SPECIAL REPORT: Live In Austin!

Why should commercial chain spec/buyers have all the fun? That was the general thinking last year when somebody in the Gill Ashton corporate buffet line suggested we host a MUFES meeting specially fitted for noncommercial operators. 

We’ve been doing our biennial Multiunit Foodservice Equipment Symposium meetings for commercial chain folks since 2002, with great market response. It’s fairly technical content, but not in a nerdy way. People get interested in Btu and kWh and calculating efficiencies and dollars. They get excited. The get concrete ideas with hard-number examples, and they go home with plans they can implement immediately. Good stuff.

So why not do the same for an audience of foodservice directors, managers and facilities types for colleges, schools, healthcare, etc.? Commercial or noncommercial, a lot of the technical issues are similar. It’s just the scale of operations and the examples that would be different.

SESSIONS, NETWORKING, EVEN MUSIC SCENE

So that’s what we did, and the first-ever noncommercial MUFES drew roughly 60 operators and suppliers June 13-15, 2011, to the Barton Creek Resort and Spa near Austin, Texas, for two days of intensive seminar sessions, great networking, a smokin’ batch of roundtable discussions and even a night out in Austin’s world-famous music district. What’s not to like?

Among highlights: Keynoter Tom Sanderson, deputy director and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic & Int’l. Studies/Transnational Threats Project, kicked things off with a sobering look at how global population, economic and resource trends will shape how we all do business around the world.

Against that macro backdrop, then, came two solid days of such topics as LEED and where the paybacks are; advances in CFL and LED lighting, new applications, and what the savings work out to and more. Not one but two sessions addressed waste-stream reduction and what to do with the waste left over. And two separate sessions dealt with water filtration—one specific to hot-side equipment and the other focused on the very different issues in refrigeration filtration. Other sessions addressed energy efficiency in equipment and simple tricks that offer enormous improvements to your existing exhaust hoods.

Stay tuned for stories based on several of the sessions.

THANK YOU TO MUFES ’11 SPEAKERS

Tom Sanderson, Center for Strategic & Int’l. Studies, Keynote: “Seven Revolutions” global megatrends

Tara Schroeder, LEED AP, Ricca Newmark Design: “Leed Certification Experiences—What Pays Off, What Doesn’t”

Richard Young, Fisher-Nickel Inc., PG&E Food Service Technology Center: “Foodservice Lighting For Energy Efficiency”

Chris Moyer, National Restaurant Association: “Waste Reduction & Diversion Trends”

Michael Pantano, FCSI, Culinary Advisors Inc.: “Solid-Waste Handling”

Brian Madden, Sandstone Group: “Water Filtration I: Contaminants & Strategies For Cooking Equipment”

Scott Hester, Refrigerated Specialist Inc., current CFESA president: “Water Filtration II: Contaminants & Strategies For Refrigeration & Ice Machines”

David Zabrowski, Fisher-Nickel Inc., PG&E Food Service Technology Center: “Specifying Energy- And Water-Efficient Equipment”

Don Fisher, Fisher-Nickel Inc., PG&E Food Service Technology Center: “Ventilation Tips & Tricks For Better Performance”

THANK YOU TO MUFES ’11 SPONSORS

Cooper-Atkins Corp.

Eagle Group

Emerson Climate Technologies

Halton Group Americas

Hobart Corp./ITW

InSinkErator/Div. Emerson Electric Co.

InterMetro Industries

Manitowoc Foodservice Group

Salvajor Co.

San Jamar-Chef Revival

Somat Co./ITW

Stero Co./ITW

The Vollrath Co. LLC

RELATED CONTENT

Untitled design 2022 07 13T114823.757

Patience Pays Off for a Reach-In Repair

RSI’s Mark Montgomery's persistence and patience is key in repairing an operator's failing reach-in cooler.

Henny Penny

Oil’s Sweet Spot: How to Get There and Maintain It

Like many in the world of foodservice, you may assume that cooking oil performance is at its peak when you first start using it — but did you know there...

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -

TRENDING NOW

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -