Dishing Out Success: Heating Up Your School Nutrition Program with Collaborative Support

May 12, 2025   |   OMNIA Partners
K-12 Food Program

School nutrition programs face increasing challenges in today's educational landscape. Administrators must balance nutritional quality, cost efficiency, regulatory compliance, and student satisfaction while operating within tight budgets and staffing constraints. Leveraging strategic partnerships offers valuable solutions beyond food procurement, providing support in areas such as technology, equipment, staffing, and more.

In this 30-minute Ed Talk, we will discuss how cooperative purchasing can help secure better pricing on food and explore additional benefits like technology for inventory management, nutritional analysis, kitchen and dining equipment, and staffing solutions. We’ll also cover strategies for evaluating these opportunities and communicating their value to stakeholders.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Gaining Collaborative Support: Learn how partnerships and cooperative purchasing can support food procurement, technology, equipment, and staffing
  • Collaboration Benefits: Understand how to achieve cost savings and meet nutritional standards through collaboration
  • Stakeholder Communication Strategies: Gain best practices for communicating the benefits of these partnerships to stakeholders

This session will provide actionable insights on how school administrators can improve program efficiency and student satisfaction through collaborative support.

EXPLORE FOOD CONTRACTS
EXPLORE ALL K-12 CONTRACTS

Meet the Speakers:

Jon Garrett, GVP of Food and Nutrition at OMNIA Partners, brings a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to his role. Jon has a combined 15 years of experience at US Foods and Premier, where he developed deep expertise in food and nutrition. His extensive background strengthens OMNIA Partners’ ability to drive growth and innovation within the food and nutrition space.

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Jon Garrett

Ryan Owen, Director of Partner Development for the Food Program at OMNIA Partners, specializes in building and nurturing strong relationships with supplier partners. With over two years at OMNIA, she plays a key role in driving the success of the food program. Prior to joining OMNIA Partners, Ryan spent nearly a decade in sales, events, and catering, where she honed her skills in customer relations and industry expertise, bringing a unique perspective to her current role.

CONTACT RYAN
Ryan Owen

Tomek Kruszec, Director of Public Sector Contracting at OMNIA Partners, bringing over a decade of experience in procurement and contract management. He leads cooperative purchasing efforts that help government agencies and educational institutions streamline procurement and drive savings. Prior to OMNIA Partners, Tomek held key roles at the City of Lynchburg and Norcraft Companies where he managed solicitations, vendor relations, and contract compliance in both the public and private sectors.

CONTACT TOMEK
Tomek