Happy Spring to all! Thankfully the miserable winter weather is behind us and hopefully we can all start getting out a little more often as there will certainly be enough trade events over the next few months to keep us busy.
The local food industry was saddened recently by a few deaths of industry notables. I was quite surprised to learn that Gary Hilliard had passed away on New Year’s eve. Gary was a longtime executive with the old Twin County Grocers Company in Edison, NJ. He was very involved in many industry organizations and sat on several boards, and I personally know that he influenced and mentored many food industry people. Whether it was vendors or new buyers, I never met a person who didn’t have a kind word when referring to Gary. He always went out of his way to encourage and lead the next generation of food industry execs to be better and give back to the industry. He is survived by his wife Janet, daughter Lisa and son Craig and their spouses and four grandchildren. The family asks that any donations in his memory be made to the Deborah Hospital Foundation, 212 Trenton Road, Browns Mills, NJ 08015. Also, industry icon James Wood passed away on March 26 at the age of 85. The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company was a troubled enterprise when Mr. Wood was recruited as its chief executive in 1980. He had spent the previous six years at the helm of Grand Union and many thought that A&P was beyond redemption. Jim accepted the role with a highly incentive laden contract and perform he did. He not only revived A&P and created unexpected value for its shareholders, within three years he helped A&P post its best sales and earnings in more than the previous 12 years. By the end of Mr. Wood’s first five years, A&P was growing again, taking advantage of competitors’ troubles by buying up their stores. (Just look at the company today to see how far it has fallen back again) He stayed on as chief executive for another 13 years before stepping down in 1998. He continued as chairman until 2001. He is survived by his wife Colleen; daughters Sarah and Julie; and four grandchildren.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars as The Foundation Fighting Blindness will host its fourth annual “ A Vision for the Future” dinner on May 28 at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows Park, NY. The event will honor the accomplishments and community involvement of Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace COO and co-founder Thomas Barresi as supermarket industry leaders come together to raise critical awareness and research funds for vision-robbing retinal degenerative diseases like macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Chairing the event for the fourth year is Jason Ferreira of New Hyde Park, NY, a Foundation Fighting Blindness board member and Foodtown owner who knows the impact of vision loss. His 4 year old son JJ has a rare genetic disease called Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), which is characterized by severe loss of vision at birth. Determined to help advance research toward treatments and a cure, Jason and his wife Jennifer have been passionate foundation advocates since JJ’s diagnosis in 2010, raising hundreds of thousands for innovative work that could save their son’s sight. “We’re thrilled to recognize the support and leadership of Thomas Barresi,” says Ferreira. “Progress in gene therapy and stem cell-based clinical trials gives us hope for a brighter future for JJ and the millions of other families in America affected by blinding retinal diseases. Leaders coming together for this important cause is a true testament to the giving spirit of our industry.” Visionary Award honoree Barresi is a co-founder of Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace in 1998 along with Philip and Carl DelPrete, which now has five locations throughout Long Island. Over the last three years, A Vision for the Future has raised more than $1 million toward the foundation’s sight-saving research. For ticket information, contact Katie Van Benschoten at [email protected] or 212.244.1470.
Inca Kola and Clifton, NJ based bottler Continental Food and Beverage Inc. (CF&B) announced the launch of a charity promotion to raise funds for Easter Seals New York’s Veterans Count program. The program will bring together the resources of Inca Kola, Orange Country Choppers (OCC), Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) and AXS TV. As part of the charity effort, the partners have developed a special website – www.winthischopper.com – as a main point of entry for raising funds for Easter Seals New York. Beginning March 27, consumers who visit winthischopper.com can purchase entries into a sweepstakes to win a custom-built chopper from OCC. The company will unveil the finished motorcycle May 8 at the Easter Seals New York annual gala. Entries can be purchased at $25 each or $100 for five, with the proceeds being donated to Easter Seals New York’s Veterans Count program. CF&B will feature point-of-sale displays promoting the sweepstakes for retailers throughout the area.
We heard that the C-Town in South Amboy has been through a devastating fire that may shutter the site permanently. The store, which many remember as the old Foodtown owned by the Paczkowski family from the mid 1960s, had been leased two years ago to an operator who was operating under the C-Town banner. Frank Paczkowski had taken back the store and was doing work to fix damage from a different fire, but it looks as though this may be the last for the site.
The Eastern Refrigerated Foods Association (EFRA) has a full day of events planned for May 21, when the organization will be holding its annual golf outing in the morning and, after a day on the links, the cocktail hour and dinner reception will lead right into the annual Blue Penguin Awards. The coveted Blue Penguin goes to the “best of the best” in support of “March is Frozen Food Month.” The whole day will be held at White Beeches golf and country club in Haworth, NJ. For more info contact the association at 973.835.1710 or go to www.efraweb.org..
Congrats to Matt O’Hare of JOH on his promotion to SVP of corporate development. In his new role Matt’s responsibilities will include building new business, mergers and acquisitions, and information systems and technology. Congratulations, Matt.
Rich DeSimone of Alpha 1 Marketing reached out to us to let us know that the Tri-State Italian-American Congress annual golf outing will be September 17 at the Engineers Golf Club in Roslyn Harbor, NY. For information you can contact Rich at 914.697.5352. Rich also tells us that this year’s FUPAC (Foundation for Community Assistance) annual golf outing will have a change of venue. The event will be held July 22 at the prestigious Saint Andrews Golf Club in Hastings on Hudson, NY. The magnificent course has hosted many major championships through the years and really offers a terrific golf experience. For information contact Andres Frias at 347.558.0692 or Tony Collado at 718.683.7613.
And, lastly, it was with a very heavy heart that I have to write that a very dear friend has left us, but I know he is in a better place. Michael Patrick Coyle passed away on March 20 after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. I first met Mike a couple of decades ago when he came to White Rose Foods after a solid career with the old Frankford Quaker Grocery Co. in Philadelphia. Mike wore his Philly pride (and accent) hard while on the streets of NYC, but was also one of the most engaging and heart-warming people you will ever meet in the food industry. He always had a smile on his face, a joke at hand, an ear to lend and always an opinion to give. And for all of the countless times I would be in the Carteret offices of White Rose Foods, I would invariably always end up in Mike’s office (of course I would because I didn’t want to endure the Irish guilt he would rain down on me if I didn’t) just to put a nice end to a day. And although his fellow associates would always bust his stones, with the never ending question of “Mike, What do you do here???,” I can tell you he was White Rose’s VP of marketing, as well as an unofficial ambassador of good will for the company. You knew you made it in Mike’s inner circle if you received the “you’re top shelf” comment, but more importantly, for the party to end all parties (that unfortunately never happened) Mike would joke that most were invited, but you had to be on the “A” list to get in with a wink and that wicked smile of his. Mike is survived by his wife Janet, daughters Donna and Karen and their spouses and four grandchildren. The family requests that any donations in his memory be made to the FoxChaseCancerCenter in Philadelphia at www.fccc.edu. We could all go on with our favorite Mike stories, but I’m sure he would be honored if you would raise a toast to him the next time you’re having an adult refreshment and just share a good ole Mikey Irish memory. Rest well and warm, my friend, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that St. Peter had you on the “A List” Pally when you arrived at the pearly gates.
As always you can reach me at 201.250.2217 or [email protected]
