Making Lemonade out of Lemons

BROOKSVILLE, Fla.- (May 28, 2020) “Our business came to screeching halt on March 17, 2020,” said RFS® President, Hal Bolter. “The state of the restaurant industry, the facilities industry, and the world was, and still is, pretty uncertain - but we had a choice in our downtime: we could take a break, shut everything down, and start over once things normalized; or, we could attempt to pivot and keep pushing forward. Our team chose to do the latter.”

RFS® was thriving in early-March 2020.  Our company was expanding into new markets, gaining market-share, and finding new and innovative ways to help our clients. Many RFS® team members had just returned from the annual RFMA® (Restaurant Facility Management Association) conference in Denver, and were eager to continue building upon that momentum. Over the course of a few days, the rules of the game were changed.  Like dominos, institutions were falling in succession – first the NCAA Basketball post-season tournaments, then the NBA shut down entirely, then Restaurants were forced to close their doors – all in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.  With the majority of our customer-base being Facility Managers of corporately owned restaurants, our business was greatly impacted and slowed to a stop in less than a week.

“We knew we had to do something productive,” said RFS® Director of Operations, Will LeBlanc. “No one on our team was comfortable with just sitting around and waiting. We have a highly-skilled, multi-talented labor force of both technicians and administrators, and we knew we were equipped to make some good out of this.”

Our team spent a few days brainstorming local charity organizations who may have commercial kitchen or other facilities needs comparable to that of the restaurant and senior living clients we’re already serving. The Boys and Girls Club of Citrus County, FL and The Cove, a homeless center for at-risk youth in Waco, TX, rose to the top of our list.

“We had the opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons here,” said Joe Bell, RFS® Director of Client Experience. “We chose organizations that were local to our team members and who could really use a boost. The team jumped right in - they even got friends and family members out to volunteer with them. It was awesome to see and definitely speaks to the heart of the RFS® culture.”

Our RFS® team along with other local partners, Surfaces Flooring, Suncoast Plumbing, and Red Beard Tile, donated weeks of time and material to remodel the entire Boys & Girls Club of Citrus County’s facility, including bathrooms and recreational rooms, and re-paint and upgrade lighting at The Cove in Waco.

“When I received the news that The Cove was chosen by RFS® during their time of giving back to the community, it was such a heartfelt moment. We were in need of getting our facility in tip top shape as we prepare to move into our new location, and their timing couldn’t be more perfect. We feel truly blessed! Thank you for believing in our mission and choosing The Cove to give back to during this time of necessary support from one another," said Kelly Atkinson, Executive Director of The Cove.

“Working on this project for The Cove was great,” said Selby Holder, RFS® TX team Project Manager. “The Cove has had such an impact on the youth in the community and being able to assist them in any way and give back to the community that we live in is very heart warming. The Cove, with its current direction and directives, will continue to provide the needed services to the youth of this area and RFS® is proud to assist them in any way we can.”

RFS® has always and will always foster a culture of service and servant leadership. “Volunteering is a big part of my life and who I am, and getting others engaged in giving back is the kind of culture I’m proud to encourage at RFS®,” said Ron Wilhite, RFS® CEO and Chairman of the Board. “We’re not only the Trusted Facility Experts™ to our clients, but we’ve additionally determined as a team to make a positive impact in our communities and peoples’ lives…to turn a frustrating situation into some tremendous good”.

For more information on RFS® please visit www.rfsrenovates.com or call 844.RFS.RENO (737.7366).