Chrane Foodservice Solutions' Cofounder on Culture, MAFSI and the Industry's Shift

Chris East cofounded Chrane Foodservice Solutions in 2008, and the Dallas-area manufacturers' rep firm still runs on three words: fun, authentic and tribal. East, who also serves as vice president of the MAFSI board, laid out that philosophy — and his read on where the equipment industry is heading — in a recent five-question interview.

How does a rep firm build culture?

East describes the Chrane team as a tribe. "Even if we don't get along perfectly all the time, we have each other's backs," he said. Authenticity is a hiring-and-keeping standard, not a slogan: "It's easy to spot someone who is being fake a mile away."

The culture gets reinforced through concrete, low-cost mechanics — employee shoutouts at team meetings, recognition in the company newsletter and team-building exercises. East frames the business purpose plainly: proactively understand and take care of the customer, and prioritize the manufacturers' needs that a rep firm is paid to represent.

Why manufacturers' rep work?

The career choice was a work-life balance decision as much as a professional one. East says he loves the hospitality industry but wanted to be with friends and family on weekends and holidays. Rep work, in his telling, is the best of both worlds: close to restaurants and foodservice without the operator's schedule.

That trade-off matters for an industry segment that competes for talent against distributors and factory direct-sales roles. A rep career lets someone stay embedded in hospitality while keeping a conventional calendar.

What has MAFSI actually done for the business?

When Chrane was new, East joined MAFSI to get the firm's name out and attract opportunities. That worked, but the value shifted over time into relationships and peer learning. "I see it as conversations where one plus one becomes three, because ideas become better and you find new ways to look at situations," he said.

His point about industry structure is worth noting for smaller players: "This industry is constantly changing, and we're all in this together, whether you're a boutique player or a larger company." MAFSI, in his view, teaches members to look at problems through others' lenses and find new ways to add value across the channel.

What's changing in the equipment industry?

The demographic shift is the big one. When East started, people described the industry as "pale, male and stale." He says that characterization is diminishing as young people arrive from all different backgrounds.

He argues the business case directly: having many different voices at the table can only help the industry be more successful. The influx has also created mentoring opportunities, which East says he gets real joy from — and which function as a retention pipeline for firms that invest in them.

What's his advice?

Asked what he'd tell his 16-year-old self, East keeps it short: "It is better to be interested than interesting." Curiosity about people, cultures and the world, he argues, drives personal growth and builds relationships — "whether it's with your Uber driver or the buyer sitting across the table." For a rep whose entire job is the long relationship, that's not a platitude; it's the business model.