I know that everyone is busy since the fall school term is underway. Great Western has a few new people in the management team, who will be introduced in the announcement section of this newsletter. I want to mention an area that can become a problem if disregarded to the new members of the management team as well as reinforcing the topic to the other members of the management team.

I want to address a particular matter that is important to the operation of all our food service facilities. The topic is accounts receivables. Great Western at the unit level creates account receivables from the billings to the clients and customers of our programs. The term account receivables means that an invoice to a client or customer has been created and money has not been collected. After a reasonable period of time, normally 30 days, the client or customer, should pay the invoice that has created an accounts receivable.

The money that pays the accounts receivable invoice goes to paying for food, supplies, wages, insurance, taxes, and other operational expenses that are incurred by Great Western. We have to pay our bills in 30 days or less to insure that employees are paid their salary, maintain our food and supply products to the unit, pay our sales and employment taxes, and pay our insurance bills to name a few. Without a good cash flow it makes it increasingly more difficult to keep our bills paid for normal operations.

Each time paychecks are sent to the unit an account receivables aging report is included in the envelope for use by the food service director. The food service director at this point should review the aging report for invoices that are getting to be older than 30 days. Normally when invoice get to be 45, 60, and 90 days old there are problems with the invoice. If an invoice is in the 45 day and older column the food service director should look up the invoice then contact the person responsible for payment of this invoice. In a courteous manner the food service director should question the individual why the outstanding invoice is not paid. There could be several reasons, invoice was never received, there is a conflict on the amount billed, or possibly the individual forgot to process the invoice for payment.

I will guarantee that the longer an invoice remains unpaid, the more difficult it is to collect. Great Western does not write off invoices that are not paid since we have supplied a service and food for this event. In other words Great Western has expended dollars to provide this service to the client or customer. If after checking into the reason for late payment there is an extreme conflict get in touch with your district manager to assist you in collecting the unpaid invoice. If the client or customer tells you that the invoice will be paid in a couple of weeks, make yourself a note and follow up to make sure it is paid in a couple of weeks. Remember the squeaking wheel always gets the grease.

It takes money to pay our bills and outstanding accounts receivables are not any good until they are paid. The corporate office appreciates all the time and effort that you exert on keeping your accounts receivables current. Thanks for all of your hard work and efforts.

September
7th	Alexia Glenn	SWCID
8th	Michele Stone	Payroll
14th	Linda Harper	Vernon Regional Jr. College
20th	Clarke Wilson	Hill College
22nd	Theresa Franken	Home Office
24th	Sue Ray	Highland Community College

Announcements

1. Great Western Dining Service has acquired a new facility in the State of Kansas. The new facility is Neosho Community College in Chanute, Kansas. Operations begin with the 2002 fall semester.
2. Great Western Dining Service is no longer operating Barclay College in Haviland, Kansas. At the end of the spring semester the new business manager decided to make a change in the food service operation, although everyone at the college was happy with Great Western Dining Service.
3. Great Western Dining Service would like to welcome aboard the following new members of the management team.
4. Rick Kerr is the new District Manager in the State of Texas. Rick will be supervising the units in Eastern Texas.
5. Clarke Wilson has been promoted to food service director. Clarke has been transferred from Barton County Community College and will be the food service director at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas.
6. Wayne Hofstetter is a new hire and is the new food service director at North Central Texas College in Gainesville, Texas.
7. Tracey Wagner has rejoined Great Western Dining Service as food service director at Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kansas.
8. Alexia Glenn is a new hire and is the new food service director at SWCID in Big Spring, Texas.
9. Jonathan Hart is a new hire and is the food service director at Grayson County Community College in Denison, Texas.
10. John Jackson is a new hire and is the food service director at Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas.
11. Phil Graves is a new hire and is the food service director at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas.
12. Hope Sifuentes is a new hire and is the food service director at Amarillo College in Amarillo, Texas.
13. David Lightner has been transferred from Cloud County Community College to Kansas State in Salina, Kansas.
14. Angie Ullrich has been transferred from Dodge City Community College to Midland College, Midland, Texas as the assistant manager.
15. Chris Heck has been promoted to assistant manager at Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kansas.
16. Kevin Collison has been promoted to assistant manager at Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas.
17. Brant Hatler decided to make a career change. He has decided to take classes in nursing to pursue a nursing career. Good Luck in your new career.

Pat on the Back

• Monica and Steve Rowden
  Iowa Central Community College
  
  Dear Monica, Steve and all who helped,
  
  Thanks so much for all the wonderful meals during the presidents retreat last week. I know what a job it was at Twin Lakes. The meal was superb! I heard many compliments about our food service and how good all the meals were.

  You always do such a great job. Thanks!!

  Dolores
  

Meet the Managers

• Phil Graves - Cloud County Community College
  Phil Graves is the Food Service Director at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas. He received his education from Erie Community College in Buffalo, New York. In 1972, he earned a Associate Degree in Food Management. Before joining Great Western in August of this year, Phil worked as Food Service Director at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas for 7 1/2 years. Prior to that he worked mainly in restaurants in Colorado, Kansas, and New York. He also operated a catering business for about 5 years. Kathy is Phil's wife and they have two children. Jenni is 25 and Sean is 21. In his spare time, Phil loves to be outdoors gardening, traveling and listening to classical/christian music.
• Rick Kerr- District Manager East Texas
  Rick Kerr joined Great Western in July of this year. He is the new District Manager in the East Texas area. He began his food service career will attending the University of Mary Hardin Baylor in Belton, Texas. Before getting on with Great Western he worked for Compass Group USA in Atlanta, Georgia, as a District Manager. His family includes his wife Angie and their two children, Brandon, who is 14 years and Brittiannie who is 13 years. In his spare time Rick enjoys golf, spending time with the family and yard work. ( Yes, yard work!) He is excited about joining our team and looking forward to a great year.
  
  

Buck-a-Roo Club

Lou Murdick	Jay Menze	Sue Ray
Linda Harper	Jennie Fuls	Blanche Dobson
Lee Jones	Paul Tharman	Dan Karczewski
Hope Sifuentes	Alexia Glenn	Gary Jones
John Jackson	Jeff Landreth	Carolyln Blackburn

Safety Tips

Keep Safe From Bee Stings

Summer may be almost over, but the bees and wasp are still buzzing. The early fall ranks as the worst time for possible bee and wasp stings, according to the Lanacane Sting Forecast, White Plains, N.Y. To avoid getting stung, follow these tips:

• Bright colors attract bees and wasps. Avoid wearing white, blue and yellow.
  
• Remember bees and wasps become most aggressive in fall as their food supply dwindles. For festive gatherings, consider eating indoors and enjoying conversation outdoors.
  
• Don't swat at bees or wasps because it will make them more defensive. Instead move slowly taking food with you until they've flown away.
  
• If stung, apply ice to reduce swelling. Keep topical anti-itch and anti-pain products handy to relieve sting discomfort.

Backpacks Can Cause Back Problems

Backpacks are back! When worn correctly, the body's strongest muscles, the back and abdominal, support a backpack. Here are some suggestions for optimal backpack wear from the American Physical Therapy Association.

• Wear both straps. Slinging the backpack over one shoulder may cause spinal curvature. Avoid single straps that may cause lower and upper back pain and strained shoulders.
  
• Keep it light. Many college students lug laptop computers in their backpacks. These extras create additional weight that may cause rounded shoulders, and back and neck pain. Experts suggest students carry no more than 15 to 20 percent of their body weight.
  
• Check the type of backpack. Wide straps provide comfort. But narrow straps dig into shoulders and can hinder circulation.
  
• Give the back a break and invest in wheels. A backpack with wheels is easy to maneuver and reduces back stress.

The above material was taken from the National Safety Council's Family Safety & Health Tips page.

Claim Free Units for Workers Compensation

Highland Community College	Cowley County Comm. College	Iowa Central Comm. College
Kansas State Univ. - Salina	Western Oklahoma State College	North Central Texas College
Odessa College Hill College	Vernon Regional Jr. College	Western Texas College
Ranger College	Frank Phillips College	Barton County Comm. College
Amarillo College	Kansas St. Univ. - Salina	Dodge City Comm. College
Pratt Community College	Clarendon College	Seward County Comm. College
Newman University	Butler County Community College	Midland College
Howard College	SWCID	Senior Center of Boone County
Northeast Texas Comm. College	North Central Missouri College	Grayson County College
Independence Comm. College	Hutchinson Community College	Neosho Community College
Seminole State College	New Mexico Junior College	Cloud County Community College
South Plains College	Kansas State Hwy. Patrol	Camp Horizon
Butler County Jail	KS Law Enforcement Training Ctr.

Safty Rangers Case Study:

Zeke is the head cook for Hazardous Harry. Zeke has a bad habit of placing his beverage on the shelf above his prep table. Zeke always uses a glass from the cafeteria for his beverage. One day while he was prepping his meat loaf the glass fell from the shelf above the prep table and shattered in hundreds of pieces, some big slivers and some small slivers. Harry had been warned several times by his district manager concerning beverages in the kitchen as well as being in breakable containers. A student during the lunch meal singled out Harry to show him a piece of glass that was in his meat loaf. The student was very irate since he felt he could have received cuts in his mouth or even worse he could have swallowed it. Harry apologized and went on about his business.

Hazardous Harry's Comments:
I know that it was unfortunate about the student getting a piece of glass in his food. It was an accident. No one did it on purpose. After all my cooks get hot and thirsty, so they need to have something to drink while working.

Cautious Carol's Comments:
Although it appears to be innocent enough, a broken container sprays pieces all over the place. An in- jury could be sustained by anyone who was unfortunate enough to get the piece of broken glass. With today's mind-set, Harry could have jeopardizes his company to a pos- sible law suit over a seemingly innocent act. Everyone must be on continual vigilance for any type of act in the food service area that could be a possible hazard to the customer and the employees.

Watchful Willie's Comments:
Concerning beverages in the kitchen, Harry's district man- ager has given Harry several warnings about creating a pol- icy concerning beverages in the kitchen. Harry ignored all the warnings, and did nothing about it. Although no one purposely broke the glass, it did happen. The end result could have been a serious injury to the student. Harry needs to ad opt a policy about beverages in the kitchen.

Safety Sam's Comments:
Harry needs to be mindful of the comments made by his district manager. These comments are for the good of Harry and his employees. Harry should establish a drinking area away from food preparation. Also Harry should have them use non- breakable containers. Even using non-breakable containers, a container could be knocked off the shelf and the contents could accidentally fall into the food. Not only would the product be tainted but also the cook's lips and saliva would have contaminated the food product. Therefore Harry would have had food waste.

Food Service 401

Webster's defines self-esteem as: belief in oneself; self-respect. This meaning can be expanded to include terms like self-confidence and pride. Self-esteem is the combination of self-confidence and self-respect - the conviction that you are competent to cope with life's challenges and are worthy of happiness. Self-esteem is the way you talk to yourself about yourself.

Self-esteem has two interrelated aspects; it entails a sense of personal efficacy and a sense of personal worth. It is the integrated sum of self-confidence and self-respect. It is the conviction that one is competent to live and worthy of living.

Our self-esteem and self-image are developed by how we talk to ourselves. All of us have conscious and unconscious memories of all the times we felt bad or wrong - they are part of the unavoidable scars of childhood. This is where the critical voice gets started. Everyone has a critical inner voice. People with low self-esteem simply have a more vicious and demeaning inner voice. (name calls and degrades)

People with high self-esteem:

• Have confidence in themselves.
• Have ability to solve problems rather than just worry about them.
• Have the ability to confront or eliminate the things that frighten them.
• Have the ability to take reasonable risks and take those risks.
• Nurture themselves.

Psychologist say that almost every aspect of our lives -- our personal happiness, success, relationships with others, achievement, creativity, dependencies, even our sex lives -- are dependent on our level of self-esteem. The more we have, the better we deal with things. Positive self-esteem is important because when people experience it, they feel good and look good, they are effective and productive, and they respond to other people and themselves in healthy, positive, growing ways. People who have positive self-esteem know that they are lovable and capable, and they care about themselves and other people. They do not have to build themselves up by tearing other people down or by patronizing less competent people.

Our background largely determines what we will become in personality and more importantly in self-esteem. Where do feelings of worthlessness come from? Many come from our families, since more than 80% of our waking hours up to the age of eighteen are spent under their direct influence. We are who we are because of where we've been. We build our own brands of self-esteem from four ingredients: fate, the positive things life offers, the negative things life offers and our own decisions about how to respond to fate, the positives and the negatives. Neither fate nor decisions can be determined by other people in our own life. No one can change fate. We can control our thinking and therefore our decisions in life.

Positive self-esteem is not to be confused with self-centeredness, machismo, being a braggart, or acting superior, all of which are attempts to hide negative feelings of self "You are important as long a you act tough, accomplished, or smart" is a negative, unhealthy central message around which to organize one's life. "You are a worthwhile person" is a positive, healthy message.

We are all capable of increasing our self-esteem, no matter how high or low we may feel on any given day. The good feelings we can generate about ourselves are limitless. Most important, these feeling are within our control, independent of how the rest of the world view us.

The first step in building self-esteem is to accept yourself now as is before you attempt to improve. Self acceptance and self knowledge is the key to creating positive self-esteem. When you know and accept yourself you feel better. When you feel better, you do more. When you do more, you accomplish more. When you accomplish more, your self-confidence zooms. As your self-confidence increases, so does your self-respect. With more self-respect, your overall level of pride increases. And when you have more pride, self-respect, and self-confidence, you can confidently say that you have more self-esteem. You feel more comfortable with yourself.

You can't like others if you first don't like yourself, and other can't like you, either. Self-esteem informs every relationship you have. It's not only the "real" you who lives in your relationships -- it's also the self-esteem within you. A good, strong self-esteem shows off the best of you; a low self-esteem underscores the worst. Nurturing your relationship with yourself is the first essential step in nurturing your relations with others.

Even if you were lucky enough to have grown up in a family that make you feel worth, many of you still emerge into adulthood with self-doubts -- about how pretty, smart or capable you are. This is when the choice factor comes in: You can either let those self-doubts tell you who you are, or you can work through them, by improving the things you can change and accepting those you can't. You can choose good beauty and health habits. You can change a negative attitude to positive. And you can begin liking, loving, supporting and having fun with the person you're becoming and working on the most important relationship you'll ever have: your relationship with yourself.

Inner strength is like any other kind of "muscle" and has to be exercised in the same way. If you like yourself, it shows. You contribute to your work, social engagements, friends and family in a strong and healthy way. You don't depend on others, but learn to depend on yourself. At the same time, you encourage others to be independent as well, and not to depend on you. You can say yes. You can say no. You live up to your own demands, not the demands of others. You're in control. Choose joy, choose curiosity, enhance your life with new interests and experiences and new relationships will follow. It's your life, and no one can fill it but you.

There's plenty of self-help information available for building self-esteem, and professional help if you feel you need it. Make the choice to do good things for yourself. Make the choice to push self-doubts aside and walk into a room looking your absolute best and confident about who you are. Deserve good relationships; expect good relationships. Become a person you can believe in, and then believe in yourself.

 

SELF-ESTEEM QUESTIONNAIRE
Answer Yes or No to the following questions

Do you have a hard time nurturing yourself?
Have you ever turned down an invitation to a party or function because of the way you felt about yourself?
Do you get your sense of self-worth from the approval of others?
Are you supportive of others but berate yourself?
Whenever things go wrong in life do you blame yourself?
Do you react to disappointment by blaming others?
Do you begin each day with a negative attitude?
Do you feel undeserving?
Do you ever feel like an impostor and that soon your deficiencies will be exposed?
Do you have an inner-critic who is disparaging or demeaning?
Do you believe that being hard on yourself is the best motivation for change?
Do your good points seem ordinary and your failings all-important?
Do you feel unattractive?
Have you ever felt your accomplishments are due to luck, but your failures due to incompetence or inadequacy.?
Have you ever felt that if you are not a total success, then you are a failure, and that there is no middle ground with no points for effort?
Do you feel unappreciated?
Do you feel lonely?
Do you struggle with feelings of inferiority?
Do other people's opinions count more to you than your own?
Do you criticize yourself often?
Do others criticize you often?
Do you hesitate to do things because of what others might think?

Total the number of "Yes" and "No" answers. Yes ________ No _________

The more yes answers you have the opportunity exist for improving your self-esteem.
Self-esteem is the foundation upon which we stand as we travel through life. Our self-esteem may be under assault from the world around us but we strongly believe that we all have the power to change ourselves and to build the strength of our own foundation

The above article and questionnaire was taken from "The Positive Way" on the Internet.

 

September Trivia

It's back to school, so put on your thinking caps and answer these questions about September for a prize.

1. In 'September Song" it's a "long, long way," from what to December?"
2. What American neighbor celebrates its national birthday September 16?
3. The Birthday of which Christian personage is celebrated September 8?
4. What tune was first sung in England in this month in 1745 and has been sung some where every day since?
5. Which famous American songwriter and composer was born Sept., 25, 1898?
6. On September 27, 1905, a policeman arrested a woman in New York for doing what, proclaiming that "You can't do that on 5th Avenue." What was she doing?
7. What American icon first appeared on September 19, 1928, at the Colony Theater in New York?
8. Which famous American writer was born September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina, and took a pen name while writing in prison?
9. Which French monarch, who ruled for 72 years, was born on September 16, 1638?
10. What TV western premiered on September 10, 1955, and ran for the next 20 years?
11. What famous couple eloped from London to Paris on September 19, 1846? (They had married secretly September 12.)
12. What famous British man of letters was born on September 17, 1709. A man of many clever words, he once said, "A cucumber should we will sliced, dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out as good for nothing."

Do a little research on the Web if need be. The first person to answer all correctly will win. Otherwise we will give the prize to the person with the most correct answers. Have fun and Good Luck!!

 

Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Managing Food Safety:
A HACCP Principles Guide for Operators of Food Establishments at the Retail Level

Seafood Reference
Natural Toxins1

Natural Toxins	Type of fish (species)	Control
Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP)	Molluscan Shellfish N.E. and N.W. Coastal regions of N. America	NSSP approved waters (tags) (FDA ICSSL listing)
Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning (NSP)	Molluscan Shellfish harvested along coast of Gulf of Mexico	NSSP approved waters (tags) (FDA ICSSL listing)
Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP)	Molluscan Shellfish	NSSP approved waters (tags) (FDA ICSSL listing)
Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP)	Molluscan Shellfish N. E. & N.W. coasts of N. America	NSSP approved waters (tags) (FDA ICSSL listing)
Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP)	fin fish from extreme S.E. U.S., Hawaii, Subtropical and Tropical areas: Barracuda Amberjack Horse-eye jack Black jack other larger species of jack King mackerel Large groupers Large snappers	Purchase from approved sources: get fish from areas that are not subject of a CFP advisory or get fish from an area known by you or your supplier to be free of CFP problems
Gempylotoxin, a Strong purgative oil (can cause severe marketed in interstate diarrhea)	Escolar	FDA recommendation: Escolar should not be commerce
Tetrodotoxin	Puffer Fish or Fugu, usually from Indo-Pacific ocean, however some Mexico and Gulf of California	Illegal to import or receive (exemption: an agreement noted from Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of with one N.Y. importer)
Fish Considered to be Scombrotoxin-Forming Species3
Toxin Formation	Species - Market Names	Control
Scombrotoxin formation as a result of time/temperature abuse	Most scombroid poisonings from tuna, mahi-mahi and bluefish. Other species are: Amberjack or Yellowtail Anchovy Bluefish Bonito Escolar or Snake Mackerel Gemfish Herring (not River Herring) Jack Jobfish Kahawai Mackerel (not Atka) Mahi-Mahi Marlin Pilchard or Sardine Sardine Saurv Shad & roe Shad, Gizzard Snapper (pristipomoides ssp) Sprat or Bristling Trevally Tuna Wahoo	Buy from approved federally inspected suppliers. They are required to receive, hold and process using a HACCP system. Check for an adequate quantity of ice or other cooling media If not, a federally inspected supplier or directly from a fishing boat, check for the following at receipt: an adequate quantity of ice or other cooling media the time the fish were caught (from the vessel or supplier) internal temperatures of the fish expected for safety. 50ºF (10ºC) or below if delivered 12 or more hours after death 40ºF (4.4ºC) or below if the fish are delivered 24 hours or more after death. Control temperature after receipt Note following table for safe shelf-life time and temperature guidelines.
Approximate Safe Shelf Life for Scombrotoxin-Forming Species at Various Storage Temperatures3
Product Temperature	Shelf Life (Days) with Rapid Cooling	Shelf Life (Days) with Delayed Cooling
0ºF (-17.8ºC)	No Limit	No Limit
32ºF (0ºC)	14	8
38ºF (3.3ºC)	10	7
40ºF(4.4ºC)	7	5
50ºF (10ºC)	3	0
70ºF (21.1ºC)	0	0
90ºF (32.2ºC)	0	0

 

Parasites4
Parasites	Type of fish/species likely to be used in menu items that will not be cooked	Control
Nematodes or Roundworms Cestodes or Tapeworms or Flukes	Sea Bass Capelin & roe Cod Flounder -- Dab -- Fluke Grouper Halibut Herring Jack Jobfish Kahawai Mackerel Monkfish Mullet Chilean Sea Bass Ocean Perch Plaice Pollock Rockfish Sablefish Salmon & roe (aquacultured and wild) Seatrout Sole Sprat/Bristling Trout/steelhead/rainbow Tuna, small Turbot Wolfish	Purchase from a processor, require the raw fish to have been frozen: -4ºF (-20ºC) or below for 7 days or -31ºF (-35ºC) or below for 15 hours Freezing can be done inyour operation if it is done in accordance with the Food Code, Chapter 3.
Some products that have been implicated in human infection are:
ceviche salmon roe green herring undercooked grilled fish lomi lomi sashimi drunken crabs   Poisson cru sushi cold smoke fish

People Development Incentives
We are looking for Manager Trainees!

Qualifications:

1. Prefer a person who has cooking skills or past food management experience.
2. Appearance should be neat and tidy.
3. Should be able to communicate well.
4. Should have indications of being intelligent.
5. Willing to be trained in production areas.
6. Willing to relocate outside of the state of their residence.
7. Preferable areas: Missouri, Texas, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma.
8. Has ambition to grow into a management position.

How do you find these people?

First, look inside your own facilities.

Second, look at people that apply for positions, ones who answer ads or even walk-ins. Sometimes people who simply walk-in for an application are showing strong signs that they need employment. Even if you do not have a position open, extend the courtesy of a few minutes of conversation.

1. From that, you can determine if the person communicates well and has indications of intelligence and is neat in appearance.
2. From the conversation, if you see some possibilities, do not make a commitment, but forward the resume to the corporate office, with a brief note attached.

Lastly, you may have knowledge of a good person working for another establishment. Seek out this individual, talk briefly with him/her to see if there is any interest that they may want to grow. Then set up a formal interview time to get a good read on the person to see if he/she meets the qualifications. If the person does, send the resume to the home office and an official interview will be set up.