Unified Brands has hired Neil Kirven as healthcare segment manager. His responsibilities include creating and executing strategic product management. Kirven was previously president of Burlodge USA, an Ali Group company. In addition, the Jackson, Miss., manufacturer has hired Steve D’Angelo as corporate chef to develop custom culinary menu and foodservice product solutions. D’Angelo’s culinary experience…

Long-time MAFSI member and past president Ray Ward died suddenly on Dec. 5. Ward spent 30 years as a manufacturers’ rep in upstate New York, where he was a principal of Rochester-based Quality Rep Source. The firm merged in 2007 with Bassett-Carragher Associates to form Link2 Hospitality Solutions. Three years ago, he took a post…

Libbey Inc. has become the exclusive U.S. distributor for two longtime German glass and servingware manufacturers. Libbey will distribute Spiegelau and Nachtmann products. Spiegelau, founded in 1521, makes fine stemware and premium drinkware assortments. Nachtmann was established in 1843 and offers upscale servingware, decorative products, stemware and drinkware. Both are owned by Riedel Glassworks. In addition…

It isn’t just chains making footprints in the Middle East. Restaurant Equipment World has opened a location in Dubai, UAE. The office will support the Orlando, Fla., firm’s clients in the Middle East/North Africa region, and function as an after-hours call center for REW’s web clients. REW’s affiliated rapid procurement company, Critical Supply World, will…

Tony Kaszuba, president of RMA Hospitality Management, has been nominated as this year’s Society for Foodservice Management’s 2013 Hennessy Traveler. The Hennessy Traveler program promotes educational opportunities for members of the U.S. Air Force serving in hospitality assignments and who are interested in pursuing post-military careers in the foodservice industry. With his selection, Kaszuba carries…

The National Restaurant Association expects continuing modest growth for the foodservice industry next year, in spite of many uncertainties, with current dollar growth forecast at 3.8% and growth after price inflation of 0.8%. While modest, it would mark the fourth consecutive year of growth in the U.S. foodservice industry, with sales estimated at $660.5 billion. The…

The MAFSI Business Barometer unexpectedly improved in the third quarter, as overall sales for manufacturers’ reps climbed to 4.3% in the quarter versus sales in the same quarter last year, the best performance since a 4.7% gain in quarter four of 2011. The survey is fielded quarterly by the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice…

Two economic reports released last Friday, Dec. 7, obscured even more the short-term outlook for U.S. consumer spending. On the one side, the top-line numbers in the Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report came in better than forecast, with 146,000 net new jobs added while the unemployment rate dropped to 7.7%. On the other,…

For the first time in 14 months, the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index fell below the 100 level that separates industry expansion from contraction in the October survey.  Worries about the election, now concluded, the federal fiscal cliff debate, the healthcare law and the certainty of higher food costs pushed down expectations dramatically. The…

According to a new report, there’s a huge gap between the number of food-safety violations in Louisiana’s restaurants and the number of penalties actually levied in the state. A new legislative audit shows that Louisiana’s food-safety regulators have failed to ensure foodservice operations are complying with health standards. The audit says that the state’s Office…