Suzanne Painter-Supplee, LEED AP+ID&C, CFSP has joined Specifi as V.P.-North American Sales. Specifi offers an end-to-end global BIM platform to streamline the design/build process for commercial kitchens.For the last 25 years, Painter-Supplee has worked in sales and sales management capacities for E&S manufacturers including Hobart, Scotsman, Champion Industries and Vollrath Co. Since 2008, her efforts…

The members of the Commercial Food Equipment Service Association have elected Gary Potvin of Pine Tree Food Equipment to serve as president for the next two years. Potvin was elected during CFESA’s Spring Conference in Chicago last month. Several other individuals were elected to serve as officers: Vice President: Kirby Mallon, Elmer Schultz Services Vice…

The Distribution Team, which often holds seminars for FEDA members, has a new one this month on “Running a Profitable Warehouse.” FEDA has encouraged its members to attend the June 24 program in Chicago. The seminar includes tangible solutions to real challenges in warehouse operations, including teamwork; layout; picking, packing and shipping; cycle counting and…

The new test kitchen unveiled in St. Louis last week by Heartland Reps is primed for cooking demos and testing on the equipment lines repped by the Missouri firm. “This new test kitchen facility will provide us a place to bring our dealers, consultants, chains and end-users for equipment testing and menu development,” said Rocky…

Last month’s 97th annual National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago saw a record set for exhibit space and a 6% uptick in total registration—including a 9% jump in dealer/distributor attendance. The May 21-24 show brought together a diverse range of industry segments, including 98 of the top 100 restaurant brands. The more than 67,000 total…

The most interesting thing I heard someone say during the recently concluded National Restaurant Association Show came from Hubertus Muehlhaeuser, the CEO of newly independent Manitowoc Foodservice, “Rising foodservice labor costs are a gift from the gods to the equipment industry,” he told a group of financial analysts at breakfast during the show on May…

Anticipating that the economic fundamentals that drive foodservice sales will remain positive, Technomic Inc., the Chicago-based foodservice research firm, forecasts that total industry sales will grow 4.9% in current dollars and 2.3% after menu price inflation of 2.7% is factored out in 2017. The firm released its revised forecast for 2016 and its preliminary forecast…

The Canadian economy has been sputtering since the crash in oil and other commodities prices began in mid- 2014. Real gross domestic product rose only 1.2% in 2015, down from 2.5% the year prior.  Employment and consumer confidence fell through most of 2015. But in spite of the slowdown, restaurant operators have continued to see…

Breakfast continues to be the fastest growing daypart at restaurants and at home, the NPD Group reported last week. And in a separate release a day later, the firm said its SupplyTrack research shows an increase in spending by independent restaurants in both 2014 and 2015. NPD’s CREST and other consumer research have charted a…