BEST PRACTICES SEMINAR SERIES

On November 8, 2017, the John W. Kennedy Company in conjunction with East Coast Associates hosted the first Cumberland Farms Best Practices certification seminar at the John W. Kennedy Company’s Mark A. Ring Memorial Training Facility  in East Providence, RI featuring a presentation from S. Bravo Systems.

In an ongoing effort to enforce the integrity of their spec and consistency of equipment installation standards for all their refueling construction projects,  Jim Scholes, Senior Construction Project Manager of Cumberland Farms worked with Tom Correa, National Account Manager of the John W. Kennedy Company to create the Cumberland Farms Best Practices Seminar Series.

These seminars invite contractors doing work on Cumberland Farms projects to learn, review and discuss how the spec equipment Cumberland Farms uses from various manufacturers should be installed in accordance to manufacturers’ recommended installation procedures that adhere to the expectations of Cumberland Farms to provide a consistent outcome from contractor to contractor and location to location.

Micah Nelson, Bravo National Sales Manager was the seminar presenter, accompanied by Bravo Regional Sales Managers, Bob Hyatt and Trent Caster.  Also on hand were Mark Sisco and Jim Holland of East Coast Associates who are the Bravo representatives on the U.S. East Coast.

And while the contractors learn first hand from the manufacturer how the product should look when it shows up on site and how best to go about installations, they also share their trials and tribulations of the realities on the job site. As Micah Nelson spoke to a packed house, reviewing Bravo off-the-shelf products and those assemblies they build specifically for Cumberland Farms during the half day event, the exchange between presenter and attendees brought to light details and issues new to both sides.  There were also discussions about the direction the future holds.   This is exactly what drove the concept for the Best Practices seminar series.

As Micah summed up the event, “It’s amazingly helpful to us as a manufacturer when we can have an open forum with our distribution partner, the end user, and the installing contractor all in the same room. It’s great events like this that help us make our products better.”

In support of Micah’s sentiments, Jim Holland added, “We (S. Bravo & ECA) were grateful to be a part of the first Cumberland Farms Best Practices seminar hosted by the John W. Kennedy Co. It’s humbling to gather with companies both large and small to reach a common goal.  To pull in a manufacturer, distributor and competing construction house’s to exchange ideas and develop a road map to support the end customer’s best interest, is both advantageous and inspiring.”

While this was the first event in the series, the next is already being planned.  The goal is for everyone to walk away with the feeling that such events are a worthwhile investment of their time.

Jim Scholes stated, “Thanks to Kennedy Co. , Bravo , East Coast Associates and the many companies that attended.  The presentation was great , the room was energized and the overall sense of partnership was palpable.  One of Cumberland Farms main company values is succeeding together and this event certainly practiced that.  Looking forward to the next Cumberland Farms Best Practices workshop.”

Opening the lines of communication to avoid issues is the first step to yield positive results.  Best Practices becomes part of the solution to achieve greater success for all involved by doing just that!

The John W. Kennedy Company appreciates your business and continued support!