Left at 5:30 a.m. from Muskegon to Kalamazoo to go with some other students to the Food Marketing Institute Conference at the McCormick Place in Chicago. Each student worked as a student coordinator in a workshop or in publicity. This place was 7 miles long. Had some short rehearsals. Found out that each of our tickets was $325 and we didn't have to pay.
The hotel was free to the students. We stayed at the Ramada Congress on Michigan Avenue.
My roommate was Pauline from Malaysia. We got along great.
At night, Teak (aka Deyoung Yap), Shamsheila Ibrahim, Sieu Ping, Pauline, and I ate at the Hard Rock Cafe.
McCormick Place seemed overwhelming at first, but I seemed to find my way around quite fast.
Sunday, May 5, 1996
Saturday, May 4, 1996
May 4, 1996: Grandpa & Grandma Thomas's 50th Anniversary Party
Today was Grandpa and Grandma Thomas's 50th Wedding Anniversary. Before the church service, Charlene, Mom, Steve, Diann, LuAnn, and I set up the decorations for the dinner at Russ's banquet room on Holton Road in North Muskegon. The immediate family sat at the head of the table.
The church service was lovely. Charlene and mom went with Grandpa and Grandma to present the gifts to the priest. I'm glad they got to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Grandma looked pretty in her pink dress and grandpa looked handsome in his suit.
Grandma Thomas was looking weaker. She had early Alzheimers. Grandpa was like an Energizer bunny that never stopped.
Grandma Gonyo came to the service, as well as the dinner. It was so good to see her. I hope we can help find a safer place for her to live. Her street (Manz) was starting to become run down and unsafe.
The dinner, cake, slide show, and stories were great. I was so nervous when I stood up in front of the 50+ people to tell a story about Grandpa and Grandma. June and Maxine served the cake.
Friday, May 3, 1996
May 3, 1996: Elias Brothers Commissary & Frito Lay
Started the day off at the Elias Brothers Commissary. Their distribution center was owned by Marriott. They used to make most of their own food. The idea of the Big Boy picture came from a drawing of this little boy. It started out in California.
Went to Troy, Michigan to the Kmart Corporate Headquarters. They were building a beautiful shopping center nearby. I never realized that the private label 'American Fair' was tested. They took samples of all clothing and home fashions and tested for flammability, color, and durability.
The final tour for this week was at the Frito Lay factory in Allen Park, Michigan. First, corn was boiled, cleaned, mixed into a doughy substance, flattened, shaped, baked, and then seasoned. They made such items as Munchos, Doritos, Fritos, and Tostitos. We were given a bag full of their new chips. In Canada, they seasoned their chips with a ketchup flavor. In Mexico, chips were flavored with a lemon seasoning.
Went to Troy, Michigan to the Kmart Corporate Headquarters. They were building a beautiful shopping center nearby. I never realized that the private label 'American Fair' was tested. They took samples of all clothing and home fashions and tested for flammability, color, and durability.
The final tour for this week was at the Frito Lay factory in Allen Park, Michigan. First, corn was boiled, cleaned, mixed into a doughy substance, flattened, shaped, baked, and then seasoned. They made such items as Munchos, Doritos, Fritos, and Tostitos. We were given a bag full of their new chips. In Canada, they seasoned their chips with a ketchup flavor. In Mexico, chips were flavored with a lemon seasoning.
Thursday, May 2, 1996
May 2, 1996: Valassis Inserts, Kroger, and Farmer Jack
Our first stop today was at the Valassis Inserts plant on Schoolcraft Rd in Livonia, Michigan. This company made free standing inserts of coupons for the Sunday newspaper. Their competitor was News America based out of New York. They made 5.6 million copies per week. They began working 3 months in advance on the new ad. There's a lot of detail that went into these inserts like bargaining with the companies on which page to advertise, geographical region, and layout. This was an interesting stop.
The second stop was at the Kroger Company headquarters. We had a delicious lunch with some of the employees. We were given bags of Kroger brand food in a nice travel bag. My particular tour guide of the Ford Rd. store wasn't the greatest. I realized that Kroger needsed to remodel the store. Their deli was boring looking with no color to give the appeal to the customer. Their floral department was pretty scarce and not as fresh looking as the flowers in the floral department at the D and W Food Store. Also, they didn't offer the customer smaller amounts of deli salads. The one thing I liked was that each department's name was in big letters so one could find it easily.
The final stop for today was at the Farmer Jack store. This was impressive. It had a cheerful look about it. The deli was offering meals-to-go for their Jewish, African American, low income, and on-the-run clientel. We had a delicious dinner with ribs, salad, Italian salad, sandwiches, and apple caramel dessert. I liked the way Farmer Jack and D and W operated.
We stayed again at the Holiday Inn in Livonia on Laurel Park Drive. Went to the pool. Visited with a fellow student, named Teak and Mr. Gambino. I called Beverly Richardson, who was my little sister from Phi Chi Theta. She lived about 1-2 miles from my hotel. I also talked to Nina Ganesh. She worked in a day care center on M-F from 7 a.m.-11 a.m. and then worked in the Greater Detroit Hospital in Hamtramak, MI from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Her father owned part of that hospital.
The second stop was at the Kroger Company headquarters. We had a delicious lunch with some of the employees. We were given bags of Kroger brand food in a nice travel bag. My particular tour guide of the Ford Rd. store wasn't the greatest. I realized that Kroger needsed to remodel the store. Their deli was boring looking with no color to give the appeal to the customer. Their floral department was pretty scarce and not as fresh looking as the flowers in the floral department at the D and W Food Store. Also, they didn't offer the customer smaller amounts of deli salads. The one thing I liked was that each department's name was in big letters so one could find it easily.
The final stop for today was at the Farmer Jack store. This was impressive. It had a cheerful look about it. The deli was offering meals-to-go for their Jewish, African American, low income, and on-the-run clientel. We had a delicious dinner with ribs, salad, Italian salad, sandwiches, and apple caramel dessert. I liked the way Farmer Jack and D and W operated.
We stayed again at the Holiday Inn in Livonia on Laurel Park Drive. Went to the pool. Visited with a fellow student, named Teak and Mr. Gambino. I called Beverly Richardson, who was my little sister from Phi Chi Theta. She lived about 1-2 miles from my hotel. I also talked to Nina Ganesh. She worked in a day care center on M-F from 7 a.m.-11 a.m. and then worked in the Greater Detroit Hospital in Hamtramak, MI from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Her father owned part of that hospital.
Wednesday, May 1, 1996
May 1, 1996: Pharmacia & Upjohn and Kellogg Company Tours
The first stop today was at the Pharmacia and Upjohn company in Portage, MI. It was founded in 1886 by W.E. Upjohn and had 12 employees. Their core business was animal health, over-the-counter products, fine chemicals, and prescription products. It was the 9th largest pharmaceutical company in the world. Their revenue was $6.8 billion with 34,500 employees. Their biggest sources of business was with food stores and drug stores (41% respectively). Their competition was with internal analgesiacs, GI products, and dermatologicals, nutritionals, and hair growth care.
Our second stop was with the Kellogg Company in Battle Creek, Michigan. What an impressive building! It was tall, with glass, and filled with skylights. We had a lovely lunch in one of their conference rooms. We got to see some of their newest ad campaigns with Rice Krispies Cereal. 98% of households had cereal in their homes. The first Rice Krispie Treat recipe was included on the box in 1941.
The plastic bag was made, filled, and pressed. Then, the bag was stuck in the bottom of the box and then sealed automatically. This plant was machine efficient. We were the only group to be able to see the inside of this plant. Our instructor, Frank Gambino, knew some of the executives at Kellogg, so he was able to get a special tour.
The City of Battle Creek wasn't anything special. It looked pretty run down. The creation of the corn flake was actually an accident.
Today's final stop was at Vic's World Class Market in Novi, Michigan, which was off of Grand River Ave. This was a neat Italian designed store. It had a greenhouse, wines, and a seafood department. The prices were a bit high. It catered to the wealthier customer. It took 7 months to construct and 4 days to set up the store merchandise.
On Christmas Eve, 150 deli trays were made.
When we got to our hotel, Fontrise and I went to the pool and did water aerobics.
Our second stop was with the Kellogg Company in Battle Creek, Michigan. What an impressive building! It was tall, with glass, and filled with skylights. We had a lovely lunch in one of their conference rooms. We got to see some of their newest ad campaigns with Rice Krispies Cereal. 98% of households had cereal in their homes. The first Rice Krispie Treat recipe was included on the box in 1941.
The plastic bag was made, filled, and pressed. Then, the bag was stuck in the bottom of the box and then sealed automatically. This plant was machine efficient. We were the only group to be able to see the inside of this plant. Our instructor, Frank Gambino, knew some of the executives at Kellogg, so he was able to get a special tour.
The City of Battle Creek wasn't anything special. It looked pretty run down. The creation of the corn flake was actually an accident.
Today's final stop was at Vic's World Class Market in Novi, Michigan, which was off of Grand River Ave. This was a neat Italian designed store. It had a greenhouse, wines, and a seafood department. The prices were a bit high. It catered to the wealthier customer. It took 7 months to construct and 4 days to set up the store merchandise.
On Christmas Eve, 150 deli trays were made.
When we got to our hotel, Fontrise and I went to the pool and did water aerobics.
Tuesday, April 30, 1996
April 30, 1996: Country Fresh Dairy and D&W Commissary
Left early for our first tour at Country Fresh Dairy. It started in 1946. It's #1 seller was vanilla ice cream. The #2 flavor was butter pecan. The flavor, 'Moosetracks' was the most expensive to produce. About 60 truckloads of merchandise went out per day. They made cheese, ice cream, sour cream, yogurt, and ice. It was machine, not labor efficient.
The 2nd stop was to the D and W Commissary. They made all subs, soups, and potato salads for all of the D and W delis. They also did the catering for conferences. The actual days for making the products were Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesdays and Thursdays were devoted to set up.
The bus got stuck in the mud, so we had to wait an hour for a tow truck to come and dig the bus out. Meanwhile, we stayed in the lunchroom of the commissary. We cancelled the D and W Floral Central tour due to the bus incident, so I didn't have to do the thank you on behalf of the Food Marketing program at WMU.
The 3rd stop was to the D and W Brenton Meadows store. This store was gorgeous. Everything from the store to the backroom was neat and orderly.
They posted the department goals and sales every hour on a bulletin board. We had a lovely lunch courtesy of the deli.
Our last stop was to Brooks Beverages in Holland. They've been around 62 years and made 7-Up, A and W, Dr. Pepper, Snapple, Lipton tea, Gerber, Amway, and Meijer brands. This plant ran 7 days a week with 6 switches of products made a day. They used the perpetual inventory system. The pop can bottoms were made first, filled with liquid, and then the top was put on. All materials were sent to Brooks beverages and then packaging was finalized.
After the tours, we watched the movie, 'Tommy Boy' on the bus on our way back to the hotel. Took a nap and then went swimming in the pool. Met a guy from Saginaw who had a daughter named Amy. Also, met a woman who planned to move to Atlanta, Georgia.
Had a nice chat with them, as well as my roommate, Fontrise Charles. She said a kid she knew worked for Keebler for 8 months and put 50,000 miles on his car.
The 2nd stop was to the D and W Commissary. They made all subs, soups, and potato salads for all of the D and W delis. They also did the catering for conferences. The actual days for making the products were Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesdays and Thursdays were devoted to set up.
The bus got stuck in the mud, so we had to wait an hour for a tow truck to come and dig the bus out. Meanwhile, we stayed in the lunchroom of the commissary. We cancelled the D and W Floral Central tour due to the bus incident, so I didn't have to do the thank you on behalf of the Food Marketing program at WMU.
The 3rd stop was to the D and W Brenton Meadows store. This store was gorgeous. Everything from the store to the backroom was neat and orderly.
They posted the department goals and sales every hour on a bulletin board. We had a lovely lunch courtesy of the deli.
Our last stop was to Brooks Beverages in Holland. They've been around 62 years and made 7-Up, A and W, Dr. Pepper, Snapple, Lipton tea, Gerber, Amway, and Meijer brands. This plant ran 7 days a week with 6 switches of products made a day. They used the perpetual inventory system. The pop can bottoms were made first, filled with liquid, and then the top was put on. All materials were sent to Brooks beverages and then packaging was finalized.
After the tours, we watched the movie, 'Tommy Boy' on the bus on our way back to the hotel. Took a nap and then went swimming in the pool. Met a guy from Saginaw who had a daughter named Amy. Also, met a woman who planned to move to Atlanta, Georgia.
Had a nice chat with them, as well as my roommate, Fontrise Charles. She said a kid she knew worked for Keebler for 8 months and put 50,000 miles on his car.
Monday, April 29, 1996
April 29, 1996: Gerber Baby Food & Bil Mar Tours
I stayed over at Tamara Ohs house last night so that I didn't have to get up so early for the Food Industry trip. We left at 7 a.m. from Lawson Ice Arena.
Our first stop was in Fremont at the Gerber Baby Food. The presenters did an excellent job at covering the various product lines of the company. It has been around since 1928. The idea for strained foods for a baby came from the busy mother, Dorothy Gerber. The 5 original products were peas, spinach, carrots, prunes, and vegetable soup. They had companies in other countries such as Lima, Peru. 'Ensure' had been on the market for 10 years. This was one of their competitors.
The 2nd stop was to the Bil Mar Food plant in Holland, Michigan. The original plant was almost completely burned in 1984. There were 3 phases in its production: Phase 1 (Slaughter), Phase 2 (Processing turkey and deli items), and Phase 3 (sliced for environmental room/beef or pork.
The first shift was 10-3 p.m. with on sight sanitation. We had to wear white coats, slippers over our shoes and hair nets. This factory was so gross. We saw the feathers being taken off the chickens. We saw all of the different parts being chopped off. There were alot of workers at this plant. About 1.2 million hot dogs were made per day. After being slaughtered, they must get to 40 degrees by 6 hours. Sara Lee owned this company, as well as 'Coach' purses. We stayed at the Holiday Inn on 28th St. near Woodland Mall.
I went shopping with Sieuw Ping and Suk Kien at the Woodland Mall.
Our first stop was in Fremont at the Gerber Baby Food. The presenters did an excellent job at covering the various product lines of the company. It has been around since 1928. The idea for strained foods for a baby came from the busy mother, Dorothy Gerber. The 5 original products were peas, spinach, carrots, prunes, and vegetable soup. They had companies in other countries such as Lima, Peru. 'Ensure' had been on the market for 10 years. This was one of their competitors.
The 2nd stop was to the Bil Mar Food plant in Holland, Michigan. The original plant was almost completely burned in 1984. There were 3 phases in its production: Phase 1 (Slaughter), Phase 2 (Processing turkey and deli items), and Phase 3 (sliced for environmental room/beef or pork.
The first shift was 10-3 p.m. with on sight sanitation. We had to wear white coats, slippers over our shoes and hair nets. This factory was so gross. We saw the feathers being taken off the chickens. We saw all of the different parts being chopped off. There were alot of workers at this plant. About 1.2 million hot dogs were made per day. After being slaughtered, they must get to 40 degrees by 6 hours. Sara Lee owned this company, as well as 'Coach' purses. We stayed at the Holiday Inn on 28th St. near Woodland Mall.
I went shopping with Sieuw Ping and Suk Kien at the Woodland Mall.
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