Leadership - Management

NRA President-CEO Steve Anderson Discusses
Career Opportunities in Foodservice
(Originally published February 2003)

Overview: Just the Facts!

Steve Anderson loves his job! As leader of the National Restaurant Association, he has the stats that reflect why the restaurant segment is so vibrant: "We're predicting 2003 sales of $ 426 billion. While other industries struggled in 2002, we increased sales by five percent." Anderson went on to say, "We have the opportunities everybody thinks about like cooking, serving and managing restaurants, but our chain restaurants also offer the same professional positions you find in other industries as well, such as IT, marketing, human resource, finance, you name it!"

No Barriers!

"A truly unique aspect of our industry is we welcome everybody with open arms. Early on in his administration, President Bush told me how great it was that as Governor of Texas he had witnessed immigrants enter our business, work hard and become extraordinarily successful," Anderson said. In fact, Bush reached out to just such a person when he chose Hector Barreto as the administrator of the Small Business Administration. "Hector and his family opened a Mexican restaurant in Kansas City, eventually building it up to a 10-unit chain," Anderson said. "Now he's approving loans to help others realize their dreams!"

Limits? What Limits?

Anderson related: "If a person wants to be a successful restaurateur he needs four things. The first I call "bliss" or passion. You've got to do this not because mom or dad wants you to, but because you want it in your heart of hearts. Second, you've got to be willing to work hard. Third, you've got to love people and love being around them. Fourth, you've got to be open to new ideas. Our business is always about moving forward. There are no limits to success. As I travel around the country, I'm so impressed by robust restaurant and culinary programs. Colleges are graduating students who are having positive impacts on our business. With 870,000 restaurants nationally, success is dependent upon continuous improvement. While we've created huge lifestyle changes for Americans over the years by upgrading and offering greater varieties of foods and beverages, maintaining and growing that business is demanding."

Where Do I Find Opportunities?

"This generation is the first to replace the telephone with the CPU. They get on the 'Net,' so we're making sure they find us there." The NRA's web site, www.restaurant.org, has some 200,000 visitors a month and nearly 650,000 page-views, a 35 percent increase, compared to last year. "We thoroughly surveyed job boards, and in May formed a partnership with Hcareers, which manages that aspect of our site. In Hcareers we have a partner dedicated to our business, which is huge by itself. We offer our members compelling prices to participate and back it up with performance. If you're interested in opportunities, visit our job board first. New jobs are continuously posted and our site is refreshed on an ongoing basis," he said.

"Visit restaurant company sites as well because some 22 percent of restaurants use the Internet for recruiting. We're a technologically savvy business. Nearly 80 percent of our restaurants use computers to manage their businesses." Then Anderson offered this bit of wisdom: "As terrific as technology is, we suggest field trips to view operations and perhaps a trip to our May Show in Chicago to get a taste of the industry. Visit us on line at www.restaurant.org/show/index.cfm and then come to Chicago!"

Feel The Power of the Industry!

I call the annual Restaurant Show in Chicago the ultimate field trip. Each year, some 2,000 exhibitors and 75,000 visitors attend. Such physical presence is commanding. You can feel the power and influence of the business right there. You'll never forget a trip to McCormick Place!

Anderson also told me: "We believe having a mentor is perhaps the single greatest key to building a career. We have a network of mentors in our Pro-Start program, where some 28,000 high school juniors and seniors participate throughout the country. These mentors enrich the process tremendously. What I find so wonderful about our business is that seemingly everybody is willing to share the secrets of success. That's powerful!"

The Bottom Line

Gallup conducted a poll in 2001 to identify the most-admired businesses in the country. Among 24 different businesses, foodservice ranked behind one, computer-high tech. In the 2002 survey, foodservice and tech are tied for number one. Where a few years ago during the tech boom some restaurateurs rushed into the tech field, today there is an undercurrent of migration in the opposite direction. "With our outstanding record of consistent growth, foodservice has a wealth of opportunities." As Anderson so candidly suggested: "Surf the 'Net.' Success is there for the taking!"

Thanks to Steve Anderson for our exclusive interview.

Hospitably yours,

Peter

Bio:

Steven C. Anderson, CAE 
President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Restaurant Association

Steve Anderson is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Restaurant Association, a position he assumed in 1999. He represents and is the chief spokesman for the nation’s restaurant industry, which is comprised of 878,000 locations, 12 million employees and $440 billion in annual sales.

In 2004, Anderson was named the “Association Executive of the Year” by Association Trends newspaper, joining only 25 men and women honored with that title since 1980. Nation’s Restaurant News cited Anderson as one of the “50 Power Players” in the restaurant industry. On two occasions Washingtonian magazine has named Anderson as one of the “50 Best” trade association executives. Fortune Small Business magazine selected Anderson as one of its “Power 30” in America representing small business. The American Society of Association Executives has cited Anderson as an “Advocate with Impact,” and the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives has called him a “Rainmaker.”

Anderson has appeared on the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, The Today Show, C-SPAN, numerous CNN and FOX News television shows, and other major television and radio outlets. Anderson has been cited in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, United Press International, Reuters and numerous other major domestic and international print publications.

Before joining the National Restaurant Association, Anderson held management positions at the American Frozen Food Institute for 20 years, having served as President and Chief Executive Officer for 10 years. He was a candidate for the United States Congress from the Sixteenth District of Illinois in 1980. Anderson served as a senior staff member to Congressman John B. Anderson (no relation), the Chairman of the Republican Conference of the United States House of Representatives, the third-ranking position in the Republican leadership.

Anderson has been a Visiting Lecturer at Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and American University’s Washington College of Law. He was a Paul E. Wise Executive in Residence at the University of Delaware.

Anderson currently serves on the Board of Directors at the United States Chamber of Commerce. He is the Past Chairman of the National Board of Trustees of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management, and a member of the U.S. Chamber’s Association Committee of 100.

He served as a member of the American Society of Association Executives Board of Directors, and Chairman of its Public Policy Committee and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of its Insurance Commission. He is a member of the organization’s Key Industry Associations Committee.

Anderson serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal for Association Leadership.

He holds the IOM designation from the Institute for Organization Management and the CAE designation conferred by the American Society of Association Executives.

Anderson is a graduate of Cornell College, where during his junior year he was selected to study at Oxford University and in London. During that time, he clerked for The Honorable William Hamling, a member of the British House of Commons. He attended the Legislative Affairs Program for graduate study at The George Washington University. He completed the six-year Institute for Organization Management Program at the University of Delaware.

He is married and has two sons.