foodservice consulting profession.   FFCS President James Little rallied the board to support what would result in a two-year Unification Study Committee with representatives of both FFCS and ISFCSC, Chaired by William Eaton.

The major contention was dealing with those who derives income from the sale of equipment.   The solution was to "grandfather" in all ISFSC members at the time of a possible merger.   They then established an exclusion which still exists today.   Anyone who manufactures, markets, sells, or distributes foodservice equipment would be excluded going forward.

After twenty years of independent existence, the memberships of both the FFCS and ISFSC were slated to vote for or against the proposed merger of the two organizations.   The historic vote taken on Saturday May 20, 1978, resulted in strong support for the merger of the two competing organizations.   Over the course of the next year, teams of committee members worked over the minutiae of logistics in making one entity out of two.   The new name for the unified organization was the Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) when the actual functional merger took place on may 1, 1979.   Bill Eaton was elected FCSI's first President.

After the merger there was an increased effort toward international reach.   Bruno Brivio, together with European pioneers Peter Streuli and Leif Torné, organized a seminar in Switzerland and were amazed when more than seventy professionals from Switzerland and Germany attended.

Today's growing internationalization of the foodservice consulting industry can trace its roots to the initial efforts by the pioneers in Europe during the 1970's who were willing to work together to convince the North Americans of the truly global nature of the work.   They also toiled relentlessly to show the Americans that there was much more to learn in the global economy.

In 1981 FCSI started a noble tradition by inaugurating the "FCSI Council of Fellows".   Begun as a means to honor and recognize specific Society members for their long years of service to the hospitality industry and the foodservice consulting profession, the first ever inductees were Fred Schmid and Richard Flambert.

In 1986, FCSI boasted six hundred members, thirty-two of whom were in Europe.   That year, FCSI planned to hold its first Fall Seminar outside of the United States.   Unfortunately, the meeting, scheduled to be held in Paris in conjunction with a hotel trade show, was cancelled, due to the threat of terrorist bombings.   The European Chapter went ahead and met at the Paris show without incident.

The mid 1980's saw a shift in the venue for the annual meeting, from Chicago to be held in conjunction with the NAFEM Show on alternate years in the fall.   By late 1987, the European, Canadian, Mexican and New England chapters were joined by a Southern California chapter.   During the late 80's Thomas Costello worked hard to convince the Board and general membership to become more welcoming to management consultants within the foodservice industry.   That outreach became Management Advisory Services and Costello edited a regular publication titled "Critical MAS", which helped to explain to the design consultant the work and importance of the management consultants.   By 1992, at the Phoenix Conference, a few seminars were produced for and by MAS consultants and ever since, there has been an educational track in each conference pertaining to this area of foodservice specialization.

In 1989, then European Chair Nicolas Elshof developed a plan he called "FCSI Keep on Rolling".   Essentially a vision for the future, Elshof's plan presented a cosmopolitan perspective of FCSI.   The European Chapter adopted the plan and presented the proposal to the FCSI Board of Directors at the Fall Seminar as a basis for international restructuring.   Initially the plan was given scant attention.   President John Birchfield Sr. listened to the European delegates and asked the full Board of Trustees to present that plan immediately to the Board of Directors.

In 1992 Elshof and Bob Pacifico shared a taxi to the Zurich airport, and on the way, Elshof contends that Pacifico inquired as to why it was so important for FCSI Europe to have the "Keep on Rolling" plan adopted by FCSI Worldwide.   Elshof explained that it was critical that operating divisions should be created within FCSI so that all local members could have a feeling of equality and rights within FCSI.   This led to the establishment of FCSI Europe as the first division of the Society.

As FCSI Europe grew, local units began to organize, initially by merging other country based groups into FCSI.   Hugh Cade was a member of the Society of Catering and Hotel Management Consultants (SCHMC) and FCSI in the mid 90's.   He successfully rallied support for a merger in 1996-97 which eventually resulted in the formation of the first European local unit, FCSI UK which is now the largest local unit in Europe, followed closely by FCSI Germany / Austria.   FCSI Germany/Austria was formed by the merge of "Berater im Gastgewerbe" (B.I.G.) and FCSI's German members in 1999.

In the mid 90's FCSI amended its bylaws to create a new member category for suppliers - Allied membership was born.   During Bob Pacifico's term as president the Society created the FCSI Educational Foundation as a separate, not-for-profit, charitable organization.   Originally envisioned as an agency to fund scholarships for students entering the foodservice consulting profession, the Foundation refocused its goals to underwrite traditional educational programming to directly enhance member and industry expectations.

Increased international outreach in the 90's resulted in the formation of an Asia Pacific Chapter of FCSI with Manila's Imelda Silayan taking up the challenge as the group's first Chair, together with Nani Labrador and Vivien Choi-Cheung.   Their first event was held at the Shangri-La Hotel on Edsa, Mandaluyong in Manila on August 5, 1995.

1995 saw FCSI's first female president, Kathleen Seelye while membership was approaching the 1000 mark. The Board developed an approach more focused on international roles through separate divisions in Europe and Asia so that the Society was not going to be viewed as purely a U.S.-based association.   The Society also launched its first web site, www.fcsi.org and undertook a major member needs assessment that would guide future boards for years to come.

One of the outcomes of the Needs Assessment was a strong member interest in "accreditation".   A Certification Task Force operated through 1996 and 1997 to examine the feasibility of certification for the foodservice profession.   During Brian Sill's presidency the Society's leadership established the Board of Examiners to move the idea of certification along its path.

FCSI showed the world of professional associations just how "international" the Society was in 1998, when Hugh Cade became the first non-North American president.   In 2000 the Worldwide Board of Directors held their first meeting outside North America - in Amsterdam during Michael Pantano's presidency.   At that time a major discussion point was the creation of a North American Division.   Part of the plan related to creating a North American Division was a restructuring of the world wide board.   The Board was reduced from eleven to seven members and an inaugural eight member NAD Board of Trustees was elected in 2001.

At the same time, a general review of the FCSI bylaws had been conducted by another task force.   After many years of changes and amendments, the bylaws had become a patchwork.   The Bylaws Task Force analyzed the entire set of governing documents and submitted a newly written set of bylaws which included the downsized board and formally recognized the North American division.   The bylaws were accepted by the general membership in 2001 which, as part of the board restructuring, extended the term of Executive Committee members to two years in each position.   As a result then president Scott Legge was the first to serve as President of FCSI for two years.

2002 saw the Society take its worldwide annual conference across the Atlantic to Barcelona, Spain, reinforcing the global nature of the organization.   The Barcelona Conference also featured an FCSI Leadership Summit whereby all   division and local unit leaders who were able to attend participated in exercises designed to help them learn more about their counterparts in other regions of FCSI's world.

Al DaCosta undertook a tour of all the divisions and local units during his presidency (2002 - 2004) in an effort to help each feel as valued and equal partners in the worldwide FCSI vision.   Another addition to the scene was the North American Allied Members Board of Advisors (NAAMBA) in an effort to give a greater voice to the Society's valued allied membership group.