3 businesses OK’d to provide culinary supplies to East Valley Institute of Technology

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

Three companies will be used by the East Valley Institute of Technology for the next five years to purchase culinary food, beverage and supplies with estimated annual expenses of $395,000.

The EVIT board voted unanimously April 14 as part of a consent agenda with other items to approve contracts with Shamrock Foods, Custom Food Service and Pepsico Food Service to buy items for the culinary, commercial baking, bistro and vending areas.

The five-person evaluation committee for the project was: Armour Black, culinary arts chef; Bruce Sandground, culinary arts chef; Jon Howell, dean of culinary and industrial trades; John Diana, commercial baking chef; and Scott Meyer, commercial baking chef.

The district issued a request for proposal at azpurchasing.org on Jan. 3 notifying 66 registered vendors. A total of 30 registered vendors downloaded bid documents and five responded with “no bid.” Responses were received by the deadline of 10 a.m. March 3 from Shamrock Foods, Custom Food Service and Pepsico Food Service, an EVIT document states.

“Contract 25-006 would supersede prior contract 20-006 with Shamrock Foods and Pepsico Food Service. this contract represents the first of a potential five-year contract. This recommendation is in the best interest of the district and is in accordance with school district procurement rules,” it states.

East Valley Institute of Technology is a public trade school providing 50 career training programs for East Valley high school students and Phoenix-area adults at two central campuses in Mesa. East Valley school districts include Apache Junction, Mesa, Queen Creek, Cave Creek, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Higley, J.O. Combs, Scottsdale and Tempe. Classes are 8-10:35 a.m. or noon-2:35 p.m. Monday through Friday. Classes with four-hour blocks are 7-11 a.m. or noon-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Classes are also held at satellite campuses, according to https://www.evit.edu.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.