Mark Ottenheimer, president of Baltimore-based Ottenheimer Equipment, died Dec. 12, 2013, after a long illness. He was the fifth generation of Ottenheimers on the Baltimore foodservice scene; the family began in the 1880s as butchers to what was then called the restaurant trade. They evolved into commercial millwork manufacturers; during World War I, their expertise…

Carter-Hoffmann has enhanced its sales team. The Mundelein, Ill., company has promoted Jeff Erber to global v.p.-sales and hired Jacqui Gustafson as area v.p.-sales. Erber will expand his sales management responsibilities to include the global marketplace and will be responsible for all of Carter-Hoffmann sales worldwide. “Jeff has done a great job growing Carter-Hoffmann domestically,…

Twelve member management professionals recently were awarded full scholarships to the 2014 University of Industrial Distribution Program. The scholarships, awarded by the Foodservice Equipment Distributor’s Association’s Educational Foundation, will help underwrite the winners’ expenses for the UID Program March 9-12 at the JW Marriott Indianapolis Hotel. The scholarship winners are: Isaac Rodriguez, Ace Mart Restaurant…

In a deal which shows the wide arc and manufacturing diversity of the foodservice equipment industry, Henny Penny—which produces thousands of pieces of foodservice equipment for a handful of global foodservice chains—is acquiring the more specialized Wood Stone Corp., which makes a handful of equipment for thousands of restaurants. The transaction, announced Dec. 16, unites…

Few, if any, restaurants in the U.S. still offer a smoking section. Some countries, including the world’s most populous one, have no such distinction. The Chinese government has released a draft of anti-tobacco regulations that, for the first time, would ban smoking in all indoor public places. Additionally, cigarette packages would have to prominently feature…

Now that the U.S. has gone to uniform menu-labeling regulations—final regulations were announced last month by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—there are plans elsewhere for similar statutes. A proposal just announced by the Ontario government to require calorie posting in restaurants is getting a mixed reception as Canadian operators watched the long process and…

Shipping the equipment that keeps food cold or frozen just got a lot more expensive. Citing freight liability concerns, the Commodity Classification Standards Board (CCSB), an autonomous board under the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, has made a major change to the National Motor Freight Classifications covering everything from high chairs to commercial refrigeration. Beginning…

On Nov. 25, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized two rules requiring that calorie information be listed on menus and menu boards in chain restaurants, retail food operations, and vending machines to provide consumers with more nutritional information about the foods they eat outside of the home. The final menu-labeling rule applies to restaurants…

The Affordable Care Act mandates employers with 100 or more full-time-equivalent employees to offer healthcare coverage to full-time employees in 2015. While foodservice operators and other businesses with 50-99 full-time employees have until 2016 to offer coverage, they must start tracking healthcare-coverage-related employee data in January 2015 for reports that must be submitted to the…

Citing lengthier than expected talks with antitrust regulators, the megamerger between the nation’s two largest broadline distributors is taking a bit longer than anticipated. When Sysco Corp. announced its planned acquisition of US Foods last December, the Houston company expected the deal to close by the end of September 2014, then pushed it to the…