CALF_News_October_November_2019

19 CALF News • October | November 2019 • www.calfnews.net INNOVATION Focus on the basics At the beginning of every year, Rosacci gathers his staff to work on the annual business plan. The first order of business is to pull out his father’s original vision – to “create a place where people feel like family” – and to reflect on how they are living up to that promise. Based on his father’s vision, Rosacci’s mission is to“help people lead happier and fulfilled lives, and to become Colo- rado’s greatest market.” Focusing on his customers is only part of the formula, however, as Rosacci has learned that more is needed to build a consistent brand. “There needs to be a higher purpose,” he explains. For him, that is being a leader and teacher to his 165 employees, his diverse group of vendors and buyers. “Providing meat is what we do, but it’s not why we do it,” Rosacci says, pointing out that relationships with customers, employees and vendors are central to the Tony’s Meats and Market vision. To emphasize Tony’s core values, Rosacci identifies six characteristics of behavior that exemplify treating people like family on a daily basis. Those characteristics are grit, integrity, kind- ness, hustle, intention and situational awareness. He can teach these behaviors, but Rosacci has learned that recognizing people for demonstrating these traits is a powerful way to empower results. He carries a box of t-shirts in his car, each with one of the six traits printed on the back. When he’s working the floor and sees an employee doing something spe- cial that exemplifies one of the traits, he presents them with one of the shirts. “They don’t get the shirt unless someone gives it to them,” Rosacci says. His employees take pride in wearing the shirts they have earned. The recognition has helped cre- ated a “Tony’s Culture” that, according to Rosacci, has built a level of morale “better than ever.” His employees are empowered to work hard for their customers and they love the recognition. It shows, as many of his employees have been there a very long time. Rosacci lists the tenure of a couple of notable employ- ees, including his Centennial store manager Stuart Stevenson (24 years) and Felix, a meat cutter (24 years). As we walk through the store Rosacci greets each and every employee, remem- bering everyone’s names. You can tell Rosacci has an enormous amount of pride in his people, and he often reflects on the difference that working at Tony’s has made in people’s lives. Many of their employees have worked there since their teens and college years, and are now loyal customers themselves. Focus on quality Rosacci is passionate about how people feel, but he’s also fanatical about quality. Instead of relying on standard USDA meat grades, he has created his own specifications to ensure a consistent expe- rience for his customers. Many of the items in his markets are branded under the Tony’s name that he can control. “I have 41 years of relationships,” Rosacci explains, which means he’s got to make sure that customers get the same feeling each time they come into the market and enjoy Tony’s food. Rosacci values the relationships he has with his vendors, and he takes time to get to know them. He wants to learn about Continued on page 21 