Rick Barber
Please click on the link below to learn more about San Diego State University.
www.sdsu.edu
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SDSU has won numerous awards for its convenience stores over the past few years. Have you done anything innovative in your C-Stores?
Nothing this year, no major innovations planned until we build our next generation convenience stores. One will be built in the new student center and we plan to remodel another, the one in our classroom building. Those C-Stores will feature a new upscale look along with a big emphasis on fresh and healthy food service.
Because of the budget constraints, this year’s focus has been to add value to increase sales without impacting gross profit margin. We have achieved that by using our production departments to create new microwavable meals that we can bundle with a drink for a $5.00 price point. We have also reduced the sizes of our fruit cups and parfaits which enabled us to reduce the retail price, increase sales, again without a loss in gross profit.
SDSU student body is very diverse. As a result, what are some of the different ethnic products you promoted this year?
Our newest line is Sukhi’s Natural Authentic Indian Food. They have a line of frozen items, as well as items that we place in our grab and go cases. We have also expanded the Annie Chun’s line and have had good sales with the Simply Asia Bowls and the Thai Kitchen line.
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What challenges has your team faced this school year?
The biggest challenge has been the California budget and its impact on the California State University system. The loss to San Diego State’s budget was 35 million dollars. The University enrollment dropped by 5.3% and must meet a total reduction of 10.8% by next fall. This has led to a reduction in the number of the residents living on campus. To cut expenses, the University closed down an entire resident hall that was serviced by one of my higher volume C-Stores with a grill, which I also had to close. The University has also not renewed 700 temporary employee positions and initiated furlough days for the remaining faculty and staff. This translates into a much smaller customer base for us over the next few years
Everyone talks about work/life balance. You balance work with being a cross-country glider pilot. What type of summer do you have planned?
As a cross-country glider pilot, my goal is to fly as many miles as possible and still return to the airport I took off from. Because we glider pilots are doing this without an engine, we are very dependent on the weather conditions. Last year started out great, but we had a lull in the weather for most of the summer. My longest flight of 437 miles was into the Sierras in Nevada. To fly over the Sierras or Southern Utah at 18,000 feet is amazing! Weather permitting; I just want to have a great summer since I have the good fortune to fly over some of the most beautiful places in the west. |
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