November/December 2020

Garland-Welbilt Canada acts on COVID-19 strategy
with an outward focus s
By Danielle Schalk
Begets Support
Garland-Welbilt Canada acts on COVID-19
strategy with an outward focus BY DANIELLE SCHALK
The company joined forces with
its service partners to mobilize
food delivery to those in need
When pandemic shutdowns came into
effect in March, Mary Chiarot, vicepresident
& general manager, Garland-
Welbilt Canada says her company saw
“the whole pipeline come to a standstill.”
But, rather than shut down completely,
the Mississauga, Ont.-based
company operated
factories on reduced
hours and adjusted to
accommodate whatever
demand remained
from hospitals, institutions
and retail. Our
approach was less
about hunkering down
and being focused
inwardly, but rather we
focused outwardly,” says
Chiarot. “Part of our
success in the Canadian
market is not just what
we do every day [as
a manufacturer], but
our leadership position
within the foodservice
industry. And, we believe we have a responsibility to
support the industry,” Chiarot explains, noting her
philosophy has long been a pillar of Garland-Welbilt’s
strategy. Among its key efforts is scholarships and bursaries
to help develop the industry’s future leaders. But,
in the face of sudden challenges created by COVID-
19, this commitment was not only maintained, but
greatly expanded.
When considering how best to offer support,
Garland-Welbilt’s industry partnerships, such as consultants,
servicing partners and industry associations,
as well as customers/operators, were top of mind. The
company looked at how they were being impacted and
searched for ways to “work closely with them in order
to support them and, in turn, [have] them support us,”
Chiarot adds.
“We quickly tabled a bunch of things we could do
and set out with our troops to try and reach out and
drive some of those initiatives forward,” shares Jeff
McMullen, vice-president, Sales, Canada at Garland-
Welbilt Canada.
Among the initiatives put in motion was outreach
to community kitchens, including Community
Food Centres Canada, offering additional equipment
and support preparing food and meals. “We quickly
reached out to partners like Gordon Food Service and
Bridor…and asked for donations; they quickly ponied
up and chef Geoff [Scott] produced those meals,” says
McMullen. “In excess of 2,000 meals were delivered out
of [the Welbilt Canada Culinary Centre] within the first
30 days.”
The company offered additional support communities
by loaning equipment to charitable organizations,
temporary kitchens and food centres. It also worked
with its service partners to subsidize repairs and
installation costs. These partners were also mobilized
40 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM