Director of Food & Nutrition
Transitioning out of being a high school student, and only having a seasonal summer job, I interviewed for a food service position with The Nutrition Group at Millersburg School District. Not only was I welcomed there by a great group of hard-working women, but it fit into my schedule better than any other local job ever could. If it weren’t for them, who knows where I might be.
My director there was extremely supportive and helped me as I transitioned from a food service worker to a kitchen manager. And while she may not have wanted me to leave her kitchen so soon, she also was a great help and an inspiration as I moved into my current position as a Director of Food & Nutrition. It was quite a jump from being in charge of a singular kitchen to running the Halifax Area School District account, especially with 2025-2026 being its first official school year with The Nutrition Group.
Despite changes happening so quickly in the few short years I’ve been with the company, there has always been an amazing team of people to reach out to for support. If you had told me three years ago that I’d be a director of anything at the age of 22, I doubt I would have believed you. The Nutrition Group has given me so many opportunities that you just don’t see that often in the food service industry, especially at my age. I feel blessed to work for a company that does their best to make their employees and even their customers feel like family. I look forward to whatever the coming years may bring.
- Elizabeth Stoltzfus
Join a team that cares for each other like family.
Ed stands by a solid brand promise: “At The Nutrition Group, we try to do exactly what we say we will do. No surprises. Guaranteed.”
The Nutrition Group began when Walter McGrew and Ed Caswell purchased a small division of Potter McCune in June of 1975. Walter needed someone that would help grow Nutrition Inc. Providentially, Ed was in the right place at the right time. Walter offered him the opportunity to help grow the new business along with a share of the company. Ed enthusiastically accepted and became Vice President. The early years were characterized by transition, from a volume-based commissary operation to bid-based contract catering and then to contract food service management.
As with any successful business, many hours were invested, much experimentation was tried and many lessons were learned. The main key to early success was hiring quality, team-oriented management personnel and nourishing and encouraging their personal and professional growth.
Mr. McGrew retired in the early 1980’s and divested his interest to Ed in 1991. The leveraged buyout necessitated creative capitalization beyond bank financing. As it turned out, the idea to sell stock to key management personnel remains a powerful component in the company’s success. This has allowed The Nutrition Group to maximize growth opportunities and improve operational capabilities. Being an actively involved owner of the company is energizing, it lights the fire of pride and commitment because it is personal.
The Nutrition Group has enjoyed continual growth guided by their top management leadership team, which has been another hallmark throughout the years of our management philosophy: a strong, dedicated and focused top management team. The corporation has developed teamwork structures and principles within all levels of our business and closely monitors and supervises daily implementation and progress.
Ed’s customer-first philosophy that fueled company growth from the beginning is still the driving principle today. The employees of The Nutrition Group embrace that philosophy in all that they do. Today, The Nutrition Group serves over 240 school districts across six states and has a Commissary Division serving daycare and Head Start children, Senior Centers and Healthcare facilities. Also, the Facilities Management Services division provides custodial maintenance management, capital project management and owner’s representative services.
Ed’s parents and grandparents passed on their entrepreneurial beliefs. He was raised in a business household. He is grateful to Mr. McGrew his first partner and business mentor. He is grateful to God, his wives, family, the many “Nutritionites”, customers, vendors and outside sources of inspiration – all of which helped him to grow and develop into the person God has graced him to be. Ed believes, “We grow more through our hardships than blessings, but we are grateful for both.” He is a man of faith whose resourcefulness, perseverance and leadership helped build The Nutrition Group.
The integrity and commitment of The Nutrition Group business model, focusing on trying to consistently please the customer and sincerely attempting to do what we say we are going to do, is what sets us apart from the competition.
