There are certain points in the life of a company when you can feel things beginning to come together in a different way.
For me, this is one of those moments at EduClasses®.
We've spent years building the foundation - developing our technology, expanding our programs, earning accreditation, creating FMC® Food Managers Certification, growing FHC® Food Handler Classes, SSC® Seller Server Classes and FAC™ Food Allergens Classes, and more recently developing the EduProctor® network.
We've built something I'm extremely proud of.
But building great programs and technology is only part of the equation. The next stage of growth comes from putting the right people around those programs — people who understand the industry, understand relationships, recognize opportunities, and share our belief that helping other people succeed is ultimately how we succeed.
That's why I'm so excited about what Manny Campos and Brian Allen are bringing to EduClasses®.
Manny Campos: Building Strategic Partnerships
Manny Campos has joined EduClasses as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, and we're already seeing the impact of what he brings to the table.
Manny understands the restaurant and hospitality industry from the inside. More importantly, he understands that today's operators aren't simply looking for another training course. They're looking for solutions.
That philosophy is at the heart of our developing relationship between ACE Food Handler and EduClasses.
Through this partnership, we're combining EduClasses' nationally accredited FMC Food Managers Certification ecosystem and proctoring infrastructure with ACE's live instruction and operational technology.
The goal goes far beyond helping somebody pass an exam.
It's about creating an ecosystem that can help restaurant operators train their people, maintain compliance, improve their operations, and manage food safety more effectively.
Manny will also be leading corporate B2B distribution, venue-partner expansion, institutional relationships and other strategic opportunities for EduClasses.
That's a significant area of growth for us, and Manny has both the industry relationships and entrepreneurial mindset to help us take it much further.
Read more about Manny Campos and the ACE Food Handler partnership:
Brian Allen: Taking EduClasses National
At the same time, Brian Allen has joined us as National Sales Director, and Brian brings another important piece to the equation.
Brian is a relationship builder.
He believes in training, entrepreneurship and helping other people create opportunities for themselves. That's particularly important as we continue building the EduProctor network across the country.
EduProctor is becoming much more than simply another way to proctor an FMC exam.
We're developing a nationwide network of independent proctors, instructors, culinary professionals and organizations that can provide local, on-site access to certification.
Brian understands the potential of that network.
He's focused not only on bringing new organizations into EduClasses, but on helping individual EduProctors build their own businesses and helping our larger clients develop scalable training and certification solutions across multiple locations.
As Brian likes to say, we're ready to "strap on the rockets."
I think he's right.
Meet Brian and learn more about what he's building at EduClasses:
Different Strengths. One Direction.
One of the things that excites me most is that Manny and Brian don't bring the same thing to the table.
And that's exactly the point.
Manny brings strategic partnerships, industry connections, B2B development and an entrepreneurial understanding of restaurant operations.
Brian brings national sales leadership, relationship development, network building and a genuine passion for helping people find opportunities through training and certification.
Then behind them is the EduClasses team, technology and infrastructure we've spent years developing.
Put those pieces together and things start getting very interesting.
We're increasingly able to sit down with everyone from an independent instructor or food truck operator to a restaurant group, association, government organization, culinary program or national multi-location company and say:
What are you trying to accomplish, and how can we build the right solution around you?
That's where I believe EduClasses is headed.
More Than Growth
Of course I want EduClasses to grow.
But growth by itself has never been the most interesting part of this business to me.
What excites me is what that growth allows us to create.
Every new EduProctor represents someone who may be able to build an additional revenue stream or even a business.
Every new organizational partnership means more employees have access to quality training.
Every new instructor or affiliate expands access to certification in another community.
Every enterprise relationship gives us another opportunity to demonstrate that training and compliance don't have to be complicated.
That's why our philosophy continues to be:
"Food truck up, no 5-star down."
Whether we're helping one entrepreneur or an organization with hundreds of locations, they deserve the same commitment to service, technology and quality.
The Next Chapter
I've been in technology, education and online development long enough to know that businesses rarely grow in a perfectly straight line.
You build.
You learn.
You adjust.
And every once in a while, you reach a point where the technology, the programs, the market and - most importantly - the people begin lining up at the same time.
I believe EduClasses® is at one of those points.
We've built the platform.
We've built the programs.
We've built the accreditation and certification infrastructure.
We're building EduProctor® into a national network.
And now we're assembling a team capable of taking those resources into markets and relationships we haven't even touched yet.
I'm incredibly excited to have Manny Campos and Brian Allen helping lead that next chapter.
They're bringing different experiences, different relationships and different strengths to EduClasses® — but they're pulling in the same direction.
And I can't wait to see where we take it from here.
— Tony Dean
CEO, EduClasses®
To learn more about EduClasses®, our training and certification programs, partnership opportunities, or becoming an EduProctor®, visit: