The J.M. Smucker Company Foodservice Division presented nine companies with its 2006/2007 Sales Agency of the Year award during the company's annual Broker Breakfast.The J.M. Smucker Company named Asmussen Waxler Group the National Sales Agency of the Year–Mid Central, and Advance Sales & Marketing, Inc. the National Sales Agency of the Year–Southwest. Regional Sales Agency of the Year award winners were Roisum Elite Sales & Marketing Company, Market Dynamics Group-New England, Complete Foodservice Solutions, Innovative Concept Group, Inc., Food Sales, Inc.–Tennessee/Kentucky,Western Foodservice Marketing, and Foodservice Specialists, Inc.
Award winners are pictured as follows: (back row, l–r) Wade Dickinson, Foodservice Specialists; Chuck Hamby, Randy Sanders, and Tim O'Connor, Food Sales, Inc.,Tennessee/Kentucky; Mick Asmussen, Frank Wintersberger, Pat Welch, and Doug Asmussen, Asmussen Waxler Group;Tom Paone, Foodservice Specialists; Bob Galvin, Market Dynamics Group. (Front row, l–r) Kent Pfeifer, Western Foodservice Marketing; Jeff Culwell, Advance Sales & Marketing; Dean Zotos, Bill Hazelbach, Brian Dekema, and Bob Lundberg, Complete Foodservice Solutions; Randy Gee, Advance Sales & Marketing; Keith Gendron, Innovative Concept Group; Chuck Goldberg, Asmussen Waxler Group; Mark Hughes, Market Dynamics Group.
Maywood Furniture, one of the country’s leading
manufacturers of hotel conference and banquet
tables, announced that Pro Reps West has been
given the added responsibility of handling Las
Vegas. Bob Hardesty of Pro Reps West, which also
represents Maywood in Southern California, will
be heading up Maywood’s Las Vegas team.
Hardesty has over 20 years of experience in the
Hospitality Market and will call on all Hotels and
Casinos in Las Vegas. Visit
www.maywood.com,
or call 800-820-1073, ext. 28
...Esrock Partners has added exceptional
experience to its creative
team with the addition of
Krysten McGee as a copywriter.
Her background includes over
nine years of copy development
experience in both trade and general
journalism, including writing
and production work for several
broadcast outlets. She earned an M.A. in print
journalism from Emerson College in Boston.
McGee also taught journalism in the Boston area.
Esrock Partners has specialized in food and foodservice
strategic planning, advertising, and marketing
communications since 1978. Their clients
include regional foodservice chains, ingredients
manufacturers, and major branded and private
label manufacturers involved in the retail and
foodservice industries
...Karen Hansen, who started with
Alto-Shaam in 1986 and was
promoted to president/COO in
2002, took on the role of CEO
and chairman of the board in
July. She will maintain her position
as president of Enthermics
Medical Systems, a sister company
that produces blanket and
fluid warmers. Also moving up
the corporate ladder is Steven
Maahs, who was promoted to
president/COO of Alto-Shaam.
Maahs started with the company
in 1988. In 1990 he was promoted
to national sales manager
and in 2002 to executive VP.
As COO, he will be involved in
the operation of Alto-Shaam at the corporate
level. For more information on the company,
visit
www.alto-shaam.com ...
Fortessa tableware plays a feature role in the
Food Network’s new culinary series, The Next
Iron Chef. Eight of the world’s top chefs competing
in the reality series presented their cuisine
inventions to judges on tableware from
Fortessa’s Accentz™ collection. The winner of the
series joins the current group of culinary superstars—
Mario Batali, Cat Cora, Bobby Flay, and
Masaharu Morimoto—to compete in the new
season of Iron Chef America. The eight competitors
were: John Besh (New Orleans), executive
chef, Restaurant August, Besh Steak, and La
Provence; Chris Cosentino (San Francisco), executive
chef, Incanto; Jill Davie (Santa Monica),
executive chef, JOSIE; Traci Des Jardins (San
Francisco), executive chef and co-owner,
Jardinière, Mijita and Acme Chophouse; Gavin
Kaysen (San Diego), chef de cuisine, El Bizcocho
at the Rancho Bernardo Inn; Morou Quattara
(Washington, D.C.), executive chef and owner,
Farrah Olivia; Aarón Sánchez (New York) executive
chef and owner, Centrico and Paladar; and
Michael Symon (Cleveland), executive chef and
owner, Lola and Lolita.
A mini-exhibit with a wide range of the versatile
designs from Fortessa’s signature line was
assembled to give the chefs an opportunity to
select pieces that best showcased their culinary
art. The tableware traveled with the Food
Network production, allowing each chef to make
personal, on-the-spot choices for the episodes,
which were filmed on location in the United States and in Europe. For more information,
visit
www.fortessa.com ...
To keep pace with the growth of combinationoven/
steamers in foodservice,
Cleveland Range
is expanding production capacity and its stateof-
the-art Culinary Demonstration/Test Center
at its headquarters and main production facility
in Cleveland. Adding more than 40,000 square
feet of space, the expansion announcement
comes as Cleveland Range completes its second
year in production of the Convotherm® by
Cleveland Combi-Oven/Steamer at the Ohio
facility. “We are expanding our facility to handle
immediate capacity needs created by the
success of our Convotherm by Cleveland®
combi-ovens,” says Rick Cutler, president of
Cleveland Range. “It also allows us to accommodate
the dramatic forecasted growth in the
North American combi-oven/steamer market in
the years ahead.” For more infoinformation, visit
www.clevelandrange.com ...
Something Different Linen, Inc., one of the
leading manufacturers of hospitality table
linens, was named as a napery distributor and
added to Milliken's North American distributor
list. The announcement was made by
Milliken & Company at the 2007 Clean Show
in Las Vegas
...
The Hilton Waikaloa recently joined the long list of
ReServe’s customers who use
ReServe Interactive’s
Dining Reservation and Table Management software,
which streamlines the coordination of reservation
and guest seating while providing the details necessary
to impress guests with exceptional service. The
software offers an at-a-glance graphical representation
of the dining room with interactive table status
so a hostess or manager can get a quick, accurate
update of seating resources. ReServe Interactive is
the only integrated solution for managing banquets
and restaurant reservations in one system
...
Leggett & Platt Storage Products Group named
James A. Nelson as VP of business development
for Supermarkets and Convenience Stores. The
position was developed to leverage Leggett's
industry-leading brands and worldwide resources
in this important market segment. Nelson reports to
Ron Murray, senior VP of of global business development
for Storage Products Group. He brings
nearly 30 years of sales and marketing experience
to the company and comes to Leggett after a 13-
year tenure at Stein Industries, where he held the
position of VP with both the parent company and
its Carlson AirFlo Division since 2000. For more
information, visit
www.leggettspg.com...
Espresso Specialists, Inc., one of North America’s
leading commercial espresso machine sales and
service organizations, announced a name change
to Franke Coffee Systems North America. The
Seattle-based company is one of seven sales and
service organizations for Aarburg, Switzerlandbased
Franke Coffee Systems. “The name ‘
Franke
Coffee Systems North America’ better connects us
to other Franke-owned espresso machine sales
and service organizations around the world and
ties us more closely to our parent company.
Franke is simply a winning brand,” says Pat
Loraas, president of Franke Coffee Systems North
America. Franke Coffee Systems North America
will also continue a 29-year relationship with La
Marzocco. The company’s “yin and yang” product
mix—superautomatic Franke and traditional La
Marzocco espresso machines—attracts foodservice
category leaders as well as specialty roasters
and retailers. With distribution in 68 countries, it
is the world’s second leading supplier of commercial
espresso machines. Visit
www.franke-cs.com
for more information and FAQs.
Simplot® Food Group,
inventor of the famous
frozen French fry more
than 50 years ago, continually places social corporate
responsibility at the forefront of foodservice
innovation. Committed to conducting business
through eco-friendly practices since the company
began, Simplot stands as a conservation pioneer,
respecting the earth’s resources with dedication to
the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Every day
Simplot explores new technologies and alternative
solutions to reduce impact on land, air, water, and
energy resources. The company’s investment in
equipment to reduce water use, plant waste, and
air emissions; generate soil-improving by-products;
and save energy reinforces this commitment.
Onsite recycling efforts include the handling of
waste materials including paper and cardboard,
aluminum, plastic, and scrap metal. For more
information, visit
www.simplotfoods.com, or call
800-572-7783
...
Enodis plc
announced that Phillip Dei
Dolori joined Scotsman as group president, ice and
beverage systems. Dei Dolori served as a senior
executive of Middleby Corporation for over five
years. Since joining the foodservice industry in
1984, including 19 years with Blodgett and Pitco
Frialator, he has gained extensive experience both
in North America and internationally. Dei Dolori
served as a member of the board of directors for
the North American Association of Food Equipment
Manufacturers (NAFEM) and is a member of the
board of directors of Cooper-Atkins Corporation.