For many, the new year is a time of resolution and reinvention. Sodexo, too, is in the midst of a bit of reinvention. Often, I am asked whether the recent economic crisis is going to make Sodexo reinvent its strategy. The short answer is, “no.” Does that mean we intend to stay the same? Again, no. Our strategy always has been to meet the needs of our clients and to exceed their expectations. Our clients are looking for solutions that will enable them to improve their productivity, to retain good employees, to meet the needs of their customers. In order to do that more effectively, rather than just offering a portfolio of products and services, Sodexo offers Quality of Daily Life service solutions. We firmly believe that quality of daily life contributes to the progress of individuals and the performance and competitiveness of organizations.  Sodexo always has offered our clients the insights that come from the breadth of our experience and the depth of our knowledge in employee motivation, effective business processes, and sustainable infrastructures. Now, we’re strengthening the partnerships we have with our clients to help them be more successful in attaining their overall strategies.

One signal of this change is that we have renamed our Food and Facilities Management services to On-Site Service Solutions. Unlike “hit and run” consultants, we manage on site.  Additionally, we have renamed our Service Vouchers and Cards to Motivation Solutions.  These changes, and others, signal a change of mindset (for us as well as our clients) that enables us to work together as strategic partners.  Together we create comprehensive service solutions that help our clients determine the best way to meet their challenges so that they can stay competitive despite the economic downturn. We’ve stepped up our capabilities to do this by helping our clients better serve their customers in ways that you might not have associated with Sodexo in the past.

For instance, you might expect us to serve food to patients in hospitals. But did you know we also are experts at maintaining high-end medical equipment? Not only that, but Sodexo also now offers in-home non-medical care for many of the 63% of patients who undergo surgical procedures and need additional follow-up care in their home. For our health care clients, it means we’ve helped them manage the end-to-end patient experience, ensuring that they are well cared for from the time they enter the hospital, throughout their stay, extending to the time they return home.

For Sodexo, it means we continue our vision of offering Quality of Daily Life service solutions for our clients, while reinventing the way we offer those solutions.

We have all seen the devastation and misery suffered by our neighbors in Haiti as a result of the earthquake that has killed thousands and displaced as many as three million people in that impoverished country. 

The people of Haiti desperately need our support. In times of tragedy, borders and political differences fall by the wayside – we all share a common duty to assist those in dire need.

To help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, Sodexo Group has donated 100,000 Euros (nearly $145,000) toward the relief effort. The money was given to The World Food Programme.  The WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide and is known for their incredible logistical capacity and efficiency. They are already on the ground in Haiti providing clean water, food, shelter, blankets, and medical care.

While Sodexo does not have any business operations in Haiti, we have many employees and customers from the country.  We hope those who are still waiting to hear from family and friends in Haiti will receive word from them shortly. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and whose lives will forever be impacted by this terrible disaster.

George Chavel
President and CEO of Sodexo North America

Sodexo’s 120,000 employees serve 10 million people every day across North America. We’re part of a global company that serves more than 50 million people every day in 80 countries.  With our global reach, we embrace our significant responsibility to ensure that our actions help improve the quality of daily life for those whose lives we affect. For decades, Sodexo has partnered with our clients and suppliers to integrate sustainable practices in our business operations. I am pleased today to formally announce the launch of our Better Tomorrow Plan, which details our roadmap for sustainability and corporate social responsibility for the next 10 years, with the key elements of metrics and accountability.

Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow Plan outlines our measurable, sustainable actions in the areas of environment; nutrition, health and wellness; and local community development, with key milestones at years 2012, 2015 and 2020.  At its core are 14 commitments Sodexo has made to:

--help our clients and customers enjoy a more sustainable and healthier way of life
--have a positive social impact on the communities in which we live and work
-- reduce to a minimum the environmental impact of our activities.

In short, Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow Plan details a partnership between Sodexo, our clients and suppliers, and our customers to make incremental changes on a scale that can make a real difference in solving global challenges.

What does this mean for you? It means you can continue to rely on Sodexo - now in a stronger way – to serve you healthy meals in healthy environments; to bring you fair and responsibly traded products; to provide you with information and tools to fight hunger, obesity, and malnutrition; and to continue our economic and social leadership as citizens of communities everywhere.

It means you can trust us to do our part, with specific targets, to reduce carbon emissions and water consumption across all our operations, and to support local and sustainable agriculture and fishing practices.

Sodexo plans to be a strong, healthy company for years to come. We promise to do our part to contribute to your strength and vitality as well. Watch for more information from us as we make progress on our newly chartered journey – and we want to hear from you about how we’re doing.

A better tomorrow starts today.

It was 233 years ago that this country was born. The American Dream is much older than that - you know the American Dream – the one that says no matter who you are, in this country you can rise to achieve whatever it is you want to do. It’s part of the reason this country was founded – to have the chance for unlimited opportunity. It’s a dream that has survived good times and bad in this country. A lot of people – and I’m no exception – get sentimental and corny about our country at this time of year. At Sodexo, one of the things we’re patriotic about is hiring local workers – that means, we provide jobs for people in the U.S.

Now, we read the same news that you do. I know that unemployment is still high. This week, the government said unemployment had reached 9.5%, as high as it was back in August 1983.

But despite that gloomy news, Sodexo is investing in the one currency that never seems to lose its value: workers in America. Although Sodexo is not “recession-proof” we have retained our resilience, and we employ about 110,000 people in all 50 states.

In fact, right now we’re looking for about 800 people to fill positions across the country.

More...

I have been doing college visits with my son who is a high school junior. Now because of Sodexo’s large education portfolio – we’re providers to more than 600 colleges coast-to-coast -- I am very used to being on campuses "checking in" on our services. Those “check ups” include meetings with administration, students and staff, checking service levels and focusing on key performance indicators. However, with my recent "college visits" it is amazing how my lens has changed being on campus as the parent of a prospective student vs. my usual experience as a Sodexo executive.

Boy, my point of reference and the campus landscape that I am observing is much different!
 
OK…aside from the fact that I am having way too many positive college flashbacks and wishing for a moment that I would be back in college…the reality is that as a parent I am really trying to determine the best learning and social environment for my son (without imposing too much of my ESTJ Meyers Briggs profile and personal opinion into the process…yeah, right!)  
  
This experience of visiting colleges now -- as a potential tuition payer -- is really helping me better understand how Sodexo can better serve our clients and their students. Not to mention what a great time it has been to travel around the country and spend a great amount of quality time with my boy.

More...