Greg Hilton
Posts by Greg Hilton, CIO of Answers Systems.
by Greg Hilton
“A computer, is like a bicycle for the mind,” Steve Jobs, Founder/CEO Apple.
I always liked that quote. Humans have a difficult time keeping up with the other creatures that inhabit this earth. Thanks to opposable thumbs, our early ancestors could grasp a wooden club and “evolve” to create more advanced technology through the ages. What sets us apart from every other known species is our ability to build tools. These mechanical extensions make difficult jobs easier and make
by Greg Hilton
In the short time that I have had an opportunity to serve as President of Answers Systems, I have been reminded (from this new perspective) of the exciting destination that Answers Systems--and the customers we serve--are heading toward. In an industry with so many complications and challenges, it is important to reflect on the vision on which our our team is focused.
The Answers System’s Vision . . . To provide critical information to the Foodservice Industry with easy-to-
There is a tremendous amount of energy and focus placed on organizations to select and implement great reporting and analytics tools to help plan and analyze their trading relationship data. The need to select a great reporting and analytics platform for information analysis is paramount to managing a superior business. It is, in fact, no longer a differentiator but a requirement to stay competitive.
by Greg Hilton
Each May, professionals from all around the food industry make the annual pilgrimage to the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago. I have attended on and off for around 15 years or so and each year, I meet an incredibly fascinating group of individuals and learn a tremendous amount. I am also in awe of the shear magnitude of the planning process and what must go into putting on a show of that size. Kudos to all of the individuals involved.
by Greg Hilton
At Answers Systems, we take quality, audit compliance and process controls very seriously. To that end, each year, our team goes through a rigorous independent audit by an certified public accounting operating under the guidance of the American Institute of CPAs. The outcome of this audit is our annual SAS 70...
Great job – You are a manufacturer sales representative setting up a trade promotion contract for a large chain account and you figured out how to double your volume on the contract.
Not so great – You got twice the increase in volume by selling your products for half the listed price!
Synopsis – You may be the shortest tenured sales representative in the history of the example company. I put that together after only the minimum “required economics” courses in college.
Shawn Cady sat down with Greg Hilton and Tom Tipps to discuss some of the highlites of the new 4.2 release of the ContractPro trade promotion management application, released on March 1, 2010.
I was reading a post on-line a few days ago about both the President and Congress agreeing that things are improving in our nation’s economy. Jobless numbers finally took a small decline and consumer confidence is up (even just a tiny bit) for the first time in many months. Funny though, ‘Things looking up’ when our national economy is facing what seems to be an insurmountable year-over-year budget deficit just does not seem to make sense. It is like saying, “Gee, my car is really driving much b
Throughout recent history the Foodservice and Trade Spend Management industry, as well as much of corporate America, has used really cool big words to describe trends and philosophies.
From the early eighties, we had Total Quality Management (TQM), a management theory for defect reduction and heightened quality standards. Sun Tzu (that is him on the right), an ancient Chinese military general penned, “The Art of war” and a whole industry of management theorist began translating the logic of
by Greg Hilton
Answers Systems has kicked off an incredibly exciting product development roadmap for 2010. We are focused on delivering focused improvements in our core products, ContractPro® and ValuTrak®. In the design of this year’s major product and service releases, our team focused on some key needs for our customers:
First off, I wanted to say thank you to each and everyone of our our incredible customers. Your continued support of Answers Systems' vision allows our team to serve you each and every day. Serving you, our customers, is the single most important endeavor that we seek to succeed at.
Bud Hilton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Group, Inc., dba Answers Systems, the leading provider of foodservice trade promotion management solutions, announced the promotion of Greg Hilton to President of Genesis Group, Inc., dba Answers Systems. Bud Hilton, founder of Answers Systems in 1986 and whose career spans over 46 years in the foodservice industry, will continue in his role as Chairman of the Board and CEO. Bud will become even more involved in foodservice industry i
Posted By Greg Hilton
Here is a simile for you . . . Buying a reporting solution and not considering the cleanliness, accuracy and timeliness of the data being analyzed, is like installing a beautiful water faucet in your kitchen and hooking the plumbing directly to your sewer line.
Good data is like a filet mignon!
I was on a phone call with a potential customer the other day. I love being involved in the sales process because you really get energized by offering answers to the problems th
Posted by Greg Hilton
Wikipedia says the term Value Add speaks to difference between the cost to produce a good or service and the sale price. My economics professor in college, “Professor Humdrum,” probably defined it in the same calculating boring and repetitious way (he was good about that). Nothing against monotony, it just seems to go on and on.
Years later in the real world, the term Value Add became less synonymous with economic theory and definition and more about a handy catch p
Posted by Greg Hilton
Are you one of those folks who, when prompted to participate in a problem-solving meeting or discussion, cannot help but get involved in the dialogue? Are you the type that likes to hang back and see how the discussion progresses and then give your two cents? I was reminded of a third type of person (just last evening) that has a tendency to want to lead the dialogue, quite certain that they understand enough of the facts to give great insight to those around me… um, him
by Greg Hilton
In this series on problem solving frameworks we are taking a look at solving problems using methods learned from the book, The McKinsey Way by Ethan M. Rasiel. If you are checking in from the original post, “The McKinsey Way” is a peek into the problem-solving framework used by one of the world’s most successful business strategy-consulting firms, McKinsey & Company.
This is the last of the three part series and speaks to, “what to do with the data you capture.”
posted by Greg Hilton
Foodservice and Problem Solving Frameworks
In this series on problem solving frameworks we are taking a look at solving problems using methods learned from the book, The McKinsey Way by Ethan M. Rasiel, and applying them to trade promotion management issues. If you are checking in from the original post, “The McKinsey Way” is a peek into the problem-solving framework used by one of the world’s most successful business strategy-consulting firms, McKinsey & Company.
If y
Post by Greg Hilton, CIO
Many years ago, I read a great book on problem solving and the art of “framing up” business problems. The book, The McKinsey Way, by Ethan M. Rasiel, is a peek into the problem-solving framework used by one of the world’s most successful business strategy-consulting firms, McKinsey & Company.
The Theme – Approach every business question with a structured framework for solving the question (Ex: How can I measure and management my contract relationships to make sure