Passion
Growing and protecting client profitability is our number one objective.
We achieve this goal by applying proven ingredient procurement
strategies targeted to avoid unexpected price volatility while
optimizing food costs.
Difference
Many commodity advisors are
available to food industry
organizations. Some participants rely
on their suppliers and sales brokers
for market intelligence. Client
Advisory Services satisfies the need
for ingredient acquisition advice that
is not tethered to making a sale or
commission.
Our revenue stream comes solely
from providing clients with high-value
consulting services.
Approach
Deliverables
It begins with continuous ingredient
market monitoring on commodities
specified by the client. Supply-chain
managers are typically focused on
vital issues involving continuity of
supply, inventories and staff
management duties with few, if any,
internal resources dedicated to
market intelligence and analytics.
We fill this void in a unique, cost-
effective way with knowledge and
experience and a high sense of
urgency.
Our services depend upon the
client’s needs. Some clients just
want a reliable service that
provides raw price data that is
accurate and timely. Other
partners opt for an aggregation
service that collects information
from authoritative sources and
condenses it in an easily
understood format. Still others
request our confidential
acquisition strategies that define
timing, acquisition percentages
and target pricing.
Clients benefit from a food purchaser’s perspective that
is authoritative, concise and unbiased. CAS offers straight talk in
contrast to endless scenarios and circular arguments. Food cost
managers need to manage ingredient price risks not engage in high-risk
market trading schemes or costly derivative contracts.
Client Advisory Services Companies are a consulting resource for food
industry professionals providing food ingredient market data,
intelligence and purchasing strategies. Our client organizations range
in size from multi-national food companies to individual
entrepreneurs and start-ups.
How we add value . . .
Points of distinction . . .
Consumer Foods Manufacturers
Chain Restaurants
Wholesale Bakeries
Retail Chain Bakeries
Food Industry Start-Ups
Ingredient Price Forecasting
Purchase Price Targeting
Cash Ingredient Market
Specialists
Risk Management Know-How
Raw Data Collection Services
Impartial Advice; No Vendor
Affiliations
Not a Food or Trading Broker
Client Base is Competitor
Excluded
Confidentiality
Physical Purchasing Methods
Consumer Foods Manufacturers
Chain & Franchised Restaurants
Retail & Wholesale Bakeries
Cost of goods surprises can jeopardize the best business plan
especially given often razor-thin manufacturing margins.
Consumer packaged goods manufacturers need ingredient cost
predictability generally over a shorter term horizon than other food
sectors depending on purchasing philosophy and unique business
requirements.
A balanced, matrix-style purchasing approach that weighs key
ingredient coverage thresholds and year-over-year costs together
with seasonal trends and historic price averages can help to
achieve management objectives.
In the restaurant business key ingredient price fluctuations can
take a severe toll on the bottom-line especially under conditions
where it is not possible to pass along higher prices to consumers.
Menu price development in the business plan can provide
“tolerance ranges” for major ingredients assisting in the
establishment of ingredient purchase price targets and acquisition
coverage time frames and amounts.
Integrated purchasing for both franchisor and franchisees offer
benefits and risks. Our unbiased advisory services make a
welcome addition to the planning and decision-making process.
International trade increasingly takes center stage in moving key
commodity prices. Exports have changed the dynamic just as the
advent and growth of bio-fuels have altered traditional bakery
buying patterns.
Strategies must be based upon casting a wide net that
continuously measures global supply-demand, weather events,
currency fluctuations and international macroeconomics.
Client Advisory Services offers multi-unit retail and large wholesale
bakeries fundamental market research and timely, objective
purchasing solutions.
Food Retailers and Wholesalers - “We subscribe to a price sheet service but then spend hours of staff time
manipulating the data to make it usable. Can CAS provide us with ingredient price quotations formatted to our
specifications as data tables and charts for an affordable price?” Information without analytics, customized to
your organization’s exacting requirements: CAS Price Tracking & Charting
Food Manufacturer - “Our bottom-line can swing into the red if vegetable oil prices spike so what are the
price risks this season and what kind of pricing strategy do you suggest to give us cost predictability?” One size
does not fit all. Recommendations to manage risk: CAS Market Strategies
Chain Restaurant Franchisee - “Our food costs are all over the map creating a nightmare when it comes to
budgeting and making good on our profit commitment. What can we do to minimize ingredient price
fluctuations without buying futures contracts?” Many ingredients are not represented in futures markets so we
offer specialized analytics to provide a competitive cost control edge: CAS Statistical Buy Analytics
Independent Wholesale Baker - “Can you provide us with a continuing independent analysis of the wheat
market and strategies to manage risk? We don’t like to rely on our supplier’s advice because we have do not
share a common bottom-line objective amid an ever shrinking base of suppliers.” CAS collects, analyzes and
recommends timing and coverage amounts for all elements (mill-feeds, cash grain markets, trading exchanges)
that works together to guide intelligent forward flour pricing: CAS Market Commentary Analysis & Strategies
Retail Bakery Franchise - “How can we use synthetic vertical integration techniques to smooth food cost
price volatility and gain margin advantage on our major ingredients?” We offer analytics and forward contract
integrations that seek to manage price gyrations and provide retailers with a new measure of ingredient cost
control that combines CAS Statistical Buy Analytics with CAS Analysis & Strategies
Common Purchasing Issues We Resolve
Research
Our work entails continuous evaluation of agricultural
economics research, macroeconomics, crop development
and international weather conditions influencing supply-
demand and prices.
Analytics
From a data platform of divergent opinions and perspectives
on a wide range of ingredient markets we analyze
information but uniquely from the ingredient end-user’s
viewpoint. This is antithetical to a commodity trader or
broker’s daily gains and losses mindset and in sync with the
client’s profit objectives.
Purchasing Strategies
Client’s often only require price tracking and historic
data compilations. We also offer strategic purchasing
solutions for those desiring a more comprehensive
service. In these instances our advice is client
specific, adapted to confirm to management risk
tolerance and benefits.
Expertise
Client Advisory Services Companies was founded by
Vic Turner, a food industry veteran with over thirty
years of multi-disciplinary management experience as
a corporate officer and entrepreneur.
PURCHASING EXECUTIVE - INNOVATOR
”At Collins Foods International, Vic was responsible for guiding the $490 million CFI enterprise commodity procurement
strategies yielding multi-million dollar reductions in Sizzler red meat and key ingredients. He created innovative commodity
hedging and contracting solutions for the Kentucky Fried Chicken Division’s fresh poultry that contributed millions in chicken
expense reductions annually for seven consecutive years. During his tenure at Winchell’s Division of Denny’s, Vic ushered in
a highly successful new era in ingredient budgeting and contracting for sugar, flour, vegetable oil and all other bakery related
supplies.”
MANUFACTURING & SUPPLY CHAIN - PIONEER
“Vic directed the food product manufacturing operations for the Winchell’s Donut House and Denny’s Restaurants. He was
responsible for ingredient procurement and created commodity strategies for the industrial complex and retail stores. Vic
successfully implemented a vertical integration strategy utilizing two 100,000 square foot food facilities where products
were created, produced and distributed. He directed manufacturing operations, product development and quality control
laboratories in addition to distribution/warehousing.”
C-LEVEL RETAIL & WHOLESALE - LEADER
”At the Krispy Kreme franchise for Southern California, Vic was a senior manager of the firm where 32 stores were rolled
out including the original prototype that resulted in a business generating $64 million in retail revenues. He was
responsible for the start-up and development of a wholesale business with manufacturing, store door distribution system,
sales and customer service operations. In less than thirty months this business grew to serve 1,000 outlets with over $20
million in annual sales..”
Colleague’s Comments Highlighting Vic Turner’s Food Industry Career:
Products & Services . . .
Ingredient Price Tracking & Charting
Never again be concerned that your ingredient price information is
accurate, available and timely. Our clients find it convenient and
economical to have Client Advisory Services compile ingredient market
pricing data on a daily, weekly and monthly for most major and minor
markets providing tracking results that can include contemporary and
historical futures, cash and basis quotations.
We package this information in tabular format using Excel and build
custom formatted graphics from simple year-over year comparisons to
more complex visualizations that combine several price elements like
cash, futures, basis, mill feeds and more. Data folders are
communicated to clients on the CAS Cloud at any time interval desired.
Aggregated Commentary, Analysis & Strategies
Client Brief reports are published electronically on a monthly basis,
customized to contain client-defined food ingredient market information.
These periodic reports condense leading governmental and industry market
analytics offering a quick, concise look at factors driving markets. We then
incorporate market forecasts with our take on market price probabilities.
Depending upon client preference, we also incorporate our Ingredient
Acquisition Strategy for each market with precise buying recommendations
that include price objectives, timing and contracting time frame shown as
tables and in graphic formats. Importantly, Client Brief reports are
unbiased, professionally edited and very competitively priced for use in large
and small organizations.
Statistical Buy Analytics
Those obscure food ingredients that in many instances are not represented
in futures markets are a specialty at Client Advisory Services. Our in-depth
analyses are available on markets as diverse as dry beans and eggs to
meat and tomato products.
Typically our statistical buy analytics service is requested by clients with
long purchase time horizons whose budgeted profitability is at risk from
exposure to one or two ingredient markets. Our work product condenses
expert market information, expectations and history and combines a unique
food industry end-user based viewpoint complete with statistical
probabilities, pricing expectations and objectives. Specific purchasing
recommendations and tracking are available at the client’s request.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our website today. We appreciate your interest in our services. Our
consulting practice was established to serve the needs of all food industry organizations from start-up
entrepreneurs to large national companies. The services we offer add value for supply-chain professionals
in a broad range of food organizations. Please click here to review our website terms of use.
Because we make our services available on a straight-forward, non-compete basis we offer services when
an industry segment is available. We would appreciate hearing from you so that we can contact you when
opportunities to serve your organization’s industry segment are available.
Client Advisory Service’s sole objective is managing risk and improving your firm’s
profitability, not your competitors. To this end, we accept only one client in a specific
food industry segment. For example, if your company is a national retail pizza chain
you are our exclusive client in that segment. Your organization’s confidentiality is
vigorously safe-guarded.
We are a fee for service organization with no “sheltered-income” or alternative revenue streams that can
compromise or distort the advice we offer.
Our mission is straight forward; manage ingredient costs to maximize your enterprise profits not your
competitor’s.
Our client based is broad; we serve multi-national food corporations, national food industry organizations
and local food operations as well as start-ups. References will gladly be provided upon request.
P. O. Box 3650
Running Springs, California 92382-3650
victurner@clientadvisoryservices.com
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Email: victurner@clientadvisoryservices.com
Mail: Client Advisory Services Companies, PO Box 3650, Running Springs, California 92382-3650