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Meet our Custom Product Design Contest Winners – Claudia Harry & Alyssia Wright, Ed.S.

In the Fall of 2022, we launched a Custom Product Design Contest, encouraging our manufacturer’s reps to team up with end-users, consultants or dealer partners. They submitted ideas for aluminum foodservice equipment innovations specific to solving needs within their foodservice operations. The winning design has been manufactured and will be revealed at The NAFEM Show Feb 1-3, 2023 in Orlando, FL in our New Age Industrial Booth (#1600). We are also hosting a Live Awards Presentation at our Booth (#1600), where the winners will be recognized and awarded for their outstanding product design. Congratulations to Claudia Harry, Manufacturer’s Representative with The Hansen Group, and Alyssia Wright, Executive Director of School Nutrition, Fulton County Schools. 

Claudia Harry is a manufacturer’s representative with the Hansen Group and has served K-12 Sales and Multi-Unit Accounts for over 11 years. Both industries share common goals. Whether it’s a small, medium, or large school district or a national chain restaurant, the focus is customer experience and operations. Although these two segments are very different, both possess the need to drive brand consistency found through thoughtful vetting of the right equipment that fulfills many roles. Claudia utilizes her multi-unit experience and interest in driving innovation within the strong partnerships she has developed with the factories she represents. Building genuine, long-lasting relationships has been key to her long-term success, and getting involved in initiatives that matter to her customers has helped her to better understand their needs.
 
Claudia currently serves as the Georgia School Nutrition Association’s (GSNA) Industry Advisory Chair. She is also an active member of the Georgia School Nutrition Executive Board. Throughout her foodservice career, she has been a steady advocate, investing in her state’s school nutrition programs to forward their growth. This past year, she chaired the GSNA Equipment Academy while pioneering the first Maintenance Track ensuring that directors, decision makers and their maintenance teams could learn alongside one another. Her drive for involvement is simple, “Education Breeds Educated Decisions.”
 
Claudia co-authored the first industry-supported, professional development resource for Georgia School Nutrition Professionals in partnership with Director Laura Lynn, Brantly County, which is used statewide. She also participates in the Georgia School Nutrition Speakers Bureau which is a comprehensive resource for school nutrition directors. It provides them access to industry speakers with experience on a wide range of topics, fulfilling necessary CE credits. It also provides industry partners with a unique touchpoint for interacting with professionals across districts they don’t typically interact with.
 
Some of Claudia’s key accomplishments include being a 2-Time ANC Session Speaker and awarded the 2020 Industry Member of the Year for her service to Georgia Schools. Her most valued multi-unit Award is The Hansen Group 2022 Inspire Brands Allies Partner of the Year Award.
 
Claudia values opportunities to work alongside customers in their kitchens and associations that matter most to them. This allows her to recognize their overall needs and potential equipment solutions, so their final equipment decisions have staying power.

Alyssia L. Davis Wright has worked in child nutrition for 25 years. As the Executive Director of School Nutrition for Fulton County Schools (FCS) she oversees 97 kitchens and 750 school nutrition employees serving 76,000 meals daily managing a $46 million dollar budget. FCS is located in the Metro Atlanta Area of Georgia. Wright’s drive towards serving students wholesome meals filters out to her team as they work together offering the best service and dining experience to every customer. Wright shares best practice strategies through conference presentations, radio and podcast interviews, television news segments, print and digital media.

Wright currently serves as the Chair of the Program Planning and Development for the School Nutrition Association (SNA) and has participated on SNA’s L.E.A.D. Grant Advisory Group and Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) Task Force. Wright is an active member of the Georgia School Nutrition Association’s Executive Board currently serving as President. As a leader in the K-12 industry, Wright served as a representative on the Governor’s K-12 Restart Working Group and currently the Georgia Department of Education’s School Nutrition Program Director’s Advisory Council. Wright also represents FCS on the Action for Healthy Kids’ Urban School Wellness Coalition and is a member of the FCS ATLAS Steering Committee and Emergency Task Force. Wright is also proud member of the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) K-12 Foodservice Council serving as 2nd Vice Chair and recent recipient of their Sliver Plate Award as the 2022 Foodservice Operator of the Year for Elementary and Secondary Schools.

 
A native of Atlanta, Wright graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management with a minor in Business Management from Georgia Southern University, and later went on to obtain her Master’s in Education as well as a Specialist in Education. She is also certified under the requirements from the School Nutrition Association (SNA).
 
Alyssia has two children, Braelyn (11) and Branson II (8) and two dogs, Bosco and Bella.
 
New Age Industrial is the leading aluminum extruder and fabricator of storage and transportation equipment in the United States. We design and manufacture heavy duty, yet lightweight aluminum products to meet your exact needs. We work with various industries including foodservice, supermarket, and material handling. For more information, contact us today, and our team will help find you the perfect product that fits your needs.