Well, we are officially in the dog days of summer and industry events have certainly been taking place. That’s the good part. The down side might be the uptick in COVID variants that we have been experiencing, so let’s all stay on our toes and be careful out there.
Kudos to the team at Bozzuto’s for once again putting together one of (if not the) best trade conferences and golf outings in the industry. Bozzuto’s was the one company that continued to hold its in-person trade shows for vendors and customers throughout the pandemic. While the one held in August of 2020 was low on attendance and a bit eye-opening due to the protocols that the pandemic forced be put in place, the team at Bozzuto’s was upbeat and helpful throughout, and it was recognized by those in attendance. Jump ahead to this past March of 2021 show and, with vaccinations available, the crowd was considerably bigger yet still adhering to the safety protocols. More importantly, there was a sense of eagerness to get back to the norm and everyone at that show expressed a strong desire to come back for the next Bozzuto’s show. Well, the 2021 Merchandising Marketplace was just held at Foxwoods Resort and Casino and it was a big success.
It all started with the vendor appreciation golf outing ably coordinated by Chris Griffin and played on championship golf courses as well as having a championship level emcee in the form of Steve Heggelke. Steve could very well have a second career as an auctioneer for the way he succinctly, quickly and accurately rifles through the mountain of raffle prizes given away at the outing (with a huge assist from the entire Bozzuto’s staff delivering said prizes). The Merchandising Marketplace went off without a hitch the following two days and the outdoor BBQ dinner extravaganza held after day one was amazing! And a super big tip of the hat to Pam Carstens for once again doing exemplary work behind the scenes to ensure that another magnificent plan came to fruition
And while we are talking about things happening in the Nutmeg State, the Connecticut Food Association (CFA) has secured a date for its annual Person of the Year dinner: November 4 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT is the site and Wayne Pesce, president of the CFA told us the association will be honoring Rick Bossie, senior VP of operations at Big Y World Class Market.
Also being feted at the big event will be Maura O’Brien of Stop & Shop with the Next Generation Leadership Award and Douglas Wade Jr. of Wade’s Dairy with the Community Service Award. For more information on the event, go to www.ctfoodassociation.org.
Every year the New Jersey business magazine ROI-NJ releases its “Influencers List” naming some of the most influential business leaders in the state of New Jersey. This year ROI-NJ highlighted the “Food & Beverage” list ranking the power players of the food industry in the Garden State. Many of the honorees you will recognize for their contributions and guidance to our industry throughout the year, especially the Top 15 which included Richard Saker of Saker ShopRites, Bob and Peter Unanue of Goya Foods, Christina Minardi and Nicole Wescoe of Whole Foods, Lawrence Inserra Jr. of Inserra Supermarkets, Joe Sheridan of Wakefern Food Corp., David London of DoorDash, and NJFC President Linda Doherty. In addition to the Top 15, ROI-NJ listed another top 40 “Food & Beverage” influencers alphabetically and included such food industry leaders as Dean Janeway Jr. of Key Food Stores, Paul Chibe of Ferrero North America, Mark Clouse of Campbell Soup Company, Casey Keller of B&G Foods Inc., Michal Laguionek of Lidl, Stew Leonard Jr. of Stew Leonard’s, Joe Sofia and Colleen Wegman of Wegmans Food Markets, Nolan Lewin of Rutgers Food Innovation Center, Carlos Rodriguez of Community Food Bank of NJ, Ilene Isaacs of Table to Table, and, last but not least….myself, Kevin Gallagher of Food Trade News. Congratulations to all who made the list, and a special thanks to Tom Hughes and Tom Bergeron (Tom & Tom) of ROI-NJ for the recognition and for highlighting the outstanding efforts of all the honorees. To see the entire list you can go to this https://www.roi-nj.com/2021/07/27/roi-influencers/food-beverage/2021-food-beverage/roi-nj-presents-the-roi-influencers-food-beverage-2021/.
The Catholic Institute of The Food Industry (CIFI) recently held its 2021 Bread of Life breakfast at the
Davenport Mansion in New Rochelle, NY. The well attended event included an industry round table discussing “The COVID-19 Experience” and how everyone has played a part in getting through the pandemic. Industry experts seated on the panel included Krasdale Foods’ Dennis Hickey, chief merchandising officer and Gus Lebiak, president and CEO; Jenny Osman, assistant VP and Director of fresh and food policy for New York City; and John DeCicco Jr., president of DeCicco & Sons. The master of ceremony for the panel discussion was Mike King, director of government relations/retail services, Alpha 1 Marketing Corp.
The round table featured an open dialogue shedding light on how our food industry and government need to work together during critical times. (especially the government….) and how our local marketing area, which serves tens of millions of residents in a highly concentrated area through predominately independent operators had a monumental task of securing product during the initial stages of the pandemic. Overall, a very interesting morning that was well-paced and informative. All proceeds from the CIFI breakfast went to benefit Calvary Hospital. Congrats to all.
The National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) announced its Golden and Silver Penguin Award winners and once again there were some local companies that earned the top recognition and picked up the highly coveted awards. Douglas Sales was given the Golden Penguin for overall marketing campaign for an in-store event at the Kings Food Market in Boonton, NJ and also picked up a Silver Penguin for the in-store display at the ShopRite of Flemington. It seems as though Ken Atkinson, Michael Atkinson, John Pavlik and the Douglas Sales team have to expand their trophy case for the number of Penguin and other awards they have garnered over the years. Ateeco, Inc., the makers of Mrs. T’s Pierogies, took home a Golden Penguin for overall marketing campaign for manufacturer. JOH took home three NFRA Penguin Awards for participation in the 2021 March frozen food month promotion, including Golden awards in the social media campaign and community involvement categories, as well as Silver in the overall marketing campaign/sales agent category for its “Our Kids 360” frozen marketing program. “What makes [these honors] even better is that as a result of the program, we were able to make an impact on children’s lives,” said Michael Dauphin JOH’s director of frozen/dairy division. “A charitable contribution was made on behalf of each participating client and customer to the children’s charity of their choice.” Other Golden Penguin winners in our marketing area were: Acme Market store #3961 for in-store display, B&G Foods for marketing campaign-manufacturer, Weis Markets and Albertson’s Mid-Atlantic division for retailer marketing campaign, and C&S Wholesale Grocers for marketing campaign-wholesaler. Silver Penguin winners were: Integrity/ESM Mid Atlantic for community involvement, and Acme Market store #2876 for in-store display. Congratulations to all of the winners. We know it takes a special level of commitment and execution in these type of contests and promotions and you are all to be commended!
Stay safe and, as always, you can reach me at 201.250.2217 or [email protected].
