Adam Bishop may be one of the youngest and newest of Maryland’s Business Enterprise Program for the Blind (MBEPB) operators, but he runs his food concession business at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Beltsville like a seasoned pro.
He knows that the 14,000+ employees at the USDA's George Washington Carver Center can step out to local fast food franchises, so he walked the building and asked employees what they wanted in an on-site cafeteria. He quadrupled his choices of flavored coffees. He offers healthy cooked-from-scratch lunches that are in tune with cultural diversity. He’s considering installing satellite radio to help his customers escape a little from their workday stresses.
"You won’t make it in this world without customer service," says this 25-year-old man whose responsibilities include meal planning, ordering, budgeting and, as he says, "keeping my employees happy."
Mans Persaud of the MBEPB provides business counseling for Adam. He hopes that Adam’s success will encourage other young people who are blind to look at career opportunities in operating a concession such as this.
Adam will tell them the same: "If you don’t mind working hard, there is an unlimited opportunity." He hopes to continue to grow his business by meeting his customers’ needs, expand catering services and to make his food offerings delicious and affordable.
He’s in it for the long run. "This is," he says, looking around at the 13,164-sqaure foot cafeteria that he oversees "another day in paradise."
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