Greetings everyone and welcome to spring! Lots of positive signs out there that we are well on the way to that glorious space of normalcy. Masks are starting to come off, by far the majority of people I have encountered or spoken with have been vaccinated and many COVID-related restrictions are being lifted. And best of all it’ll be Memorial Day weekend soon which means we’re very close to the unofficial start of summer!!
A huge shout out to everyone at Bozzuto’s as they recently went forward and held their Independent Retailer Conference 2021 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT. The conference was really the first major industry event to take place in our trading area since the pandemic struck and I was very pleasantly surprised to see a sizable number of attendees on hand for the two-day event and show. When Bozzuto’s went forward with their fall show last September, the fear and trepidation from the pandemic was discernable and the attendance at that fall show reflected that and was considerably down. However, jump forward to late April with a vaccination program in full swing, along with better weather and, voila! Lots of retailers, plenty of vendors, and a palpable sense of excitement of getting back to a sense of a quasi-normal world. Not only were vendors having engaging conversations with customers, there were multiple conversations about “can’t wait for the next Bozzuto’s show,” which will happen in late August. All in all a terrific job by all involved and I can’t wait for the August show!!
While we are talking about getting back to the “good ole days,” congrats to the Eastern Produce Council (EPC) for holding the first in-person industry dinner meeting since the start of the pandemic. Susan McAleavey Sarlund, executive director of the EPC, was bold enough to move forward with the event, sponsored by the South Carolina Dept of Agriculture, after surveying her membership and getting positive feedback. (See page 12 of this issue for photos from the event). The evening was a huge success, and the location was a big draw as well. Top Golf in Edison, NJ was a nice change to the usual locales utilized by the many associations in our industry, and by all accounts, a welcome change for the attendees and a big success.
Kudos to the good folks at Krasdale Foods as they helped kick off Bronx Week in early May. It is the annual celebration of everything that makes da Bronx a great place to live, work and raise a family and Bronx Week was held this year at The New York Botanical Gardens.
Krasdale Foods had the help and assistance of some of their its partners, including Riviana Foods, JJ Martin, Kellogg Company and Domino Sugar, and gave out 60 bags to Bronx Fathers Taking Action! Well done!
Unfortunately we learned of a few deaths in our industry over the last month. The first we heard of took us by surprise when news came that James Leo Glynn passed away suddenly on April 29 at the age of 64. Leo got his start in the food industry working on the bread trucks for Stroehmann’s, but really made his name when he started working for Edy’s Ice Cream in the metro New York market. Edy’s was the “new kid on the block” in the ice cream world at that time and Leo and his team really made a lot of noise in the industry as they ascended to the top of the ice cream charts. Together with Stan Fabian, Jody Avallone, Nicky Barone and Maria Culhane (and I may have omitted some other names), the Edy’s team really caused a stir in the Metro NY/NJ and Mid-Atlantic markets and was always a fixture in channels of the food industry. Leo was fully involved with many food industry organizations and held leadership seats with most of them. The New Jersey Food Council, the Food Industry Alliance, the EFFA, Friends of the Food Industry, Food Industry for Covenant House and the infamous Green Jackets all counted on Leo for his input and guidance. After his Edy’s tenure, Leo held several executive positions within the frozen food industry.
He was president of National Frozen Distribution Consultants, co-owner of Calip Dairies, president of Eskimo Pie and most recently was the owner of Mahwah Logistics, LLC, an Amazon Delivery Service partner. An avid golfer, Leo traveled frequently to Ireland to play golf with his friends and colleagues. He was a long-time member of Hackensack Golf Club, and at the time of his passing served as a member of the club’s Board of Trustees. When early restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic denied Hackensacks’ caddies their livelihoods, Leo spearheaded a private fund raising drive to provide them assistance until golf and caddying could resume. The drive was an astonishing success, and Leo will be greatly missed by the caddies, employees, and members of Hackensack Golf Club. He is pre-deceased by his mother and father, John and Margaret Glynn. Surviving are: his wife Ellen and their children Allison and Connor; his former wife Susan Kipp and their children Lauren (Mike) DiMaulo and Diane Murray; and son-in-law Tom Murray. He is also survived by his stepmother Carol Glynn and several grandchildren. The family asks that any donations in Leo’s memory be sent to the Institute for Educational Achievement, a non-profit program serving children, adolescents and adults with autism at 381 Madison Avenue, New Milford, NJ 07646 or go to ieaschool.org for more information.
I’m sure Leo is putting together a few foursomes up on God’s golf course in the sky and may eternal rest be granted unto him and let perpetual light shine upon him always. May his soul forever rest in peace.
We also learned that Dominick Salzano Jr., CEO of DMS Perimeter Services, passed away on May 4. The company which started as DMS Meat Buying Services by Dominick’s father Dominick Sr., evolved under Dominick’s leadership to include all supermarket perimeter services; produce, deli, bakery, meat and floral. Dominick was an industry veteran and beloved member of the extended ASG family and will be deeply missed. He is survived by his mother Maureen, sister Susan and brother-in-law Scott.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks to please consider making a donation in Dominick’s memory to the American Diabetes Association at donations.diabetes.org. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
And finally, I was saddened to hear that Bill Lebron of Goya Foods (retired) passed away on May 10 at the age of 68 at his home in Ocala, FL. Bill’s expertise in sales, marketing, and merchandising gave him a successful career with several food companies during his career including Carnation, Café Bustelo, Coca-Cola, Mission Foods and Goya. He is survived by his wife of 44 years Gloria Quinones LeBron, sister Nellie (Hector) Rodriguez, brothers Hector Montalvo and Nixon Montalvo, niece and nephew Erica and Hector Rodriguez, three grand-nieces and one grand-nephew. He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved daughter, Sandy Santiago. Memorial donations in Bill’s name may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital at stjude.org. He was a gentleman, friendly, and generous and was dearly loved by his family and friends. May he rest in peace.
And as we were just getting ready to go to press I heard that Joe Parisi has joined Gristede’s/ D’Agostino’s as chief operating officer. Joe was the longtime operations guru at Kings Food Markets, and had risen to the position of chief operating officer at Kings prior to its acquisition by Albertsons. We will pass along more information about Joe’s new spot in next month’s issue of Food Trade News
Well, that’s all for now folks. Be on the lookout for our next issue of Food Trade News which is our Annual Market Study issue! This issue breaks out sales and market share for all retail channels – supermarkets, club stores, drug chains, mass merchandisers and c-stores – on a county-by-county and regional basis. We are the only trade publication with market share coverage this in-depth and, due to the impact of COVID-19, this year’s market study will reveal the biggest changes in sales and market share data since we began publishing these issues! If you have any questions about the issue or want to be involved with it give me a call at 201.250.2217 or kevin@foodtradenews.com. Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
