197 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine ENTREPRENEURS Since 2010, David M. Stafford has excelled as the chief executive officer and president of Stafford-Smith, Inc., a family business established by his grandfather in 1940 that offers food service equipment across the United States and abroad. Originally founded as a refrigeration contractor and dealer of bar and tavern equipment, Stafford-Smith currently sells kitchen equipment to both small and large organizations, which have included sports stadiums, correctional facilities, hospitals and schools, among others. Impressively, since the company’s founding over eight decades ago, it has expanded to 19 offices and warehouses across the nation, including two satellite offices in California and Saint Louis. In his roles as chief executive officer and president, Mr. Stafford is a thirdgeneration company leader and maintains responsibility for all company operations. As such, he oversees approximately 200 employees, and in 2020, he and his team of professionals generated over $224 million in sales. Mr. Stafford began working on a part-time basis for Stafford-Smith while he was in his formative years and eventually committed himself to the company full-time in 1992. During this time, he worked under the tutelage of his father. In the present day, Mr. Stafford now employs his own son, David R. Stafford, as an account executive. Working in conjunction with his son and diligent team of employees, Mr. Stafford has a distinguished goal of being the best food service vendor in the industry in the United States. To prepare for his career, Mr. Stafford enrolled in Western Michigan University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in organizational communications and medieval history, as well as playing college football. Subsequently, he followed his graduation with enlistment in the United States Marine Corps. Outside of his primary endeavors, Mr. Stafford has coached high school lacrosse for over 10 years and is an executive committeemember of the Food Service Equipment Distributors Association. For its success, Stafford-Smith was named the FE&S Dealer of the Year in 2001 and 2021, as well as honored with a Consumers Energy 2020 Award as a Top Distributor in National Gas Savings for Michigan. DAVID M. STAFFORD PRESIDENT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Stafford-Smith, Inc. Kalamazoo, MI
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