Sometimes, my job as unofficial historian of the foodservice equipment and supplies business really, really sucks. In the past two weeks, we’ve heard about the passing of four men, all of whom were major industry figures: Henry Coletti, Jim Little, Paul DeLorenzo and Wayne Martin.I won’t repeat what Jan has written in the obits we’re…

Days after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction to block the proposed $3.5 billion Sysco Corp.-US Foods merger, Sysco terminated the merger agreement. The action also terminated an agreement with Performance Food Group to purchase US Foods facilities in 11 markets. Under…

Wayne Martin, whose career in sales spanned half a dozen prominent E&S manufacturers, died June 22. He was 66. Martin’s 43-year foodservice career began at General Electric Commercial Food Service, and spanned Hobart, Hussmann, BIH Food Service and W.A. Brown before he joined Muskegon, Mich.-based Structural Concepts. He retired from his self-described “dream job” there…

Kevin Kelly has been named V.P.-Sales for

Horizon Bradco of Schenectady, N.Y., has acquired Burke Food Equipment, which covers the Southeast from its base in Spartanburg, S.C. Burke founder J.D. Burke brings complementary experience as an equipment distributor and service provider to Horizon Bradco, according to its CEO Mark Panozzo.  “J.D. Burke has built a thriving business in the Carolinas and beyond,…

Foodservice industry entrepreneur Paul DeLorenzo passed away June 7 at the age of 87. Born in Lorenzago, Italy, DeLorenzo moved to Detroit at age 18. Seven years later, in 1953, he founded The Delfield Company. After selling Delfield to Clark Equipment in 1969 (it’s now a brand of Manitowoc Foodservice), he went on in 1975…

German warewashing maker MEIKO has tapped Markus Braun as the new president of MEIKO USA. Braun joined MEIKO Germany in 1998 as a sales and marketing manager and led the company’s cleaning and disinfection division. Most recently, he oversaw global sales and marketing for cleaning and disinfection appliances, MEIKO’s product line for the healthcare industry.…

Back in February, we reported on the classification upgrades under consideration by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association’s Commodity Classification Standards Board to change shipping rates for warewashers and air curtains and doors. Now we can report that the CCSB’s proposed change on air curtains has been officially approved and the shipping class (and subsequent…

Unsafe in any way. That’s the conclusion drawn by the Food and Drug Administration, which last week imposed restrictions on the use of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), a primary source of trans fats in processed foods. The regulator told food companies that beginning in 2018, they will have to seek its approval before they can…

New decade, new mayor, but the battle for menu transparency and healthier food products continues in New York. The city could become the first in the country to require chain restaurants to place warnings on their menus next to dishes with high sodium levels. The city’s health board voted last week to consider a request…