Risk & Business Magazine Hardenbergh Insurance Group Magazine Winter 2018 | Page 7

THE FOOD COLLABORATIVE COUNCIL
GROW TOGETHER OR FALL APART:
The Food Collaborative
Council (FCC)
I
f there is one thing that businesses
can count on year after year, it’s the
ever-changing world of regulation.
The food industry is no different. In
fact, it is often subject to even higher
scrutiny when it comes to regulatory
bodies than many other industries have
to face. To compound matters even more,
many of these companies simply don’t have
the resources—be it time or money—to
deal with increasing internal and external
pressures while still growing the business.
It is for that reason that Hardenbergh
Insurance Group has established the Food
Collaborative Council (FCC).
THE FCC MISSION
STATEMENT SAYS IT
ALL: TO PROVIDE KEY
DECISION MAKERS IN
THE FOOD INDUSTRY A
COLLABORATIVE PLATFORM
TO HELP MITIGATE RISK,
IMPROVE OPERATIONAL
EFFICIENCIES, INCREASE
PROFITABILITY, AND
IMPROVE THEIR
STRATEGIC POSITION.
Chris Fifis is one of the minds driving the
formation of the FCC. He is the former
owner of his family’s Cherry Hill business,
Ponzio’s Diner. There he managed over 100
employees and serviced over 10,000 people
a week. Having worked in that space for
years, Chris left to reinvent himself, getting
into commercial insurance and eventually
gravitating toward the food space that
he had come from. During that time, he
worked with bakeries, pasta manufacturers,
sugar and cheese distributors, coffee
roasters, and other businesses across
implementation of new safety standards
and education. Ultimately, it comes down
to performance and the management
of that performance. It is important
to recognize that companies in the
mid-market don’t have the resources to
implement a lot of new programs that can
impact premiums and affect their ability to
grow over time. That includes things like
human resources, compliance, and more.
the industry. The same problems were
continually popping up for his clients:
limited resources, too busy handling the
day-to-day to handle much else, issues with
efficiency, and regulatory confusion.
Having worked with companies in the food
processing space on the insurance side
for years and coming from a restaurant
ownership background himself, Chris was
in the perfect position to know what both
sides of the table needed. He sees the FCC
as a collaborative platform which will allow
companies to improve their operational
efficiencies and profitability through
the help of strategic planning. Getting
everyone together into one organization
is a great first step. After all, collaboration
and growth almost always stem from
communication.
Initially, the Council’s largest impact was
helping businesses reduce their premiums
on workers' compensation through the
The Council aims to bring these businesses
together to share ideas and resources.
Sharing in that way allows them to
accomplish more than any of them could
alone. Hardenbergh is aiding them in that
effort by not only establishing the FCC but
also allowing the group to pick the topics
and issues they want to address. HIG will
also provide the speakers and resources to
help them achieve their goals. +
CHRIS FIFIS,
BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Chris Fifis works in the Commercial Lines Department as part of the Business Development Team.
His role is to work with mid-sized companies helping them to improve their operation, increase
profitability, and enhance their strategic position. Chris does this by helping his clients to improve
their risk profile and establish policies and procedures to mitigate their risks
Chris primarily works with food processors, distributors and manufactures. Working with his
clients in reducing their workers comp premium is where he has had the biggest impact. Chris’
success is based on him learning about his client operations, examining their strength and weakness,
putting a plan in place, and monitoring their results.
Chris resides in South Jersey with his wife Liz, and two children Violetta and Demetrios.
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