Today, May 20, is the final day of the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. I am heading downtown in a few minutes to man the booth and chat up the remaining customers and readers.Though Jan and I missed Saturday and Sunday—our daughter Emma graduated on Saturday from the University of Iowa—everyone I saw yesterday…

Michael Schatz, president and CEO of The Restaurant Source, died May 16. He was 45 years old. The Denver-based E&S dealership installs and designs projects and has a thriving Internet business. It was founded in 1951. Schatz is survived by his wife, Lisa Weinstein Schatz, M.D.; two daughters and a son; his parents; and two…

We’ve just finished tallying and writing up our annual Top Dealer survey. Now that we’ve seen all the numbers, two trends are very clear. The biggest dealers, those in the Top 30 or so, continue to grow rapidly, often through acquisition of smaller dealers that fill in regions or niches for them. And many of…

Don’t forget to stop by our Booth No. 5244 at the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, May 17-20 in Chicago. We’ll be there to answer questions, get story tips and get your take on the pulse and activity of the exhibit floor.

In late March, 36 of

It’s easy to lead with price when trying to make a sale or competing with another firm. What is more difficult is selling value, a less cut-and-dried, more subjective aspect of any purchase. The Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association will be hosting a webinar on the topic of “Value-Added Selling” next month. The program, led by…

I’ve been back from Asia for more than a week now, just in time to help Christine Palmer clean up the last of our annual Top Dealer survey. For those laggards who have yet to respond, I’m coming after you this week! But with most of the surveys already in, I’ll share a little of…

In spite of an early winter in some parts of the country, sales of equipment and supplies by manufacturers’ reps increased 4.8% in the fourth quarter of last year, according to the latest MAFSI Business Barometer. The quarterly survey is maintained by the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry. And while the reps expect…

The Manufacturers’ Representatives Educational Research Foundation, a charitable education foundation sponsored by rep associations in diverse industries, is holding a two-day seminar next month. Manufacturers wanting to strengthen or create a rep network are invited to attend MRERF’s Manufacturer’s Best Practices May 7-8 in Atlanta. The seminar’s format of an interactive dialogue will focus on…

Alto-Shaam was recently awarded the 2013 Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Grand Award for workforce development. The award, announced at a Feb. 27 black tie banquet in Milwaukee, honored Alto-Shaam for its commitment to the continual development of its employees and its charitable contributions, including: Establishing an Alto-Shaam University to help ensure all employees have…