I’ve spent a great deal of time the past few weeks trying to explain the market for foodservice equipment and supplies to private equity and research companies. Some big deal must be brewing or maybe there are several deals in the works because the focus of their probing is different. Such companies come to us…

Anthony Short, CFSP, has joined The Boelter Cos. as leader of its new Mid-Atlantic division in Baltimore. He brings two decades of industry experience to the post. Boelter, which ranks fifth in FER’s 2014 Top Dealers listings, reported sales of $239 million in 2013. The Milwaukee-based firm has offices throughout the Midwest, including Chicago, Minneapolis…

Service agent and former CFESA board member Keith Johnson died July 6 at age 85 after a 10-month battle with cancer. Johnson founded Jackson Service Co. with partner Elden Hubbard to provide equipment repairs and chemicals for dishmachines. The family-owned Commerce City, Mich., company has provided parts and service for foodservice equipment around the state…

Advance Tabco recently opened a new manufacturing and distribution center in Dawson Springs, Ky., which provides the Edgewood, N.Y., manufacturer the ability to offer same-day shipping to the Midwest and surrounding states. It is the firm’s eighth location in the U.S. “Our multistate family of employees is each dedicated to supporting the Advance Tabco brand,…

One of the questions people often ask me is, “How many equipment and supplies dealers are there?” In light of the consolidation of dealer sales that is clear from an analysis of our FER Top Dealers listings, I thought I’d take a look at the number of E&S dealers in the E&S marketplace. We’ve been…

Bill Gilmore, 90, one of the three founders of Robot Coupe U.S.A., died June 15 at his home in Raymond, Miss. He started his 50-year career in the foodservice industry with Durnin-Rentzel, a manufacturer’s rep firm in Oklahoma City. In 1960, he became a founding partner in Marketing Agents South in Jackson, Miss., where he…

The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index rose again in May, as same-store sales and traffic and operator expectations of future sales continued to improve. The overall index rose 0.4 point to 102.1, its highest reading since March 2012. May was also the 15th consecutive month the index has stood above 100. Index values above…

Jeff Herren has joined Blodgett Oven as v.p.-regional sales. Based in central California, he will be responsible for leading sales initiatives and regional strategy on the West Coast. Blodgett, headquartered in Burlington, Vt., is a division of Middleby Corp. Prior to joining Blodgett, Herren was a field marketing manager and area v.p. with Manitowoc Foodservice.…

Now that the FER Top Dealer Report is finished, and the NRA Show has come and gone, it’s time for me and my forecasting partner, John Muldowney, a marketing executive at The Boelter Cos., to begin work on our annual foodservice equipment and supplies market forecast. We present all the details at our annual President’s…

PRIDE Marketing & Procurement has enhanced its dealer distribution network throughout Mexico with the addition of a new dealer member based in Cancún. The new member, Stepsa, has offices in México City and Los Cabos, Mexico, as well as The Woodlands, Texas. The company provides quotations, sales, installations and startup services to nearly every segment…