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).
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
LouAnnHansen
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)
Well, 2021 was a roller coaster of a year as we navigated the “new normal.” With new strains of COVID and the vaccines coming out, we’ve all been trying to do what’s best for ourselves and our family here at Border Foods. We had many leaders and role models step up and show outstanding performance throughout the year.
To show our appreciation, we’re taking these 87 “Best of the Best” team members and a guest of their choice on an all-expenses-paid vacation to:
Pete Ledum: Area 37 Felix Garcia: Area 15 Patrick Rahkonen: Area 38 Kelly Lawver: Area 19 Josh Miller: Area 21 Adam Wilson: Area 8 Heather Aos: Area 31 Frank Tuka: Area 22 Vince Wilhelm: Area 1 Jennifer Copeland: Area 20 Deb Fraser: Area 32 Tina Brown: Area 39 Alfredo Briones: Area 10 Jenn Coleman: Area 5
General managers
Heather Schwartz: Willmar Juli Froehlig: Buffalo Jose Jimenez: Woodbury Will White: Lowell Jackie Lamoureux: Marinette Gerardo Dominguez: Lake Street Ryan Spindler: Alexandria Kent Farris: St. Cloud Josh Cushman: Albion Deb Wilber: Fremont Alyssa Harrison: Wyoming Blvd Ismael Guzman: Bloomington Sandy Avila: Richfield Chad Zinda: Little Falls Mike Hafer: Caledonia Larry Irving: Minnetonka Edna Sanchez: Edina Mary St Clair: Maple Grove Alicia Clement: Albertville Lauryn Wilson: Division Mevin Mora: Maple Grove Pkwy Eric Ternand: Rogers Araceli Aguilar: Hopkins Marcus Amador: Jordan Dean Ruhf: Iron Mountain Vince Monreal: Deforest Daniel Mulhair: Spearfish Heidi Stottler: Monticello Alvaro Medina: Chanhassen Laura Swenson: Perryville Brad Halverson: Stillwater Vera Sanchez: Stinson Travis Comnick: Hinckley Nate Hamrick: Brainerd AJ Love-Hamlin: Court Street Melissa Naugle: Machesney Park Faith Parks: Ionia Bobbie Hansen: Pheasant Ridge Chelsea Weaver: Sprinkle Tony Beltran: River Nicole Terry: Golden Valley Karen Olson: Verona Darlene Dant: Marshall Brittany Caldwell: Monmouth Alisha Burke: Billings – Grand Ave Josh Nordberg: Billings – Central Jeremy Stepp: Nicollet Anne Kurich: 11th Street Kevin Stimeling: Henderson Street Nate Bowie: Lincoln Way Lori Sumner: Allendale Nate Martin: Chicago Ave Justin Perry: Sturgis Barb Bunney: North Street Brittany Siebenaler: Robert Street Angela Buffington: Crystal Daniele Oliver: Hwy 14
Support StafF:
Evan Hatton: Analyst Mary Haubrich: Accounts Payable Manager Juli Sargent: Risk Manager Becky Wenger: Heart of Border Foods Max Corrigan: Heart of Border Foods
Region Coaches :
Pam Hare Jarret Persons Steve Daggett Grant Schofield Kasey Baeza Craig Curit LouAnn Hansen Geison Cunha Ken Lund
Border Foods likes to acknowledge a job well done; recognition is given to individuals and teams who go the extra mile. The Heart of Border Foods accolade is the pinnacle of awards — the highest form of recognition with in our company. It’s like a lifetime achievement award for Border Foods team members. Here, we announce this year’s winners. Congratulations!
2020 was an unusual year for all of us, to say the least. But at Border Foods we are fortunate to have so many leaders and team members step up and show outstanding performance. We want to reward these sixty-six “Best of the Best” team members by taking them, and a guest of their choice, on an all expense paid vacation to Riviera Cancun Mexico. October 6th can’t come soon enough!
Area Coaches
Heather Aos: Area 31, MI Miguel Avila: Area 18, MN Alfredo Briones: Area 10, MN Jenn Coleman: Area 5, MN Geison Cunha: Area 26, MI Steve Daggett: Area 7, MN Tranquility Devereaux: Area 30, MI Deb Fraser: Area 32, MN Felix Garcia: Area 15, WY Kelly Lawver: Area 19, IL Pete Ledum: Area 37, MN Chris McElroy: Area 29, MI Josh Miller: Area 21, WI Joe Motzko: Area 8, MN CJ Schreifels: Area 4, MN Lindsey Tibbals: Area 36, MI
General Managers
Araceli Agiular: Hopkins, MN Marcus Amador: Jordan, MN Sandy Aviles: Richfield, MN Casey Bertrand: Rawlins, WY Tina Brown: Albertville, MN Tina Churchill: Cedar Springs, MI Dan Clark: Fergus Falls, MN Katie Cramer: Gull Road, MI Darlene Dant: Marshall, MI Kent Farris: St. Cloud, MN Fernando Flores: Lake Street, MN Juli Froehlig: Buffalo, MN Luann Fuerstenberg: Sun Prairie, WI Naomi Golden: Cloquet, MN Ismael Guzman: Bloomington, MN Nate Hamrick: Brainerd, MN Alyssa Harrison: Wyoming Blvd, WY Larry Irving: Minnetonka, MN Chelsea James: Sprinkle, MI Jose Jimenez: Woodbury, MN Julius Johnson: Cascade, MI Morgan Konecny: Albion, MI Jackie Lamoureux: Marinette, MI Greg McConkey: Allegan, MI Jason McNeil: Northland, MI Vince Monreal: De Forest, WI Daniel Mulhair: Spearfish, SD Karen Olson: Verona, WI Brooke Paradine: Woodland Mall, MI Faith Parks: Ionia, MI Carla Pelligrini: Escanaba, MI Todd Reid: Schofield, WI Dean Ruhf: Iron Mountain, MI Edna Sanchez: Edina, MN Vera Sanchez: Stinson, MN Heather Schwartz: Willmar, MN Mike Shanor: Plymouth Station, MN Jacob Skovgard: Sheridan, WY Ryan Spindler: Alexandria, MN Lori Sumner: N. Muskegon, MI Laura Swenson: Perryville, IL Nicole Terry: Golden Valley, MN Nick Wallace: Hastings, MI Will White: Lowell, MI Lauryn Wilson: Division, MN Nicole Zinther: Menominee, MI
SUPPORT STAFF
Corrine Kindred: HR Business Partner, WI Brittany Rodda: Recruiter, MI Angie Russo: Treasury Manager, MN Aurora Tapia: Territory Training Manager, MN Nathan Wenger: Construction Manager, MN
Building a strong team starts with each individual and so we like to acknowledge the team members who go the extra mile. We are proud to have a multitude of great teams and leaders worthy of awards. Our 2021 Rally recognized restaurants and individuals with outstanding service and hospitality for our guests, financial gains and improvements from 2020. Below are a few of the highlights of the year:
2020 Awards and Milestones
Border Foods is bringing 66 team members on the Best of the Best trip to Mexico in October.
2384 Stinson, MN and 2395 Robert St., MN both had outstanding sales nearly $3.5 million! Seventeen more restaurants had more than $2.5 million in sales.
Sixteen restaurants had efficient drive-through times below three minutes.
We are proud of our wealth of tenure here at Border. Thank you to Vivian Fields (40 years), Shelly Hart (35 years), Kelly Lawver (30 years), Ken Lund (30 years) and Rebecca Newton (30 years) for all of your service to Border Foods.
Of the Year Awards
Here at Border Foods, we like to honor our 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 award winners of 2020 include:
Area Coach of the Year
Region Coach of the Year
Circle of Excellence
AC Circle of Excellence
Regional AGMs of the Year
Austyn Benbo (region 1) Gerardo Dominguez (region 2) Stacie Mountain (region3) Rafael Guerrero (region 4) Alvaro Medina (region 5) Alvaro Medina (region5) Sierra Hill (region 7) Alexa Kokley (region 8)
Regional GMs of the Year
Jacob Skovgard (region 1) Araceli Aguilar (region 2) Jose Jimenez (region 3) Vince Monreal (region 4) Nicole Terry (region 5) Chelsea James (region 6) Lori Sumner (region 7) Ryan Spindler (region 8)
GM of the Year
Jacob Skovgard (region 1)
Heart of border foods award
The Heart of Border Foods Award is like a lifetime achievement award for Border Foods team members. Congratulations to our 2021 recipients:
Dani Guthrie
Gay Demaree
Corrine Kindred
Steve Daggett
Julius Johnson
Golden Bell Restaurants
Golden Valley, MN (#2421) Edina, MN (#3308) Lake Street, MN (#3371) Vadnais Heights, MN (#4672) Eden Prairie, MN (#5058) Woodbury, MN (#20000) Richfield, MN (#29688) Hastings, MI (#33008)
Golden Bell Area Coach
Alfredo Briones of Minnesota
Signature Restaurants
Saint Paul, MN – Rice Street (#1398) Minnetonka, MN (#2396) Golden Valley, MN (#2421) Rochester, MN – Broadway-Rochester (#3307) Edina, MN (#3308) Saint Paul, MN – Snelling (#3314) Bloomington, MN (#3333) Brooklyn Center, MN (#3378) Blaine, MN (#3379) Burnsville, MN (#3929) Winona, MN (#3994) Vadnais Heights, MN (#4672) Hudson, WI (#4900) Saint Cloud, MN (#4907) Eden Prairie, MN (#5058) Alexandria, MN (#5470) Eagan, MN (#5644) Spearfish, SD (#27883) Willmar, MN (#30499) Buffalo, MN (#31015) Hopkins, MN (#31682) Schofield, WI (#31834) De Forest, WI (#31965) Machesney Park, IL (#31972) Albertville, MN (#32573) Grand Rapids, MN -Woodland Mall (#32983) Coldwater, MI (#32989) Marshall, MI (#32993) Kalamazoo, MI – Airport (#32996) Kalamazoo, MI – Sprinkle (#32998) Kalamazoo, MI – 9th St (#33004) Lowell, MI (#33007) Hastings, MI (#33008) Muskegon, MI – North Muskegon (#33011) Kalamazoo MI – Gull Road (#33012) Grand Rapids, MI – Northland (#33014) Allegan, MI (#33025) Albion, MI (#33026) Wayland, MI (#33043) Escanaba, MI (#33430) Iron Mountain, MI (#33431) Marinette, WI (#33433) Menominee, MI (#33434) Cloquet, MN (#33465) Jordan, MN (#33465) Oakdale, MN (#36305) Galesburg, IL – Henderson St (#36359) Lake Street, MN (#3371)
We are so excited to officially announce the 2020 Border Foods and Carol Williams Scholarship recipients!
The scholarships were created in tandem as a way to help Border Foods team members reach higher education goals. The Carol Williams Scholarship carries extra special meaning as it celebrates the memory, passion and dedication of our late VP of Operations, Carol Williams. (watch a quick clip about the scholarship).
This year, we awarded 10 team members with a collective $42,000! While we weren’t in-person due to COVID restrictions, we were able to connect on surprise Zoom calls with every recipient. Be sure to watch their reactions in this year’s video below.
We’re so proud of our new scholarship winners, and we look forward to watching you pursue your dreams with our support.
2020 Carol Williams Scholarship Recipients; $5,500 each:
Every year, we celebrate our accomplishments at our company-wide rallies. It’s a time to come together, recognize the successes of the past year, and look forward to the year ahead. This year, we gathered teams in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin for three days full of recognition. Congratulations to all of our Of the Year winners and others who were honored this year!
When it comes to working at Border Foods, one thing’s for sure: We’re about more than just making tacos (although let’s admit it, our tacos are pretty dang tasty). This month marked the inaugural unveiling of the Border Foods and Carol Williams Scholarship recipients — an event that took our scholars by complete surprise as Border leaders traveled to a few locations to deliver checks and celebrate with friends and family.
The scholarships were created in tandem as a way to help Border Foods team members reach higher education goals. The Carol Williams Scholarship carries extra special meaning as it celebrates the memory, passion and dedication of Carol — the founder of our family culture — who passed away last year (watch a quick clip about the scholarship).
“We’re so grateful to see this scholarship come to fruition,” said Krysta Corrigan, Carol’s daughter, about the Carol Williams Scholarship. “My mom had a huge heart for her employees. She would be honored and so thankful to know that she had an opportunity to impact their lives outside of Border Foods.”
Scholarship applications opened in the spring with a few requirements to apply. Recipients needed to be actively pursuing secondary education and have been employed for at least six months, averaging an 18-hour work week (as of the application deadline). After we received applications, we worked with International Scholarship and Tuition Services (a third-party vendor) to help us make recipient decisions.
“When we sat down to develop this scholarship, we did it with one goal in mind: to provide a resource for you to further your education,” Lee Engler, CEO, said in a family letter to scholars. “With a mission to Make Lives Better, we truly feel like this gift will do just that.”
Congratulations to these Carol Williams scholars, each receiving $5,500:
Wyatt Plavan – Greenville, MI
Ian Herman – Fitchburg, WI
Daejynae Sumrell – Gains, MI
Congratulations to these Border Foods scholars, each receiving $3,000:
Brianna Talaska – Allendale, MI
Brittney Jordan – Casper, WY
Tommy Holloway – Cloquet, MN
Ryan Little – Middleton, WI
Kevin Hegna – Buffalo, MN
I know that I need an education in order to better myself and better my family,” said scholar Tommy Holloway. “Thank you for believing in me.”
As a way to say “thanks” to our top-performing operators, we’re taking more than 70 leaders and a guest of their choice on an all-expense paid trip to Mexico! From April 10-14, our “Best of the Best” team will enjoy time with their team and guest at Secrets Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort, an all-inclusive hotel located on the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. Congratulations to the team below:
Alfredo Briones: 3333-Bloomington Juli Froehlig: 31015-Buffalo Dylan Schlueter: 5714-Monticello Will White: 33007-Lowell Heather Schwartz: 30499-Willmar Greg Howard: 32302-Brookings Ziggy Arrington: 31430-Minnesota Ave Ryan Spindler: 33440-Fergus Falls Danny Grovenstein: 23073-Laramie Laura Swenson: 31971-Perryville Daniel Mulhair: 27883-Spearfish Carla Pellegrini: 33430-Escanaba Miguel Avila: 31682-Hopkins Amanda Schlee: 33044-Frutiport Jessi Wiggins: 33003-Whitehall Shon McCullough: 32993-Marshall Nathan Bowie: 23077-Wyoming Blvd Beth Danielson: 5580-Northfield Melissa Naugle: 31967-Forest Plaza Jeremy Stepp: 3929-Nicollet Jose Jimenez: 20000-Woodbury Christa Blanco: 23080-Riverton Mark Robertson:16318-Hutchinson Nate Hamrick: 9647-Brainerd John Bradley: 32996-Airport Tina Brown: 32573-Albertville Amanda Hobbs: 1398-Rice Street-AAC Peter Ledum: 33635-Jordan Connie Horan: 33027-Sherman Chris Platz: 33020-Gaines Dean Detienne: 5290-Menomonie WI Fernando Flores: 3371-Lake Street Vera Sanchez: 2384-Stinson Maria Flores: 3310-Franklin Andrea Ramirez: 20117-Fridley Greg McConkey: 33025-Allegan Amanda Nordby: AAC A3 Hanna Wright: AAC, 33011-North Muskegon Kelly Lawver: Area 4 Felix Garcia: Area 15 Steve Daggett: Area 7 Deb Fraser: Area 32 Heather Aos: Area 31 Nic Gerry: Area 13 Zack Shumaker: Area 14 Jarret Persons: Area 10 Shalesha Olson: Area 6 Rich Ruuti: Area 23 LouAnn Hansen: Area 24 Grant Schofield: Area 9 Vince Wilhelm: Area 1 Jeff Weiler: Area 4 Richelle Johnson: Area 3 Tranquility Sampier: Area 30 Robin Jones: Area 16 Pam Hare: Region 1 Gay Demaree: Region 2 Ken Lund: Region 3 Craig Curit: Region 5 Vince Bosscher: Region 6 Corrine Kindred: HR Business Partner Heather Knight: HR Business Partner Jesse Evangelist: Employment Brand Specialist Max Corrigan: Financial Analyst Zach Zinter: Sr. Facilities Manager David Ziemer: Restaurant Technology Manager
