Kent Motes, founder of AutoQuotes Inc., has received the President’s Dealer-based Distribution Award from the Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association.Outgoing FEDA Pres. Kimberley Gill Rimsza of TriMark Gill Marketing, Phoenix, presented the award at the kickoff of FEDA’s 2011 Annual Convention last week. The four-day meeting, held at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix March…

AllPoints Foodservice Parts & Supplies has named David Bernstein its new v.p.-sales. Bernstein joins the Mount Prospect, Ill., company to focus on business development in the United States and Canada. He brings 25 years of experience in the E&S industry. Bernstein started with Carl Kaufmann and Associates in 1983, and then five years later joined…

Christopher Leader has been named president of Hoshizaki America. Leader, who joined the Peachtree City, Ga., manufacturer in January 2010, had been serving as the company’s COO. He will be responsible for all of Hoshizaki’s business in the Americas, which includes two manufacturing facilities and six company-owned distribution centers in the United States. In addition,…

Some restaurant chains and retail markets kept growing through the depressed economy and are poised to come out of the Great Foodservice Recession with new growth momentum. New studies and reports from Technomic Inc. and ChainLinks Retail Advisors detail the players and metro areas. While not all dealers have big chain customers, the studies help…

The shipping origin label might look a bit different if you’re a dealer for Electrolux Professional in the southeastern United States or an operator on the receiving end of a shipment. The company’s new regional distribution center in Fairburn, Ga., is slated to open this month. The manufacturer says the location optimizes service for customers…

Staff and members of the North American Food Equipment Manufacturers Association are wearing big smiles with the announcement of official attendance figures for February’s NAFEM Show. The numbers bear out the optimism felt on the show floor. Attendance was up 8% over `09. With manufacturers and reps, more than 18,500 foodservice professionals participated in the…

Heading to Chicago in May for the National Restaurant Show? Come in a day early for a closer look at energy trends. On May 20, the Energy Center of Wisconsin, a nonprofit firm offering energy efficiency research and education, is partnering with ComEd to deliver “Energy Efficiency in Commercial Foodservice,” a training workshop with Don…

Not only is FreshBerry marking its 40th unit opening, the chain is also celebrating its biggest overseas expansion. The frozen yogurt chain has signed a deal to open 12 stores in the Middle East, part of an agreement between parent Beautiful Brands Int’l. and Saudi-based United Food Co. In addition to opening stores in nine…

The American hamburger concept continues to be ever popular throughout the world. Johnny Rockets has expanded into the Korean market, partnering with Shinsegae Food Co. to open its first restaurant in that country. Shinsegae plans to open five restaurants in Korea during the next five years. The 1,067-sq.-ft. Johnny Rockets restaurant is located in a…

Serving tacos morning, noon and night has boosted expansion for Chronic Tacos. The 10-year-old San Clemente, Calif., chain is experiencing a better than 20% increase in store counts. The fast-casual Mexican chain added six units in the past year, growing to 36 units in Arizona, California, Idaho and Nevada. Chronic Tacos expanded into Vancouver, Canada,…