Welcome to the Foundation of NACE.

I’m Eric Ostrow, CPCE, Director of Sales and Marketing, The Glazier Group. Earlier this year, it was my honor to take on the role of President of the Foundation of NACE.

For many years, the Foundation has enjoyed widespread support of NACE members and NACE chapters the leaders of our association, and many others who have identified with the mission and purpose of the Foundation.

What is that mission? In general terms, the mission of the Foundation is to “professionalize” the catering industry and those who choose catering as a lifelong pursuit.

Over the past several years, the Foundation has fulfilled this mission in a variety of ways:

• Providing access to dynamic speakers at national and chapter events
• Providing access industry data and information for our members
• Building an endowment to fund scholarships for students preparing careers in catering

The Foundation’s board of trustees is proud of the accomplishments of the Foundation to date and we are excited as well about new opportunities to grow and expand the footprint of the Foundation on the catering profession.

Earlier this year the board gathered for an all-day session to begin mapping the future of the Foundation. The board developed a working list of strategies and priorities for moving the Foundation forward:

• Funding independent research reports that establish the Foundation as a thought leader and repository of critical industry data; such as salary levels, education programs, and regional measures of the profession
• Promotion of the NACE certification, the Certified Professional Catering Executive (CPCE), which is designed to establish standards within the industry, and to assist professionals within the industry in gaining the knowledge expected of a broad-based professional
• Reevaluating the Foundation’s relationship with the University of Houston and the Catering Research Institute and developing the most appropriate form of research delivery for the industry
• Developing an apprenticeship program for chapters to facilitate learning experiences for student members

This fall, the board also distributed a survey to the membership to confirm that this is an appropriate direction and we invite and encourage your feedback.

The catering profession has never been more popular or as positively viewed as it is today. Thanks to celebrity chefs, and the wave of television programming that features and highlights caterers, designers, event planners and many others, catering is enjoying widespread popularity and growing respect.

I see the Foundation as the mortar that will hold those bricks in place and firmly establish catering as a “profession,” rather than a trade.

I look forward to your support as we embark upon this mission together and again, I ask for your feedback and views. Please contact me at …

With Best Regards,

Eric Ostrow, CPCE
President, Foundation of NACE

Director of Sales and Marketing
The Glazier Group
535 Fifth Ave. 16th Floor
New York, New York 10017
P: 212/406-7900
F: 212/406-7890
EOstrow@TheGlazierGroup.com