A wish for later hours and wider menu choices is not an unexpected response to a foodservice survey of college students. But according to new market data from Technomic Inc., the nation’s 16 million college and university students are less than satisfied with their healthy food options on campus. “Despite the fact that 62% of…

Harold Hamilton, founder of one of the first manufacturers’ rep firms in Quebec and a leader in establishing the Canadian division of Manufacturers’ Agents for the Foodservice Industry, died Aug. 28 in Ottawa, Ontario. Hamilton’s career started in 1945, when he joined Bell Rinfret Co. in Montreal. His resume includes posts with Moffatt’s commercial appliance…

Neal Robinson, senior v.p.-global projects at Bunn-O-Matic Corp., passed away Aug. 22. He was 62. The Louisiana native worked for more than 25 years at Bunn-O-Matic and played a key role in expanding the coffee equipment supplier’s international business. Robinson joined Bunn in 1986 as a southeast district sales manager and moved steadily upward to…

Kool Star is relocating its panel manufacturing plant from Nogales, Mexico, to New Albany, Miss. Shifting the work stateside will provide centrally located manufacturing and distribution, allowing the company to reduce shipping lead-times and costs while servicing the entire North America marketplace. The company said the move enables it to expand to a complete line…

Head to nafem.org and check out the NAFEM Sustainability Calculator, developed by the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers in partnership with ASTM Int’l. The calculator uses an Excel spreadsheet to define a standard method for foodservice equipment manufacturers to measure the environmental impact of products. It identifies specific environmental factors, awards points to…

Fall might be upon us, but there is still time this year to secure important tax perks for purchasing or selling equipment. The Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010, signed by Pres. Obama last September, provides tax relief for foodservice operations and small businesses and assistance in gaining access to capital. The legislation…

In a first for American restaurant chains, KFC has opened its debut unit in East Africa. The Nairobi outlet is the first American fast-food restaurant in the region’s most developed economy. The 100-seat unit opened in August. Creating a KFC unit in Kenya had been in the works for more than a year; it took…

Win-Holt Equipment Group has purchased Commercial Stainless Fabricators, located in Marietta, Ga. The acquisition gives Win-Holt the ability to offer refrigeration, heating, ventilation, customized millwork and woodwork and full on-site factory installation services. CSF’s 60,000-sq.-ft. facility will join operations with Win-Holt’s custom stainless steel fabrication arm. It will be supported by the Syosset, N.Y., manufacturer’s…

Wendy’s is moving back to its original Dublin, Ohio, headquarters, and testing four new restaurant designs in four American cities. Two new units in nearby Columbus are among the prototypes. “These new remodels are part of a multi-year strategy to reinvigorate our brand and the way our customers interact with us,” according to David Karam,…

Some years ago, at one of the big association meetings—might’ve been FEDA, or maybe NAFEM—one of the speakers made a really salient point about manufacturer competition. “We used to say my equipment competes with your equipment,” or something to that effect, the speaker said. “Now, we say my channel competes with your channel.” That’s a…