Letter from CEO
Wow, what a wild ride we have been on. Never did we imagine that our beloved industry, the industry that has always cared for, nourished and fed the world would be brought to its knees. We all have suffered dramatically from this unprecedented pandemic. No one, I mean no one had a playbook for how to deal with this. We saw hotels and restaurants close, celebrations and conventions cancelled, we saw massive lay-offs that were reminiscent of the Great Depression. We also saw resilience. We saw innovation and we affirmed that Americans can overcome anything. Soft Stuff Distributors saw what was happening and tried our best to adapt and reimagine our place in your business. We have responded by expanding into poultry, meats, produce and dairy. We have dedicated our efforts to bring best in class grab and go meals and snacks. We have kept our delivery minimums low so we can deliver to you frequently, which will allow you to manage your inventory and cash flow better. We absolutely want to continue to be your best and favorite foodservice distribution partner. We want to help you rise from the ashes to be bigger and better than ever. In turn we hope that you will continue to rely on Soft Stuff to “Deliver The Good Stuff” to your establishment safely, on time and error free. We will all rise from the ashes together!
With gratitude, Soft Stuff Distributors
Lois and Robert Gamerman
Date: March 12, 2020
To: Our Valued Soft Stuff Customers
Re: COVID-19/Coronavirus
Here at Soft Stuff Distributors Inc., we are in the business of providing premium quality Specialty Foods, and it is always our top priority to provide everyone the best possible product, as well as to ensure the health and safety of our customers, employees and our community.
In our 30 years of business, Soft Stuff has continuously upheld top industry standards when it comes to the cleanliness and sanitation practices in our facility and our delivery vehicles. We want to take this opportunity to let you know of the policies and procedures we are putting in place surrounding COVID-19/Coronavirus.
What we’re doing:
• Closely monitoring the advice and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Educating our employees on preventative measures provided by the CDC.
• Instructing all employees that suspect they are ill to stay home. We do not allow sick individuals into our facility.
• Increasing the frequency and extent of our cleaning practices, such as additional wipe downs of all hard surfaces.
• We have installed Touchless Hand Sanitizer Units in ALL of our delivery trucks. We have educated our delivery drivers on the importance of cleaning their hands before and after each delivery. We are spot checking their compliance via the in-truck camera system.
• All drivers have gloves and are encouraged to wear them when interacting with “high touch” public surfaces.
• Installed hand sanitizer units at all entry points into our building and throughout our facility.
• Implementing heightened sanitation and hand-washing procedures for all employees.
• All in-bound delivery drivers are prohibited from entering our facility until they have registered with the Warehouse Manager, signed our Visitor Log, sanitized their hands and informed us if they have recently visited a “Known Coronavirus Hotspot”.
• Our employees are on travel restriction and can not attend conferences, conventions or events with more than 250 people.
• We have suspended all meetings at our offices with non-Soft Stuff Employees until the further notice.
• Providing additional resources that are available to our employees including hand sanitizer, extra soap and paper towels in the restrooms.
• We have thermometers available for employee temperature monitoring and all suspected illness are documented.
• Discouraging all personal contact within our facility, including shaking hands.
We view our relationship with you as more than just business relationship. We view you and your staff as family and want to do everything possible to protect you. Thank you for the trust you place with us. Our goal is to ensure you remain confident in doing business with us during these challenging circumstances and know that your health is a priority in everything that we do.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
We thank you for your continued partnership,
Lois Gamerman
President & CEO