– BORDER FOODS –

A TACO BELL FRANCHISEE

  • Beach-Bound BOTB Winners!

    Beach-Bound BOTB Winners!

    We all know that the best way to kick off any new year is with a plan. At Border Foods, this includes regular, intentional recognition. So, we make a big point to add performance recognition to the calendar. Up next? Our famous “Best of the Best” (BOTB) trip April 3-7!

    “Best of the Best” is one of Border’s BEST traditions!

    Congratulations to this year’s reward trip winners, a group of people who work hard to deliver on all of our core values, and serve as incredible examples to the rest of the Border Foods family. We are delighted to whisk you away for your little slice of paradise at:

    BREATHLESS RIVIERA CANCÚN RESORT & SPA

    REGION COACHES

    Craig Curit: Region 5
    Dawn VanMaanen: Region 7
    Deb Fraser: Region 9
    Jarret Persons: Region 10
    Jen Copeland: Region 4
    LouAnn Hansen: Region 6
    Nathan Besler: Region 8
    Pam Hare: Region 1
    Steve Daggett: Region 2

    AREA COACHES

    Alfredo Briones: Area 10
    Angela Love-Hamlin: Area 36
    CJ Shreifels: Area 46
    Constance Horan: Area 40
    Dan Pesota: Area 6
    Deb Wilber: Area 35
    Edin Dedic: Area 27
    Frank Tuka: Area 23
    Heather Aos: Area 31
    Jeremy Stepp: Area 7
    Joshua Miller: Area 21
    Juli Froehlig: Area 45
    Melvin Mora: Area 11
    Octivia Erickson: Area 2
    Pete Ledum: Area 37
    Tina Brown: Area 39

    GENERAL MANAGERS

    Alexander Joshua Bray: Cambridge
    Alicia Shaefer: Albertville
    Alyse Eckert: Hudson
    Alyssa Harrison: Wyoming Blvd
    Araceli Aguilar: Hopkins
    Barb Bunney: North Street
    Brandan Wagner: Bettendorf
    Brandon Rosillo: Fairmont
    Brittany Caldwell: Monmouth
    Calista Korbel: Buffalo
    Casey Bertrand: Rawlins
    Cesar Figueroa: Nathan Lane
    Chad Zinda: Little Falls
    Chris Platz: Plainfield
    CJ Scribner: University
    Dakota Gleason: Sherman
    Daniel Mulhair: Spearfish
    Donald Mendoza: Brooklyn Center
    Edgardo Muneton: Eden Prairie
    Elizabeth Moody: Waverly
    Ethan Scribner: West Fargo
    Evea Owens: Rogers
    Gerardo Dominquez: Lake & 35
    Heather Schwartz: Willmar
    Jason McNeil: Northland
    Jose Jimenez: Woodbury
    Juan Balbuena: Chanhassen
    Kenneth Craft: Columbia Ave
    Kevin Stimeling: Henderson Street
    Kristy Shoemaker: Paw Paw
    Laura Swenson: Perryville
    Lindsey Wuhrman: Marinette
    Luann Fuerstenburg: Sun Prairie
    Martika Cox: Whitney Way
    Mary St. Clair: Maple Grove
    Nicholas Bebout: Milton Ave
    Nicole Terry: Golden Valley
    Nid Lee: Vadnais Heights
    Paula Volenski: Allegan
    Purnell Moralez-Barnes: Cottage Grove
    Sandy Avila: Richfield
    Shane Huggins: Kalamazoo
    Skyla Behm: Rice Street
    Stacey Hale: Deforest
    Stacy Kirkpatrick: Grand Rapids
    Timothy (TJ) Wegler: Osseo
    Tracy Jackson: Apple Valley
    William White: Lowell

    SUPPORT STAFF

    Aurora Tapia: Director of Training
    Evan Hatton: Business Intelligence Analyst
    Shannon Marcus: Real Estate Development Assistant

    HEART OF BORDER FOODS

    Andrea Ramirez: General Manager
    Brian Axness: Chief Financial Officer
    Danny Grovenstein: General Manager
    Juli Sargent: Sr. Safety & Risk Manager

    Border Foods

  • 2023: Another One for the Books

    2023: Another One for the Books

    What’s up at Border Foods? Last year, “up” was defined by Defy taking Taco Bell up a story! 

    We’re concluding another blissfully busy year of más operations in 10 states. Check out the year’s most exciting highlights:

    Read more about this year’s happenings below and remember, updates are frequently posted on our social channels Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok!

    New COO

    Formerly Director of Operations, Border Foods’ own Vince Bosscher stepped confidently into the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) to propel us into the future. It wasn’t easy saying farewell to our good friend and leader Jeff Williams after nearly 30 years together (his retirement announcement was one of our top read blog posts for the year)!

    Border, the “Bell” & Bikes

    A handful of Border Foods Taco Bell restaurants played host to a hungry group of cyclists as they rode through the Twin Cities. 

    New to Nebraska

    We opened our first Taco Bell in Nebraska! Border Foods now happily operates in 10 states.

    Living Legacy

    The legacy of our late leader Carol Williams lives on in a new way with the new name of Taco Bell’s POS system. Border Foods won the system’s naming rights via a silent auction and let Carol’s middle name inspire “Annspire”!

    Reward & Recognition

    An annual highlight, our “Best of the Best” reward trip to Playa del Carmen did not disappoint. We were pleased to treat 80 of our finest (and their guests) to a tropical escape.

    Savoring Scholarships

    Border Foods hosted its first Swinging for Scholarships golf fundraiser, an event we plan to make annual. Our inaugural golf event brought in $120,000 for Border’s in-house scholarship programs. In addition, we celebrated the divvying out of $125,000 in Taco Bell Foundation Live Más Scholarships to 12 of our student employees.

    New & Notable

    As promised, there’s no slowdown in sight! We enjoyed many restaurant openings in 2023, most notably:

    Thriving at 30+ Years

    We kicked off a new series on our blog that features folks like Brian Davies who have reached 30-plus years of service with Border Foods and/or Taco Bell. Psssst, Juli Sargent hit 41 years!

    Family Fun Events

    It never gets old! We had plenty of fun in the sun this summer with our managers and their families, bouncing around from state to state. See it for yourself here.

    Nifty Nearly Fifty

    Forty-seven of our Taco Bells were named Signature Restaurants in 2023, a best-in-class designation we’re proud of every day!

    Social Status

    We like being social. Both our Instagram and Facebook accounts welcomed 131 new followers in 2023! And it looks like we got your attention with this Insta $100 giveaway (344 comments, engagement of 531) and on Facebook, people news on Tamara and new COO Vince brought the most crowd engagement. 

    Border Foods

  • Video Tribute: The Late Great Carol Ann Inspires Annspire

    A beautiful legacy lives on … Border Foods’ own Carol Williams, who passed away in 2018, continues to leave her wonderful mark in this world. 

    In life, it seemed her impact was felt most “at home,” within our company’s restaurants and ranks. She is said to have played a big part in building our family culture, inspiring the creation of the Carol Williams Scholarship Program, the Heart of Border Foods Award and even an annual Dia de los Muertos tribute at our Woodbury location.

    Now, our late friend, co-worker and leader is also part of the naming of Taco Bell’s new POS computer system entitled Annspire. Here, Carol’s middle name Ann is paired with “spire,” which represents “inspiration” because Carol proved to be an inspiration to all.

    “She knew how to make every person feel uniquely seen for who they were.”

    Take a look at the new Annspire video we created and produced for Taco Bell corporate to promote the new system and naming:

    “She would walk into a restaurant and the entire restaurant would light up,” one person shares about Carol. Now, her spirit and “light” will continue to live on in Taco Bells across the country. What an honor it was for us to help name this new nationwide system!

    Border Foods

  • Inspiring the Next Generation at Border Foods

    At Border Foods, we take pride in employing and supporting the next generation. Meet Holden – A college student, aspiring engineer, and recipient of the Carol Williams Scholarship. “It kind of came as a little bit of a surprise,” remarked Holden, who is studying Mechanical Engineering at North Dakota State University. 

    The Carol Williams Scholarship is awarded to Border Foods employees to aid in their higher education expenses. “It was really nice and helped out paying for school,” Holden shared about his $5,000 scholarship. 

    Next year will be Holden’s final year of his undergraduate degree. Holden isn’t sure exactly where his degree will take him in the future, but he is hoping that his degree will help him do what he loves – be outside and work with cars.

    Border Foods’ flexible schedule allows Holden to juggle work, school, and life. Exploring his hobbies, working, and being a student. “Border Foods allows me time to do the things I love and also stay very flexible with my school.”

    Ariana (“Ari”), an incoming freshman at St. Thomas University, is a Shift Manager at the Blaine, MN Taco Bell. She has been working at Border for three years. “I really like my coworkers and the environment we have, especially our core values. It really brings us all together.”

    Ari plans to study international business or marketing at St. Thomas, and she credits her time at Border for sparking her interest in business. “I am a shift manager, and I’ve kind of been running the store here and there, so I think that really helped me get my perspective on the business side,” she shared. 

    Ari’s dream job? “Working remote but being able to travel all around the world.” We cannot wait to see what the future has in store for this awesome young woman.

    We congratulate both Holden and Ari on their excellent work with us thus far, and wish them the best of luck this school year!

    Looking to join in on the fun? Visit https://borderfoods.com/find-a-job/ to take the next step toward your dreams.

     

     

    Border Foods

  • Celebrating Scholarship Winners Never Gets Old!


    We have some pretty fantastic summertime traditions at Border Foods. In tandem with annual Family Fun Days throughout our markets, this is the time of year when we catch a handful of deserving scholarship winners by surprise with much-desired scholarship checks.

    “For us, it’s all about making lives better,” says President Aaron Engler. “When we make our people a priority, of course the guests benefit, too. We love surprising people with scholarships, knowing that we’re making a difference in their lives within Border and beyond!”

    It can’t be easy juggling work and school, but we see it done time and time again by many of our team members. That’s why we’re proud to offer two scholarship opportunities in the Border Foods Scholarship and the Carol Williams Scholarship, named in honor of our late VP of Operations who passed away in 2018 but left an indelible mark on our company and culture.

    “The scholarship initially grew out of a need to make something meaningful and purposeful out of her loss,” says Carol’s daughter, Krysta Williams, of the namesake scholarship. “She cared so much more about people than about things … she really gave her life and legacy to Border Foods. She grew up there, becoming a woman, wife and mom, and growing up with many colleagues that became the closest of friends. She was so grateful for the opportunity she got as a young woman that forever changed her life, so it was only fitting to pass that on as a way to remember her.”  

    “If you put people at the center and try to do the right thing, you will be doing what you’re meant to do.” -Krysta Williams, daughter of the late Carol Williams

    Border Foods is pleased to carry on Carol’s legacy time and time again. As Krysta says so eloquently, regardless of how long a student may work for our company (at least six months), we have an incredible opportunity to have “profound impact” on team members’ lives — while keeping Carol’s spirit alive.

    Congratulations to our 2023 Carol Williams and Border Foods scholarship winners!

    $5,500 Carol Williams Scholarship Winners

    • Jaydlyn Skinner, Shift Lead, Bettendorf, IA
    • Quinn James, Team Trainer, Buffalo, MN
    • Yakelyn Morales, Shift Lead, Maple Grove, MN

    $3,000 Border foods Scholarship Winners

    • Afton Barr, Team Member, Wyoming, WY
    • Ava Knuteson, Team Trainer, Hudson, WI
    • Chloe Andrews, Shift Lead, Wyoming, MI
    • Joshua Jesus Mendoza, Team Member, Minneapolis, MN
    • Olivia Brainard, Team Member, Holland, MI

     About Border Foods’ Scholarships

    The Border Foods and Carol Williams scholarships were introduced together in 2019. Team members pursuing higher education may be eligible to apply! Applicants must have been employed with Border Foods for at least six months (averaging an 18-hour work week) as of the application deadline and be actively pursuing secondary education. Any money awarded is to be used for tuition and other school costs. And guess what? Recipients can stack Border Foods scholarship wins with Taco Bell Foundation’s Live Más Scholarship, which ranges from a generous $5,000 to $25,000!

    Border Foods

  • Taco Bell Defy Grand Opening is a Proud Moment for Border Foods

    Taco Bell’s newest, most innovative restaurant prototype, Border Foods’ Defy in Brooklyn Park, opened its drive-thru lanes June 7 and continues to cause buzz in the media. Most recently, Taco Bell COO Mike Grams was featured on Restaurant Business’ podcast, A Deeper Dive. Take a listen here to what he has to say about Defy, “the future of digital with a hint of traditional.”

    The brainchild of Border Foods’ own Jeff and Lee Engler, and a strong example of synergistic collaboration between a franchisee and Taco Bell, Defy truly defied odds with its quick construction timeline, fast forwarding from conceptual idea to a grand opening celebration in just under two years. And also becoming one positive thing to emerge out of a modern pandemic!

    The excitement on opening day was obvious among event attendees, which included many of Defy’s 50-some restaurant employees; the Engler brothers; President Aaron Engler and members of the Border Foods’ leadership team; and representatives from the City of Brooklyn Park, Taco Bell corporate, and Vertical Works.

    Aaron Engler declared Defy’s significance as “the first in the country, in the world, of anything like this for any quick service restaurant, not just Taco Bell.”

    Mike and Brooklyn Park Mayor Lisa Jacobson also gave remarks on opening day to the crowd. 

    “We have over 90 restaurants, but we don’t have anything like this!” Mayor Jacobson said. “And neither does anybody else!”

    The event concluded appropriately, with confetti and tacos for all. Check it out:

     

    Border Foods

  • Border Foods and Carol Williams 2022 Scholarship Winners!

    Border Foods is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the Border Foods and Carol Williams scholarships. Introduced together in 2019, these scholarships were created as a way to help our team members reach higher education goals. 

    The Carol Williams Scholarship holds special meaning as it carries on the legacy of former Border Foods VP of Operations Carol Williams, who is credited for founding the company’s deeply rooted family culture. Carol passed away in 2018.

    “Carol was a person who had tremendous belief in people,” according to Carol’s husband, Border Foods’ Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams.

    The following bright, determined individuals were proudly awarded $5,500 in Carol’s honor: 

    • Lauren Servais — Nicollet, MN
    • Manuel Ramirez-Lopez — Hudson, WI
    • Jaydlyn Skinner — Bettendorf, IA
    • Benson Richards — Bettendorf, IA
    • Niles Hite — McFarland, WI
    • Grant Gillen — Monmouth, IL
    • Uda Kimba — Rock Island, IL

    Equally deserving and dedicated, Border Foods Scholarship winners each receive $3,000 and this year’s recipients are:

    • Serafin Patino — Northfield, MN
    • Harmony Goodman — Allegan, MI
    • Rose Pankiewicz — Allendale, MI

    About Border Foods and Carol Williams Scholarships

    Border Foods team members who are seeking higher education may be eligible to apply for the Border Foods and Carol Williams scholarships. Applicants must have been employed with the company for at least six months (averaging an 18-hour work week) as of the application deadline and be actively pursuing secondary education. Any money awarded to individuals should be used for tuition and other school costs. Recipients can stack Border Foods scholarship wins with Taco Bell Foundation’s Live Más Scholarship, which ranges from $5,000 to $25,000 (check out our lucky 2022 Live Más winners).

    Border Foods

  • Border Foods Team Members on Core Values

    This spring, we caught up with several of our busiest Restaurant General Managers (RGMs) throughout the U.S.: Ziggy Arrington, Shawn Belknap, Nate Bowie, Barb Bunney, Lisha Burke, Martika Cox and Gayle Grigsby.

    Looking to start your career? Apply today!

    Ziggy Arrington says coming to work is really more like coming home at Border Foods where he loves the family atmosphere, and seeing team members grow and change. “I enjoy what I do, it’s that simple,” he says. Ziggy has been with the Taco Bell brand for 30 years and currently manages our East 10th Street location in Sioux Falls, SD.

    Shawn Belknap leads one of our highest performing teams in Wisconsin. When it comes to explaining his team’s cohesiveness and success, he says they strive to do things right the first time. He also credits good hiring and integrity. “I’m a big believer in surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you.”

    Nate Bowie is manager of Border’s third busiest Taco Bell, our Lincoln Way, WY location. Being at the helm of a high-volume restaurant where excellence is key, Nate says it’s been a privilege to manage his own “mini business.” He enjoys being involved in every aspect of day-to-day operations.

    Barb Bunney arrived at Taco Bell after leading the bakery department for a large grocery retailer. She now manages our Rapid City, SD location where teamwork is critical. “You can’t do this job alone,” she shares. “Border gives us the resources to learn how to work together, day-in and day-out.” She also found the support that she needed from corporate when her husband had cancer.

    Lisha Burke’s story with Taco Bell started with a declaration of love in her high school paper. She enjoyed the food so much that she set out to get hired and now, has been a manager of the Grand Avenue – Billings location for eight years. She joined Border in 2021 when we acquired several restaurants in Montana. She appreciates the company’s emphasis on accountability at all levels.

    Gayle Grigsby says there’s no other brand like Taco Bell. She joined in the 90s and never looked back. Today, as manager of the Coldwater, MI location, she says she loves having the opportunity to empower those around her and says her job is “crazy awesome.”

    Border Foods

  • Border Foods 2022 Rally Recap

    At Border Foods, we take time to celebrate achievements annually with a rally. We strive to honor hard work, recognizing team members who step up to be leaders in our company and restaurants with outstanding performance. This year was particularly unique with Border Foods reaching a company milestone: 25 years in business! Our annual rally took place at the Radisson Blu in Bloomington, MN, and brought together more than 400 Border Foods team members, many of whom were flown in from other locations. We are so happy we could make this important celebration happen, despite the craziness of the past year.

    AWARDS AND MILESTONES

    • Border Foods is bringing 87 team members on its “Best of the Best” trip to Mexico in October.
    • Last year, Stinson, MN had nearly $3.5 million in sales. This year, they had $4 million!
    • We had 11 restaurants with over $3 million in sales.
    • We are proud of the wealth of tenure here at Border. Thank you to Pamela Hare (40 years), Theresa Williams (35 years), Cynthia Curtis (30 years) and Jacqueline Plank (30 years) for your tremendous service to Border Foods.

    AWARD WINNERS

    Here at Border Foods, we like to honor employees who go above and beyond what is expected of them. These team members are the leaders and role models who make Border such a great place to work. They understand people development, have a solid history of internal promotions and show they can master metrics. A few of our 2022 award winners include:

    AREA COACH OF THE YEAR

    Alfredo Briones

    REGION COACH OF THE YEAR

    LouAnn Hansen

    CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE

    Donald Mendoza
    Dominic Pagan
    Felix Garcia

    REGIONAL AGMS OF THE YEAR

    Austyn Benbo
    Billy Sundahl
    Purnell Moralez Barnes
    Stacey Hale
    Mary St. Clair
    Jinny Fankhauser
    Leanne Sinkler
    Ethan Scribner

    RGMs OF THE YEAR

    Daniel Mulhair
    Vera Sanchez
    Brittany Siebenaler
    Karen Olson
    Melvin Mora
    Deb Wilber
    Justin Perry
    Kent Farris

    RGM OF THE YEAR

    Vera Sanchez

    TEAM WORK AWARD

    Jennifer Copeland

    CUSTOMER MANIACS
    Aiden Hughes
    Alicia Ortiz
    Alvin Stafford
    Amaya Houle
    Amy Witham
    Antonio Ruiz
    Astoria Jones
    Ava LeFevre
    Barb Espinoza
    Bradley Hahl
    Branden Larson
    Brandy Dahl
    Breanna Ridley
    Brennen Beaulieu Cameron Fields
    Carmen Townsend
    Cash Harder    		Charles Walker
    Christine Hill
    Coleman Christopher
    Courtney Cayo
    Darius Boyd
    Dawn Roberts
    Derek Pfeiffer
    Eden Rose Marlow
    Eric Vanlangedon
    Erica Core
    Erica Williams
    Falicha Jackson
    Frank Miller
    Freddie Aguilar
    Garrett Kopka
    Gina Keeler    		Gwen Morris
    Hailea Larue
    Haleigh Brooks
    Heather Godlevsky
    Isaac Benck
    Jamie Fogel
    Jeff Larson
    Jessi Adams
    Jessica Delaforet
    John Skelbred
    Jordan Brown
    Kelley Betancour
    Lamont Mason
    Marisela Gutierrez
    Michelle Jurgesek
    Nakia Burnett
    Niles Hite    		Pamela Agbosu
    Penny Hansen
    Peter Weeks
    Ren Benson
    Renu Pandey
    Riley Matz
    Robert Robb
    Sabrina Hoysler
    Sara Moore
    Shawn Mekkes
    Shonte Carson
    Sydney Ames
    Tami Schrotenboer
    Torre Crouch
    Tracie Finholm
    Zach Barker
    Zachary Thomsen
    HEART OF BORDER FOODS AWARD

    This once in a lifetime award is the pinnacle of all Border Foods’ awards. The following individuals were this year’s recipients. Learn more about each of these special people here.

    • Darlene Dant (32993 Marshall)
    • Marshall Becky Wenger (Territory Training Manager)
    • Vanessa Green (19622 Edinburgh)
    • Max Corrigan (Marketing & Analytics Manager)
    • Jenni Bang (Executive Assistant to Leadership)
    • Barb Bunney (27881 North Street)
    • LaVonne Whittemore (2892 Anoka)
    • Jeff Engler
    • Lee Engler
    • Aaron Engler

    Border Foods

  • RGM Gayle Grigsby on Empowerment

    If there’s anyone who knows the ins and outs of quick service restaurants (QSR), it’s Gayle Grigsby. An on–again, off–again employee since 1997, Gayle says there’s no other brand in the world like Taco Bell. 

    “From when I was young, I knew I wanted to be in the restaurant industry,” Gayle says. “My dad always said, ‘Things change in the world, but one thing remains: People have to eat.’”

    With the stability that working in restaurants promised, Gayle landed her first job at Burger King when she was in high school. She became a Shift Manager before she graduated and quickly realized a QSR career was on the horizon. In the late 90s she moved over to Taco Bell, never looking back. During her time with the brand, she’s worked as a Restaurant General Manager for 12 different locations. 

    Today, Gayle’s the General Manager of our Coldwater, MI location. And she has some big stats to brag about. 

    “My team is very loyal to me,” she says. “I’ve had the same 18 employees for the last two years.” And in an industry where turnover is more than 100%, that says a lot. 

    Gayle credits her staff’s tenure to her dedication to her team, the company’s commitment to recognition, and the support she gets from her Area Coach. 

    “I care about what my team members are doing with their lives outside of the restaurant,” she says. “I’m flexible with schedules. I try to stay involved with each person in the restaurant. I know my candidates apply for jobs with me because we’re the best place to work in town.”

    When it comes to the future, Gayle says she’s perfectly happy right where she’s at. 

    “I love having the opportunity to empower someone, to give someone a chance that they maybe otherwise didn’t have,” she says. “I feel like I can change people’s lives through mentorship. My job is crazy awesome.”

    Looking to start your career? Apply today!

    Border Foods