Join Us For The Party

By now, we hope you’ve noticed that we’ve established a new awards program that will honor the very best of our diverse audience of foodservice operators, dealers, consultants and service agents. We’ve now named, with the help of our Selection Advisory Boards and association friends, all the winners of our Management Excellence Awards, Industry Service Awards and Young Lion Awards.

We will honor all the winners Friday night, Feb. 8, at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando during The NAFEM Show. And we want you to know that you all are invited to join us. This will be a fun deal. Christine Palmer, who runs all our meetings and events, is planning a serious buffet that
will let folks mingle right up to the time we make you sit down for the awards presentations. There will be no long speeches, we promise. Information on attending can be found on our website at fermag.com/events. Or you can write or call Chris at cpalmer@fermag.com and 847/336-2049.

Making people feel good about what they do is one of the most important things we do at FER. And one of the most fun. Congratulations again to all the award recipients:

Management Excellence Awards
• Chain & Commercial Operator (more than 250 units)—Doctor’s Associates/ Subway, Milford, Conn., and its International Purchasing Cooperative, Miami.
• Chain & Commercial Operator (fewer than 250 units)—Cheddar’s Casual Café, Irving, Texas.
• Noncommercial Operator—The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Food & Nutrition Services, Columbus, Ohio.
• Dealer (more than $40 million in sales)—Bargreen Ellingson, Tacoma, Wash.
• Dealer (less than $40 million in sales)—Mobile Fixture, Mobile, Ala.
• Consulting Firm—Webb Design, Tustin, Calif.

Industry Service Awards
• Dealer—Jim Hanson, Best Restaurant Equipment & Design, Columbus, Ohio.
• Manufacturers’ Rep—Mitch Reilly, HRI Inc., St. Claire Shores, Mich.
• Service Agent—Scott Hester, Refrigerated Specialist, Mesquite, Texas.
• Consultant—Ed Norman, MVP Services Group, Dubuque, Iowa.
• Operator—Mike Harlamert, Yum! Restaurants Int’l., Louisville, Ky.

Young Lion Awards
• Dealer—Brad Pierce, Restaurant Equipment World, Orlando, Fla.
• Manufacturers’ Rep—Chris Folz, The Redstone Group, Englewood, Colo.
• Consultant—Eric Norman, MVP Services Group, Chicago.
• Service Agent—Dan Farmer, Fixxbook Inc., Albertson, N.Y.
• Commercial Operator—Ryan DeSimone, Bloomin’ Brands, Tampa, Fla.
• Noncommercial Operator—Steve Cerullo, Geisinger Healthcare, Danville, Pa.

We will profile all the winners in our three NAFEM Show issues in December, January and February. If you don’t know any of them, you’ll enjoy meeting them. We hope you will join us in celebrating the best of our industry.