@nformer

Director Offers Food for Thought

apilano College entered Richard

Brown’s life when management
restructuring left him without a position
after 20 years with Woodwards.

“TI was among the first 400 to 500
management staff to be laid off,” says the
1990 alumnus of the Accelerated Business
Financial Management option. “After
taking a look around and seeing what was
out there, I decided it was time to enhance
my educational background.”

Richard is a native of Vancouver,
attended school at North Surrey Senior
Secondary, and went directly to
Woodwards as food and beverage
manager. He can remember when a soup
and sandwich were $1.35 and the
downtown store was making $3 million
annually in food and beverage services.
“Woodwards was a great place to work
and had a real family atmosphere for
many, many years,” he recalls.

While attending Capilano College,
Richard also found time to work at the
Trade and Convention Centre where he
supervised banquets. “That’s a different

Director of Food Services at
Capilano College, Richard Brown.

type of business and a great learning
experience,” he says, “because it was first-
class in every way so you have the
opportunity to see the food business from
that aspect as well.”

After graduation, Richard stayed in the
hospitality field and spent time with the
North Shore Winter Club and the Hyatt
Hotel. His present employer, Beaver Foods,
then hired him to work at Science World.

After a year, they asked him to consider
returning to Capilano College (one of
Beaver Foods clients) as their director
of Food Services. “I went full circle,”
he says, “and it’s great to be back
because I really enjoyed the time I was
here as a student.”

Busy as he is, Richard still finds time
to enjoy being with his wife, Carol, and
15-year-old son, Kevin. And he
continues to contribute to the Alumni
Association. “I think it’s important for
people now, more than ever, to have a
well-rounded educational background
before attempting to try and get a job
these days,” he says. “It’s important for
our Association to help in any way to
make it easier for people to do that.
That’s the important factor for me. In
other words, if I can assist through
networking or mentoring, or
contributing to scholarship and bursary
funds to make going to school easier for
someone who can’t afford to, I will. I
think it’s important to give something

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

@ e@= Capilano
@em College

Vol. XVII No. 10
. November 17/95