Paul Hickman

Experience

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  Customized Caterers

  Jan 1996 - Jan 2003

  CEO/Owner

  • Owned and operated a full-service catering company recognized for its custom and creative menus. • Events ranged from small private dinner parties to “Fortune 500” company extravaganzas. • Catered diverse events for hundreds of clients serving as many as 1,500 people.

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  H & W Smokehouse INC

  Jan 1996 - Jan 2001

  CEO/Owner

  • Owned and operated Hickman & Weatherford Smokehouse; a full-service restaurant.• Developed business from the ground up and managed all startup operations including building construction, hiring, training, menu development and marketing.• Won several awards for customer service and food quality.

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  Nosh Enterprises LLC.

  Jan 2001 - Nov 2021

  Consultant

  • Provide consulting services to restaurants and food service companies. Specializing in rescuing distressed restaurants, marketing, ‘back of the house’ operations, start-up & new product development.• Produced three products under the Smokehouse Brands label. All of the products were used in my restaurant and sold throughout the United States by specialty gourmet stores.• Developed and sold BBQ Sauce that was recognized by Firey Foods & BBQ Magazine as a first-place winner of a Scovie Award. Show less

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  SVDP Management - Martha's Village

  Nov 2003 - Jan 2007

  Director of Support Services

  • Directed all food service, facilities and security operations for a large transitional housing, medical, and child care center.• Provided 1,500 – 2,000 meals per day. The center also served as a commissary for other local homeless shelters and delivered three meals per day. • Responsible for a large institutional kitchen, USDA Food Program, HAACP, CACFP, cycle menu development, labor, inventory, and purchasing while adhering to very strict budgets.• Directly supervised three Program Managers, assisted in supervision of multiple management staff and 40+ front line workers. • Directed the Facilities Department, including project management and maintenance. • Managed on site security program, with the primary responsibility was the safety of clients and staff. Show less

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  Volunteers of America Oregon

  May 2007 - Aug 2011

  Business Enterprises Division Director

  • Managed the Business Enterprises Division which consisted of three businesses; Catering for a Cause, Resale Outlet & Charity Connections. Directed the Facilities Department and Whispering Pines Senior Village.• Developed and managed Catering for a Cause, a social enterprise that provided vended meals to schools, senior centers and local businesses. Profits from this enterprise were directed back into drug and alcohol treatment programs. • Partnered with the Oregon Department of Education to develop and manage a vended school meal program that provided free and reduced meals to multiple K-12 Charter Schools in the Portland area. • Rebranded and increased operational efficiency and revenue for The Resale Outlet, a 22k square foot retail thrift store.• Restructured and increased revenue for Charity Connections, an initiative that partnered with non-profits to sell donated vehicles.• Directed VOA’s Facilities Department, which managed a portfolio of 6 properties up 50k square feet. Oversaw construction projects and provided leadership and vision for a large portfolio.• Provided leadership and consultation for a one-million-dollar green retrofit project at Whispering Pines, a 62-unit senior apartment building. Show less

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  Adventist Health Columbia Gorge

  Aug 2011 - Nov 2020

  Director of Food and Nutrition

  • Directed all food service including hospital patient meals, catered events, Great and Small Childcare Center, The Atrium Café and The Bistro at Waters Edge rehab center and spa.• Managed and balanced budgets in excess of $1.6 million. Increased food service revenue by nearly 75% and significantly reduced food costs and labor expenses.• Recognized for turning around an underperforming department. Changed patient dining experience to ‘fine dining,’ switched all menu items from pre-packaged to scratch made and directed a change in culture to team members providing excellent customer service. • Greatly improved employee retention by creating a culture where staff were well trained, challenged, properly valued and appreciated. Show less

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  Food for Thought

  Jan 2022 - Dec 2022

  Operations Manager

  • Directly oversee all daily operations of a regionally recognized food manufacturer. • Responsible for all manufacturing processes, purchasing, production scheduling, warehouse management, recruiting, sales and day to day functions.• Lead the charge to improve operational management systems, processes and best practices to increase efficiency, profitability, and business stability.

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  Interlochen Center for the Arts

  Jan 2023 - now

  Director of Dining Services

  Oversees the entire dining services operation which includes Interlochen Arts Academy (2,000 daily meals served September to May), Interlochen Arts Camp (7,000 daily meals served late June to early August), catering events for internal departments such as the President’s Office, Philanthropy, and Interlochen Presents, and the Melody Freeze retail operations