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Encore Overview

Encore Associates, LLC (Encore) is an award winning woman-owned SBA 8(a) certified food service management and consulting firm that has differentiated itself by redefining professionalism and raising expectations in high volume operations. Encore provides skilled and dedicated workers at each level of food service operations at civilian government agencies and military installations.

Based in Bowie, Maryland, Encore was founded by Melba Taylor in 1998. Ms. Taylor has over 32 years of management and operational experience including 17 years of specialized experience in food service and concessions management.

Quality Experience & Raised Expectations

President & founder, Melba Taylor is an insightful and resourceful woman who was determined to maximize on a business opportunity made possible through the Randolph Sheppard Act, which provides entrepreneurial opportunities to blind & visually impaired individuals. For the past 17 years, Ms. Taylor has operated on-site full food service military dining facilities, cafeterias, snack shops, concessions and vending operations at federal agencies and the Fort Meade Army Base.

Prior to starting her own business, Ms. Taylor worked 15 years in corporate & non-profit business sectors, gaining valuable management, administration and technical skills in human resources, program administration, facilities management and training & development.

Ms. Taylor holds a Master’s Degree in Human Development Education from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from North Carolina State University.

Ms. Taylor sits on the Board of Directors of the Blind Industries & Services of Maryland (BISM). She also is an actively involved member of the Maryland Business Enterprise Program/Committee of Blind Vendors, the National Federation of the Blind, as well as a member of the State of MD Rehabilitation Council/Office of Blindness & Vision Services. As a member of the Military Hospitality Alliance, a Division of the International Food Service Executives Association (IFSEA), Ms. Taylor holds certifications as a Certified Professional Food Manager (CPFM), a Master Certified Food Service Executive (MCFE) and a certified HACCP manager.