THE FCSI INTERVIEW F
or a man with a naturally sunny disposition, Eric Norman’s first choice for a profession when he was a school kid is surprising. “In
high school, I was going to be a meteorologist. We live in the Midwest of the United States [Iowa], so we get severe storms. I wanted to be a storm chaser,” he says.
Te US National Weather
Service’s loss ended up being the foodservice consultancy sector’s gain, and Norman has been kicking up a storm in the sector for more than 20 years. In truth though, when industry legend Ed Norman FFCSI – a former FCSI Worldwide past president too – is your father, perhaps there was an element of inevitability about that. “When I was 16 years
old, my dad asked me, ‘Are you interested in doing what I do?’ At that point, I wasn’t 100% sure what he did on a day-to-day basis. He was a design and MAS consultant [at MVP Services Group] at that point, but he also was running a buying group for 400 independent restaurants. I said, ‘Let me come in and start working and see what you do.’ It sounded interesting,” he says. Norman began visiting his
dad’s office and was immediately struck by the “wall of catalogs” for different manufacturers, which he was told to organize. He also learned the basics of CAD drawing. “It piqued my interest,” he smiles. Norman Senior and Junior attended the NAFEM 2001 show together, when Eric turned
19. He describes himself as “kind of hooked” on the industry from that moment. “It seemed that everyone at the show was having a good time. Tey enjoyed what they did and were welcoming. I made the decision: Tis is what I want to do.” Before the show, Norman also attended his first FCSI Te Americas Conference. “Getting that duel hit, I was like, ‘Man, I want to join FCSI now, too. It was awesome,” he says.
GROWING AND LEARNING
Storm chasing pipedreams now in the rear-view mirror, Norman studied Business Management at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, to get a grounding in running and growing a business. “I wanted to maximize my path. I continued to intern at MVP and I also went to Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) and took drafting, blueprint reading and construction management classes. But on-the-job training was so important,” he says. His father’s wisdom is
recalled by Norman to this day. “He gave me the opportunities to go out and experience the industry. I think it is imperative that young professionals in the industry have the chance to explore the broader scope of our industry and build valuable connections through networking and events. Ed gave me those opportunities. Factory tours and trade shows helped me obtain practical knowledge and I was able to take advantage of that consistently. Ed has such a diverse foodservice background that he taught me, not only the design side, but also interweaved
an MAS education too. Tat was so impactful in my career.” Having graduated, Norman
the younger was soon entrusted to take on projects himself. “MVP was probably doing 30 K-12 school projects each year at that point, but I was still ‘green’, so I did the small restaurants and B&I clients. But I was quickly very grounded in K-12. When I first did get my chance at project management, my dad said, ‘Okay, you’re ready.’ And he threw four schools at me in one school district. So, I was under the gun. But Ed had taught me the ins and outs of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) layouts and technical documentation, plus writing specs and drawing. Tat made me more comfortable moving into project management,” he says. Eric made vice president at MVP in 2010. He quickly received two major awards too. Te FCSI Worldwide Industry Service Award came in 2012, While the Foodservice Equipment Reports’ Young Lion Award followed in 2013. Both are still an immense source of pride to him.
THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE
MVP merged its business with Washington-based Clevenger Associates in 2017. It was a great fit for both firms, says Norman. “Ed was getting older, and we discussed how hard it is to be a one-man firm – or just a small firm – so we started keeping our ear to the ground in terms of potentially merging with or buying another company. We looked at all aspects.”
A chance meeting between
Norman and Clevenger’s Brent Hall FCSI at the FCSI TAD Conference in Phoenix in 2014 saw them discuss future business plans. After many months of conversations back and forth, a strategy was formed. A merger enabled Clevenger to expand into the Midwest. For MVP, it enabled the Normans to continue their respective career paths – Ed’s towards a
“When I got my chance at project management, my dad said, ‘Okay, you’re ready.’ He threw four schools at me in one school district. So, I was under the gun”
well-earned retirement and, for Eric, further adventures in a larger consultancy. He joined Clevenger as VP of the Midwest division, becoming principal VP in July 2023. Clevenger’s unique selling
point, says Norman, is its company culture. “We wanted to merge with a firm that had a very similar culture to ours. We wanted to be a laid-back company that has fun. Another huge thing for my career is my involvement with FCSI. I needed to work for a company that was going to allow me to keep doing that. Obviously, because Brent is also so active in FCSI, we’re completely aligned in our thinking.” For Norman, the versatility
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