References from valued clients:
"I have worked with Mark for the last 13 years in a variety of senior housing settings. I have grown to know Mark as one of the best dining service leaders in the entire senior housing and care industry. He has also provided value added solutions to this very complicated aspect of long term care. He has a clear vision of the end product: to provide a quality dining experience to residents on a regular basis, while never forgetting the budget, schedule, or the employees.
Mark provides professional service to his clients, is a knowledgeable educator to all operations staff, and has a passionate regard for the residents in any part of the continuum.
Mark has a depth of understanding of dining services that is seldom accomplished by any leader in any field. It is my privilege to recommend Mark.
Steve Wuitschick, Principal
Solutions Advisors
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“Through Mark's leadership, University Place was able to enhance our residential/healthcare menus, create better food production techniques, decrease overall raw food costs as well as increase overall resident dining service satisfaction. More importantly, Mark taught our dining service department the importance of HACCP, NSF and ServSafe food safety procedures.
His willingness to collaborate with our residents on the development of the 4-cycle menu program and selection of food products was smart. This allowed our residents to have "buy-in" and ownership of the new menu program. During this time of developing a new menu program, I especially appreciated Mark bringing our dining services committee/resident council representatives to the GFS warehouse for a tour and an educational in-service on food production and food inventory management. Overall, the residents were very impressed and appreciated how much Mark educated them on new dining programs, menu development and creative cuisine.” August 9, 2010
Mike Logan, Executive Director, University Place
worked indirectly for Mark at Franciscan Sisters of Chicago
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Mark’s accomplishments were successful because he was able to clarify corporate and local problems and instigate solutions. He remained in a mode of analysis. He measured areas of neglect and abuse in every aspect of the food and dining services. He did so with specificity for present and potential future effects. Mark’s professional experience and talents were those of a trained Master. He possessed vital elements for securing foundational understanding. He implemented with tenacity and patience to settle the “resistance” while establishing fortified structures.
Mark was unrelenting. His title as an “Outside Unbiased Consultant” positioned him to represent the residents to ....(Client )...... and ....(Client)......to them. Therefore Mark was able to pave the way for a unanimous acceptance of the residents to go forward with ...(Client); unanimous acceptance--with excitement, of Karen Goble’s appointment as General Manager and of Bill Capp as the Executive Chef.
This would never have occurred without Mark’s conscientiousness. Discerning the need to have a consultant and choosing to bring in Mark was a brilliant strategy by ...Client)... I would recommend this as a standard of procedure for any ...(Client)... problem. To state it boldly, any allurement you could use to have Mark McKenzie as a constant consultant affiliate with ....(Client).... may be the most ingenious decision you could make.....
