It is with sadness that I must let you know that longtime SFM Member, Mary Hofer has passed away. As you know, Mary was a huge supporter of the foodservice industry and her passing will leave a void that can not be filled. Others have remembered her for her enthusiasm, always willing to help and as the ultimate networker.

Mary F. Hofer always maintained that the key to her success as a salesperson, publishing executive, mentor, volunteer, and confidant was that no one could ever tell her “no”. However, it was much more than that.

Mary began her long association with the foodservice industry in May, 1978 when she joined the sales staff of Food Management magazine in Chicago. She learned quickly that the key to selling advertising space was to put foodservice operators together with manufacturers. It would be a formula that would serve Mary throughout her long and distinguished career.

After selling advertising space for FM for several years, Mary was asked to move to New York to helm a new venture from FM’s parent company, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. She became publisher of Foodservice Technology International, a publication serving the emerging global foodservice equipment marketplace. FTI was groundbreaking in that each issue was printed in three languages: English, Spanish, and Chinese.

After FTI’s successful launch, Mary was summoned back to Chicago in 1982 to become publisher of Food Management. She served as FM’s group vice president and chief executive until 1991. During that time, Mary oversaw FM as it achieved its greatest growth, and helped orchestrate several acquisitions HBJ made in the foodservice magazine field. In 1985, Mary launched the Show Dailies to cover and serve both the National Restaurant Show [NRA] and the North American Food Equipment Manufacturers [NAFEM] Show. To help gain awareness for the Show Dailies, and to show appreciation for FM’s sustained growth, Mary hosted the “Leaders of the Pack” party at the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago on Sunday evenings during the NRA Show. “Mary’s party”, as it became known, was a must-attend dance party and food festival that attracted a Who’s Who of the restaurant industry and featured entertainment from the likes of Chubby Checker and the Drifters.

It was also at that same time that Mary began “Hair Magic” at NRA, another unique networking opportunity that once again brought prominent foodservice operators together with sponsoring manufacturers that continues to this day.

After Mary left Food Management in 1991, she formed The Foodservice Leadership Group. Through the FLG, Mary brought restaurant-industry leaders together with specific manufacturers to help each gain a better understanding of each other’s needs and capabilities. FLG is active to this day. In recent years, Mary was a principal at Integrated Marketing Technologies, a company specializing in database enhancement, digital asset management, and product sampling and evaluation.

Mary was intimately and actively involved in numerous associations and trade groups. She was one of the first members of the Women’s Foodservice Forum and the Society for Foodservice Management. She gave tirelessly to silent auctions and fund-raising for associations and trade groups such as ASHFSA, NACUFS, SNA, HFM, SFM and others to help raise awareness and improve the financial standing of each.

Most recently, Mary served on the SFM Foundation Board of Directors as Treasurer. During her time on the Foundation Board, Mary organized one of the Foundation’s largest fundraising campaigns, the silent auction. Mary helped collect items to be auctioned off, stored all the collected items and shipped them to the SFM National Conference. Mary’s contributions to the Foundation will surely be missed.

Throughout her career, Mary Hofer’s advice and counsel were sought by chief executive and assistant brand manager alike, and she treated each equally. It was that distinction that accounted for her incredible success and admiration throughout the entire restaurant industry.