Gordon F. Oates Sr., an industry leader and a 38-year veteran of Vulcan-Hart Corp., died Jan. 16. He was 86.Oates’ career in the foodservice equipment industry was dedicated to Vulcan-Hart. He joined the manufacturer in October 1955 as sales manager and served as its president from ’78 until his retirement in October ’88. He remained…

Nemco Food Equipment has acquired the Fresh-O-Matic countertop steamer line from Manitowoc Foodservice. The acquisition of the half-century-old product line is effective immediately. Nemco, a maker of countertop warming equipment, will be fulfilling all Fresh-O-Matic orders from its factory in Hicksville, Ohio. Nemco will feature its new product line under the official name, Fresh-O-Matic by…

The NAFEM Show is less than three weeks away. You should have your boarding pass, hotel reservation, show badge, and schedule of must-see events, high-priority booth appointments and don’t-miss seminars. On Feb. 11, the Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association will host a lunchbox seminar, “Selling is Relationship Management.” The how-to program, led by Tom Reilly and sponsored…

If you’re a member of the Twitterati, look for FER at twitter.com/FERtweets. We’ll be tweeting our way through 2011 and at February’s NAFEM Show with observations on new technology, forecasts, news and trends. For up-to-the-minute news during The NAFEM Show, visit your Twitter account and adjust your settings to receive mobile messages from us. We’ll…

Illinois Tool Works Food Equipment Group North America has acquired a number of assets from the commercial business of Thermal Engineering Corp. As part of the acquisition, ITW’s Vulcan brand will own the exclusive rights to TEC’s patented infrared cooking technology and a license to sell TEC’s Searmaster Charbroiler product line. Vulcan is part of…

Gordon F. Oates Sr., an industry leader and a 38-year veteran of  Vulcan-Hart Corp., died Jan. 16. He was 86. Oates’ career in the foodservice equipment industry was dedicated to Vulcan-Hart. He joined the manufacturer in October 1955 as sales manager and served as its president from 1978 until his retirement in October 1988. He…

Manitowoc Foodservice has announced the next stage of its ongoing evolution to enhance market responsiveness around the globe, from product development to customer contact and support. Changes to Manitowoc’s organizational structure, effective immediately, are “not a deviation, but a refinement” of the company’s ongoing strategy to enhance “focus, depth and speed” in supporting customers everywhere,…

As we went to press Jan. 18, Yum! Brands announced plans to sell its Long John Silver’s and A&W All-American Food Restaurants concepts. The company is in the process of identifying possible buyers for the chains’ 1,630 restaurants, all of which are owned and operated by franchisees. With the company’s sharpened focus on international expansion,…

Tomlinson Industries is joining an exclusive club in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry. This year, the manufacturer–founded by A.E. Tomlinson in 1911 as Tomlinson Steam Specialty Co., representing a line of steam valves—is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Among the planned celebrations is an invitation-only reception at this month’s NAFEM Show. Tomlinson branched out from…

Nemco Food Equipment has acquired the Fresh-O-Matic countertop steamer line from Manitowoc Foodservice. The acquisition of the half-century-old product line is effective immediately. Nemco, a maker of countertop equipment and smallwares, will be fulfilling all Fresh-O-Matic orders from its factory in Hicksville, Ohio. Nemco will feature its new product line under the official name, Fresh-O-Matic…