Busby is dedicated to Sodexho

He’ll greet you with a warm handshake.
He is tall and his smile is ever-ready to stretch easily and quickly across his face. Time is short and Roger Busby, general manager of Sodexho campus services at Georgia College & State University, is a very busy man.
Busby likes to joke that he is from “wherever the wind blows,” and this statement is not far from the truth. Born in Charleston, he has southern roots, as his ever so slight southern drawl might suggest. Being raised in a military family has led him all over the United States, but he has finally settled down in Sandersville.
“The weather is so much nicer down here,” said Busby.
More than anything, Busby is a company man. He firmly believes in Sodexho and the mission they are trying to accomplish. He started as a dishwasher 25 years ago in hotels and resorts, and has also worked in hospitals. Once he transferred to campus dining, he knew he had found his niche.
“I didn’t like health care. I needed to be around fun, excitement, life,” said Busby. “We provide more than a dining service; we are helping to form people’s lives. If students are having a hard time during exams, we provide some stress relief. They can talk to us.”
Busby gets to work every morning around 7:15 a.m. He then has what he calls his “quiet time” where he gets prepared for the day.
“Mostly I am checking e-mails and phone messages and reviewing any appointments that I may have during the day. I do office work, meetings and errands. After dinner I review my next day’s work,” Busby said.
He is interrupted as two of his co-workers enter the office to report that a crisis has broken out in regards to company protocol when dealing with lost or stolen student I.D. cards. He calmly handles the situation, and the problem is resolved.
“There is a prime example of what I do,” he said.

Besides crisis management, some of his other duties include making sure the dining, retail, marketing and catering services are performing up to company standards. With so much responsibility, he is in constant contact with all of his employees.
“He is easy to get along with, a good person. He is dedicated to Sodexho. I will say that he expects 110 percent out of his employees, though,” said Donna Deason, who has worked with Busby since he has been at GC&SU.
Busby is always available during meal periods, and he checks to make sure that everything is running smoothly.
“I have a tendency to micromanage a little too much. Sometimes my employees have to tell me to get out of the kitchen,” Busby said with a laugh. “At the end of the day though, we all go home with a smile on our face.”
Busby said one of the biggest challenges he faces at his job is responding to individuals’ likes and dislikes while pleasing the majority.
“The balancing act between company, university and student needs is the tough part,” Busby continued with tongue firmly in cheek, “and when people call us SAGA. We are Sodexho; we haven’t been SAGA for a while now.”
The benefits of his job far outweigh the costs.
“I love the life and the energy of the college atmosphere,” Busby said. “Students’ growth in their life adventure of college, seeing the transformation from their first day as an unsure freshman to their last day as a confident senior is very rewarding. We do our best to keep things interesting for them.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 13 2004. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry