We spoke with one of our manufacturer reps and his team on the east coast to get an inside look at their experience as a Foodservice Manufacturers' Representatives.
John O'Halloran
Partner, CLV Marketing
Service Ideas Rep #4
MAFSI Foodservice Territory: 3
Service Ideas Sales Recognitions
Gold Quota Buster, 2018
Significant Contributor of the East, 2018
Significant Contributor of the East, 2017
Q: How did you get your start in the foodservice industry?
A: I consider myself very lucky to have a father who brought me into the foodservice industry and mentored me. My father had the unique experience of working in multiple roles in the industry, having owned a restaurant together with my mother, having worked for a distributor, having been a regional manager for Hall China, and later becoming a manufacturers representative. I grew up with a deep appreciation for this industry, it’s many intricacies, and for the hard working people that carry it forward. I always thought I might work with my father at some point and upon graduating college CLV had a need for an additional person to call on end-users so I joined the team and I’ve never looked back.
Q: Can you give a brief history of CLV Marketing as well as your history with the company?
A: CLV has been in business since 1985 and has come to embody quality products and ethical representation. Many of our earliest factory relationships are still with our company today and that is a great source of pride for us. I joined the team in 2013 as an end-user specialist reaching out to and fostering relationships with key customers, specifically in the hospitality sector. Over time my responsibilities have grown into a partner’s role. We recently opened a showroom and office in Long Island City, Queens just 2 subway stops from Manhattan and are working hard to reach and service our distributor and end-user customers in new and innovative ways.
Q: How many people work at CLV Marketing?
A: CLV is a team of 10 currently with plans to grow! Check out the employee spotlights below to learn more about CLV team members Aubree and Melissa.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: What I love most about my job is the people and the relationships I have been able to build. Metro New York is a demanding territory but people are still incredibly welcoming if you meet them at their pace. Being able to make someone’s job easier by providing a service or having quality products that we can stand by has allowed me not only to build long lasting relationships but to offer solutions to problems that I can feel good about providing.
Q: What does your typical day look like?
A: I could be in the back-of-the house at a hotel before the morning breakfast rush, cross the street to a corporate cafeteria before the lunch rush, and make it back to our office showroom for a meeting by noon. One of the great things about our territory is our proximity to everything (barring traffic and subway delays) so there is no typical day in our world but there is an organized chaos made achievable by the support of our incredible inside team.
Q: What does your typical customer look like?
A: We have a strong ecosystem of channel partners in Metro New York including distributors and consultants as well as a vast array of end-users. We are happy to assist anyone with a kitchen from mom-and-pop restaurant operators to school districts and hotel chains. More recently we have had an influx of new construction with the largest private development in the country in Hudson Yards and a technology boom that has brought new and growing corporate campuses for Google, Amazon, Spotify, and more.
Q: What types of products do you sell the most of?
A: Having been raised by my father with a tabletop background, I was a part of the “plate turners” club from a young age, always curious to know who supplied the tabletop at each restaurant. Tabletop was my first comfort zone but I soon learned how to couple that into the benefits of a multi-line representative. As for CLV, we were traditionally a “smallwares” focused company with front of house solutions and back of house smaller equipment & supplies. Over time we have diversified our portfolio and our factories have grown their offerings, expanding our reach so that we may continue to meet new customers sooner and grow their trust in our full assortment of products.
Q: What foodservice sales territory do you cover?
A: CLV covers MAFSI Region 3, the Metropolitan New York City area, which includes New York City, Northern New Jersey, Downtstate New York, and Long Island. We have the privilege of serving not only the most densely populated territory in the country but the one with the most vibrant diversity. I myself typically focus on Manhattan and anything North of the city including The Bronx, Westchester, and Rockland Counties.
Q: What are your all-time favorite Service Ideas products?
A: My all-time favorite Service Ideas product is the Flame Free Thermo Urn because it provides a solution that people are hungry for. Many of our customers, if they aren’t mandated to be flame free in Manhattan, would like to be. This allows them to do so without compromising on quality.
Q: What is your favorite new 2020 Service Ideas product?
A: My favorite 2020 Service Ideas new product is the Metallic Elements Collection. I think we are right on trend with these colors and finishes and we are allowing customers to no longer have to sacrifice function for the look that they are trying to achieve.
CLV Marketing Employee Spotlights
Website: clvmarketing.com
Phone: (631) 694-7170
Fax: (631) 964-7243
Showroom Address:
43-01 22nd St. Suite 534
Long Island City, NY 11101
For General Inquiries:
support@clvmarketing.com