The close of 2010 opens the door of 2011, and yet I somehow cannot grasp that a new year has started. For many of you, it is the slow season – cold temperatures, gray skies and the constant hope that your customers will come out of hibernation. Here at PreGel AMERICA, you would think that the winter months also translate to a slow season for us, but I find it is the exact opposite. This is the time we reassess and revamp our processes, policies and procedures. It is a time that we innovate and turn ideas into actions, and prepare for your busy season. And, this moment is perhaps the one I enjoy most because it allows us to look to the year ahead with the hope (and a little bit of anxiety) that we can grow, improve and strive to be a better company.
At our company holiday party in December, I told my staff I was proud of them, proud of where we have come since 2002. 2010 was a big year for us. We launched the new standard of soft serve with Tenero and in good time, too, as U.S. consumers are loving the variety of flavors out there for them to try. Chocolate and vanilla are still favorites, but Tenero has brought some color and flair to the old standbys. We also made a splash in the pastry world – we unveiled our 5-Star Chef Pastry Select line, which is still expanding; and became the founding sponsor of a new pastry competition. Our Key Accounts division continued to gain momentum, conquering new industries and partners. They have also been diligently working on a new product line called Tenerissimo – a very new concept for frozen desserts (more to come on this). Our Training Center completed a full year of successful standard classes and the 5-Star Pastry Series, which brought top-notch talent in the chef world to our facility. We also made a stronger commitment to the industry at shows with our new 20’x30′ booth. In short, there were many successes, and while I am thrilled at what we accomplished as a company, I stressed one more thing to my staff at our annual party. “It is time to challenge ourselves. We need to take that next step. We are out of our infancy; we are now teenagers. With this comes new endeavors and they will test us, but I know we can, together as a company, meet them and succeed.” And that is where 2011 begins.
I am excited by many of the opportunities and initiatives we have planned for 2011, and they will be revealed throughout the year through our various communication channels – this magazine, PreGel America’s and the Professional Training Center’s eNewsletters, our social media pages, word of mouth from your Sales and Special Service representatives, our website and more. But what I want to do is take the opportunity to ask you to send us your thoughts, ideas and inspirations on how we can become a better company for you. I’d also like to request that you even send us letters or emails with questions that we could answer in our magazine that would be beneficial to all of our customers. There is no stupid question, and I promise that we will do our best to answer them to the best of our abilities. Ask us technical product questions, questions on the market or how to market yourself, etc. – I am confident that the questions you submit are the same questions others are asking. You can send your thoughts, ideas and questions to viewsfromthetree@pregelamerica.com, post them on our Facebook page or mail them to:
Views from the Tree
PreGel AMERICA
4450 Fortune Ave. NW
Concord, NC 28027
I look forward to hearing from you.
Happy New Year,
Marco Casol,
President and CEO