In March, over 150 school nutrition professionals from 76 districts traveled to Duke University to join our Heartland team for Connect 2024. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of this year’s Connect:
Keynote
To kick off Connect, we gathered together for our annual Keynote, discussing the importance of relationships—our relationships to each other, to fellow school districts, and to our technology. Our President of Heartland School Solutions, Jeremy Loch, starts off by sharing his connection to education and the impact it has had on him throughout his life. He describes the attributes for building a strong relationship with an acronym he created - T.E.A.R, which stands for Time, Energy, Appreciation, and Relationships. Since returning from Connect, many have mentioned that this year was about relationship building.
Rod Raleigh and Kathleen Schroder, our Directors of Client Services, highlighted a few districts present and the relationships that have been built between our team and their schools. Josh Payntor, Senior Director of Client Services, wrapped up the Keynote by discussing AI, how people are currently using it, and how Heartland is working to integrate it into our software as well.
Most popular classes of 2024
There were a number of classes at this year’s Connect. From learning about menu planning basics to what’s to come in 2024 for all of our products, here are just a few of the most popular classes this year:
MySchoolBucks: What’s coming in 2024
In this class, attendees got a sneak peek at the MySchoolBucks product roadmap. They were among the first to hear about the new features and enhancements coming to MySchoolBucks in 2024.
MCS Front of House: Best practices: Transaction Scenarios, Imports/Exports, and Reporting
For this class, attendees learned how to become experts in POS transaction management, including topics such as understanding the different types of transactions, importing and exporting MCS data, and a breakdown of general reporting.
Mosaic BOH: Getting the most out of inventory
Trainers walked through the steps needed to ensure efficiency in managing inventory. Attendees learned how to order, receive, use, and make inventory adjustments along with best practices for monthly physical counts and some useful reports.
Biggest Takeaway
We spent two full days together, talking with attendees, sharing product knowledge, and watching customers get to know each other and learn from shared experiences. Connection and relationship building was a clear theme throughout our time together. Whether it was Heartland team members meeting with attendees or school leaders networking and learning from each other, creating and strengthening relationships truly made this year’s Connect a success. 
