Barb Fitzgerald has over twenty years of experience in the food concession business. She has successfully designed and operated a variety of concession operations and has served a large variety of menus at hundreds of events in the Northwest. In addition to running her concession business she also designed and operated a successful espresso cafe for Portland Oregon's Tri-Met Transit System.

In 1994 Barbara was honored to become involved in the administrative and regulatory process by Co-Chairing a position on the Oregon Food Services Advisory Board as representative for the food concession industry. It was that experience that inspired her to found NWVN, Northwest Vendor’s Network, an association of vendors and coordinators for the purpose of improving communication and cooperation among associates in the concession industry.

A long time member of IAFA, International Association of Fairs and Expositions, and NICA, National Independent Concessionaires Association, the advise of this busy professional has been sought by many event organizers, and she has served as consultant to countless entrepreneurs starting out in the concession business.

Her dedicated entrepreneurship, accumulated experience in concession development, management and marketing, and passion for the concession business qualifies her as a concession operations authority.

OK, that’s the official bio. Now here’s the rest of the story....

I fell into concessions after spending many years kicking around and experimenting with nearly any idea that might finally provide me the freedom of self-employment. At the time I was a young single parent with a good job. In the evening I baked bread to sell to local restaurants. This small venture brought me to the idea of selling my bread at the local county fair. Though the fair venture was financially unsuccessful it was a turning point in my life. After spending five days at the fair watching other food booths make more money than I could imagine, I knew that selling food from a food booth was finally the opportunity I had been looking for.

One month later I bought my first food booth. One year later I quit my job. Though it took a short handful of years for my food booth to produce an income that would adequately support my small family, those years were not wasted. I was learning the ropes, had established myself with a seasonal line-up of good events, and most importantly, I came to understand what made the difference between vendors who make money and vendors who don't. In my case, three things were holding me back. I was under capitalized, had inadequate help, and, as a single parent, had opposing responsibilities that placed limitations on my venture.

If I have learned anything from this business it is this: There are two types of food concessionaires. There are those who earn upwards of $50,000, and those who barely earn anything. The difference between these two groups is mostly this: Successful vendors are successful because they understand the business.

I spend the winter months on my 7 acre historic farmstead where I enjoy gardening and hanging out with my dog, Rio. I also spend the winter developing my publishing company, Carnival Press, which I hope someday will support me in my old age...
BF

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