MEET THE TEAM AT IHS

Gary Gunderson, FMP

Principal

Gary’s background includes extensive business dining and food and beverage experience in the hotel, restaurant and transportation industry. His experience includes more than 30 years in corporate food service and he has completed project work in master planning, operations reviews and design services. He has earned a reputation for his international work creating “center-of-excellence” employee food service operations in Singapore, China, Mexico and Brazil. His strong operations experience, combined with strategic planning and financial analysis, are the core competencies that qualify him as a leader in this field.

Gary has been a featured speaker at several food service industry conferences. He also has been featured in a number of professional trade publications, including Food Management, Restaurant and Institutions, and Nations Restaurant News.

Matt Mundok, FMP

Principal

Matt’s experience includes more than 18 years of consulting and on-site operations management experience in business dining, college and university dining and hospital food service. His experience also includes design services work in the U.S., Canada and Europe. A proven project manager, Matt's knowledge and leadership of food service operator selection processes, contract negotiations, program assessments and strategic planning have earned him high marks with clients, partners and service providers.

Matt has successfully led numerous strategic planning and operator selection projects for clients across the country.   The foundation of Matt’s approach stems from his unique background in the hospitality industry.  This experience includes years of operational management with several of the most admired contract service providers, directing a world-class global hospitality program at MBNA America Bank and leading dozens of client projects as a strategist and project manager.  Matt’s customizes every assignment to ensure results are positive, fair to all parties involved and sustainable.

Matt leads the Restaurant and Food Service Community of Practice at the International Facilities Managers Associations (IFMA) whereby he develops and creates food service related education for facility managers.  He is also an active member of NACAS and SFM.  Matt serves on the advisory board and speaks regularly at Penn State University, School of Hospitality Management.

Marsha Diamond, MA, RD

Senior Advisor

Marsha’s uniquely diverse background spans the full range of foodservice positions– from operations to sales/marketing to a professor in the International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management to the executive management of a national association. Marsha’s scope of positions, including the food and beverage director of several commercial and non-commercial operations, prepares her for understanding operational, people and technology challenges in working with a diverse work force from professionals to entry-level staff. With experience in a broad range of foodservice markets, including healthcare, college and university, retail, and corrections, Marsha understands the issues facing the various segments of the foodservice industry.

With more than 30 years experience, Marsha meets industry challenges by leveraging her talents to define solutions for success.  She has an amazing ability to listen and customize approaches to clients’ initiatives and challenges. She continues to address the various clients’ needs to be successful in:

• Foodservice operational and needs analyst
• Effective systems management
• Enhanced food quality and safety
• Best practices in retail marketing
• Integration and efficiencies with IT technology
• Best meal delivery and room service options
• Operational efficiencies
• Customized training and education of all levels of staff

She has delivered dozens of presentations at such leading conferences as the Healthcare Foodservice Administrators national conference, regional American Society for Healthcare Food Service Administrators’ meetings, regional correctional state meetings, National College and University Food Service Association state meetings, American Dietetic Association annual conference, American Dietetic State Association annual meetings in the United States and Canada. She has guest lectured at New York University, the University of Maryland, Fairleigh Dickinson University, University of Houston, and selected dietetic internship programs throughout the United States.

Marsha is an achieved recipient of the distinguished Founder’s Award from the Dietitians and Business in Communications Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association, the largest organization of food and nutrition professionals in the world.  She has also been the honored recipient of the distinguished President’s Award from The National Society for Healthcare Foodservice Management (HFM), HFM is the only professional society dedicated to senior on-staff healthcare foodservice management professionals and their suppliers.  She has served on the Board of Directors and chaired committees for affiliate chapters of the American Dietetic Association, American Society for Healthcare Food Service Administrators, Fairleigh Dickinson University and local food banks. She has led various task forces including the HFM Room Service Taskforce, developing best in class room service practices. She has qualified for membership in an invitation-only culinary organization, the Chaine des Rotisseurs.

Marsha has earned a Masters in Foodservice Administration from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Food and Nutritional Science from Queens College.  She is also a Registered Dietitian.

Maggie Stefanek, RD, LD

Senior Advisor

Over the past 20 years, Maggie has successfully worked as a hospitality consultant. Throughout her consulting career she has been involved in projects that included auxiliary services staffing assessments, financial reviews, one card implementation, asset management reviews, development of operations manuals, operations reviews, request for proposal processes, contract negotiations, and strategic planning for various clients throughout the US.

Maggie has facilitated the implementation of numerous programs in both the campus and corporate business dining sectors that have resulted in “win-win” situations for both the core clients and the food service providers.  Maggie’s innate talent to listen and translate her client’s message into a creative program which is easily understood by the provider has contributed to her success.

She graduated from the University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics. She completed her Dietetic Traineeship at Ingalls Memorial Hospital, Harvey, Illinois and is registered by the American Dietetic Association and licensed by the State of Ohio.

Maggie was employed by Stouffer's Corporation in their Management Food Service Division, where she directed numerous on-site dining facilities in Northeast Ohio. She was later promoted to Regional Staff Marketing Manager responsible for promotions, marketing, sales, as well as new facility openings.

In 1989, she went to work with Cini-Little International, food service consultants, as a Project Coordinator. In May of 1991, she moved to Corporate Dining, Inc. as a Project Manager. In 2007 she was promoted to Principal.

In 2007, Maggie received the Society for Foodservice Management’s annual Spirit Award, given by the Board of Directors for Outstanding Service to the organization.

Maggie is a member of the Kent State University Hospitality Management Advisory Board, a current member of the Society for Foodservice Management, the SFM Women’s Council Steering Committee, the American Dietetic Association, the Ohio Dietetic Association, the Cleveland Dietetic Association and the Dietitians in Business and Communications.  She has been a featured speaker for the Society for Foodservice Management as well as the Ohio Dietetic Association, the Cleveland Dietetic Associations and the Case Western Reserve University Dietetic Internship Program.

Ed Morano, FCSI, MBA, B.COMM

Senior Advisor

Ed is the Managing Director at KAIZEN Foodservice Planning and Design Inc and Senior Associate with Innovative Hospitality Solutions.  Ed combines his 20 years of food service consulting and operational experience with a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management and an M.B.A. from York University’s Schulich School of Business.  He is a Professional Member of the Food Service Consultant Society International (FCSI) and Board Member of the American Association of Healthcare Consultants.

Over the past ten years, Ed has concentrated on providing management consulting services, concept development and feasibility analysis of alternative foodservice and laundry system approaches for healthcare and other institutional sectors. 

Healthcare restructuring initiatives have changed the types of food service operations and facilities that are required today and have broadened the diversity of patient, resident and client meal service needs.  In response, Ed works with healthcare clients to assess operational and physical implementation of new technologies and procedures, all aimed at improving overall efficiency and quality of health care food service operations.