People On The Move

Curtis Restaurant Equipment has tapped Ryan McPhail for the new position of Chief Operating Officer. McPhail joined the Springfield, Ore., dealer in 2014 as a project manager and was promoted to general manager in early ‘16. As COO, McPhail will be tasked with building upon Curtis’ existing relationships with vendors and rep groups. Curtis opened its new Boise, Idaho, branch in March. The new location offers 12,000 sq. ft. of showroom, offices and warehouse space. Curtis reported sales of nearly $28 million in 2017.

The Sam Tell Companies has boosted its executive ranks with two promotions. Peter Caro, formerly Director of Purchasing, will now assume the position of V.P.-Continuous Improvement and Quality Management. Caro, now focusing on meeting customer requirements and expectations through implementation of cross-departmental initiatives, reports to V.P.-Operations John Michels and CEO Marc Tell. Matthew Sheinfeld takes over as Director of Purchasing, and will report directly to Michels and COO Daniel Saltzman. Sam Tell, based in Farmingdale, N.Y., had sales of nearly $84.3 million in 2017 and ranks as the nation’s 18^th largest dealer in FER’s 2018 Top Dealers.

Cassidy Martin has joined TriMark Strategic as Director of Business Development to help the dealership accelerate its service operations growth throughout and beyond the southeast region. Prior to joining the Lewisville, Texas, company, Martin spent 16+ years at General Parts. Over the course of her time there she held several roles, including administrator, service manager, branch manager and brand ambassador working closely with manufacturer partners. Last year, she received FER‘s Young Lion award.

Unified Brands has added Derek Brodt as Business Development Manager for the Eastern Territory. Brodt, based in Orlando, Fla., and will focus on developing and managing Unified’s healthcare businesses across the United States. Brodt has spent the past three years working as a production manager within the Unified Brands operations team in Jackson, Miss. Rachael Sassarini will assume the same responsibilities as Business Development Manager for the Western Territory. Sassarini, based in Mesa, Ariz., will focus on developing and managing Unified’s K-12 business across the United States. She joins the Conyers, Ga., company from a sales role in the medical device field.

Takisha Keys, Director of Operations at Sammic Corp. in Evanston, Ill., has been appointed as the President of the Westend Business Association. The Evanston Westend is home to more than 60 businesses in the city just north of Chicago. Keys will focus on community and business development for the city.

Beginning July 31, Electrolux Professional will be represented by Pardee, Freeman in MAFSI Region 1 – New England and by Starliper & Associates in MAFSI Region 4 – Keystone.

Kitchen Brains has added three rep firms to further cover the needs of its customer base. Elevation, based in Centennial, Colo., will cover its home state as well as Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and parts of Texas from its offices in those states. Pecinka Ferri Associates will represent Kitchen Brains in the greater New York Metro area including New York (Poughkeepsie and south), New Jersey (north of Trenton), and Connecticut (Fairfield County). Schmid Dewland Associates will provide customer service in Delaware, New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania.

Zink Foodservice, based in Lisle, Ill., has expanded its sales team with the addition of Heather Kartholl as a Territory Manager for tabletop and smallwares in the Northwest region. The Chicago native will focus primarily on the city’s downtown market. Kartholl’s 12-year career in the hospitality industry began at Bally’s Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and continued with a role onboard Norwegian Cruise Lines before she took a job in New York as an event and private dining sales manager for Spirit Cruises and worked at restaurants in Rockefeller Center and Times Square.