Year end reflections

This year has been professionally and personally very challenging. Words cannot do justice to the challenges we all have faced. No one has been immune to the impacts of these unprecedented times. We collectively dealt with a global pandemic, significant racial and social injustices, and a volatile political and economic environment. With that said, through adversity comes strength, and as I reflect on this year, we have many things of which to be proud.

When I joined Sysco earlier this year, I was energized by the prospect of taking a great company to the next level of performance. I was excited about the prospect of working together with my new colleagues with the shared purpose of helping Sysco better serve our customers and accelerate our growth agenda. I am even more excited to be at Sysco today; but wow, how the landscape has changed. The crisis has impacted our business in a significant way as our customers have faced unprecedented challenges. At Sysco, we have spent the entire year working to help every one of our customers survive and succeed. I am immensely proud of our company for the good work done in that regard. 

During times of crisis it is easy to lose sight and only focus on things outside of our control. I have asked our team at Sysco to do the opposite and focus on those things we can control. In 2021, my ask of each of them is this following:

• Stay the course and be positive. We are in this together and playing to win for the long-term. At Sysco, we are transforming our company to better serve our customers and have leveraged the crisis to accelerate our progress
• Help our customers succeed. Our customers need us now more than ever before. Their success is our success. We must leverage our people, our capabilities, and our value added services to engage with our customers, one by one, to ensure they succeed. We must lean in, go further, and help every single customer. 
• Take care of yourselves and each other. These are challenging times. We must be mindful of the toll that this pandemic is taking on us and those around us. Stay connected to each other and be there for one another. Your health and overall wellbeing are paramount.

I am beyond proud to serve the outstanding associates at Sysco, and I look forward to a very bright future for our company and our associates. To all of my fellow associates and business friends, I hope you are able to take some much-deserved time over the holidays to recharge, spend time with family and loved ones, and importantly, stay safe and well.

Cheers to a healthy, happy and safe New Year!