Classy Finishes

FE&S' 2nd Annual Best in Class Report

By Ethel Kleiman -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 10/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Here, we proudly present our 2002 Best in Class Award winners as determined by FE&S-subscribing dealers and consultants.

Our second annual "Best in Class" survey results are reminiscent of a good horse show at which talented thoroughbreds, accomplished draft horses and appealing examples of miniature breeds all scored brilliantly. Winners earned top honors in four categories - heavy equipment, light equipment, smallwares and tabletop supplies. Total results, which were based on a survey of dealers and consultants on FE&S' subscription roster, were then tabulated into Overall Best in

Class determinations by an independent, New York-based research firm. Our survey not only recognizes E&S manufacturers for the performance of their particular products. It also offers differentiated feedback on their attributes and services, which once again supports the importance of our "General Support Services" criteria. "Most Frequently Mentioned Product Innovations," a new category this year, recognizes the most effective and innovative new product or product modification to come to the market this past year.

Once again this year, Hobart Food Service, garnered the Overall Best in Class Award ... followed by Vulcan Hart, another two-time winner ... followed by True Manufacturing, which advanced to third place from a prior fifth-place finish in this category. "It's an honor [to be recognized] and a nice benchmark that helps us see what we're doing," said John McDonough, president, Hobart Food Service. "Basically, we feel Hobart is blessed by a very powerful brand pre-dating anything here today. We take it as our responsibility to protect this heritage and to strengthen it over time," he said.

Vulcan-Hart took second place in the Overall Best in Class category once again this year, while True, as mentioned, rose into third place.

"We certainly are honored by the recognition," said Vulcan-Hart President Mark Whalen. "Our strategy is to treat our dealer-partners as primary customers in the transaction. We also have 170 years of experience in our customer-service department."

"We're very grateful for this recognition," said True President Rob Trulaske. "We try to differentiate ourselves by being consistent and reliable. Our strategy has not changed, but we're becoming better at implementing support services and have increased our staff."

In the four distinct categories contributing to the Overall Best in Class ratings, our champions were all two-time winners ... Hobart in heavy equipment, Hatco in light equipment, Vollrath in smallwares and Libbey in tabletop. "We're pleased. You can never win too many blue ribbons," quipped Jay Achenback, Libbey Food Service's marketing manager.

Hatco's Michael Whitely, vice president, sales, credited his company's flexibility, along with a well-honed customer-service support system, for its repeat win. "We're easy to do business with," Whitely added, pointing specifically to Hatco's speed in coming to market with innovative products such as its new heated glass hot-food merchandisers.

In a tightly contested finish in the light equipment category, Star Manufacturing was voted into second place. "We continue to focus on strengthening our dealer partnerships, including developing new products such as our line of heavy-duty cooking equipment for high-volume foodservice operations," said Tim Gaskill, Star's vice president, sales and marketing.

There was no uncertainty of intentions in the mind of this year's winner in the smallwares category, either. "We have the best customer-service department in the industry because we average 13 years experience for each person, we have the most knowledgeable people and we take care of our customers," asserted David Wasserman, Vollrath's vice president, marketing. "I'd put us up against anybody," he added.

Admiral Craft also earned plaudits from our surveyed consultants and dealers, moving up to second place from last year's third-place finish in smallwares. "We have a strong team with no ego. We're aggressive, but we do it in the right manner," said Matthew Lobman, Admiral Craft's president. Lobman mentioned the debut of his company's first color catalog in 1997, its subsequent buildup to over 4,000 SKUs, its change to company reps and the addition of a West Coast distribution facility. "It took us five years to reap the results of these efforts," he said, adding that his company is about to open a new distribution center in Florida.

Meanwhile, Cambro scored third in the smallwares category, registering on our scoreboard for the first time. "Our strategies have been fairly consistent. We continue to focus and improve on our quality and ability to innovate, [which we see as] the cornerstones of our strategy," said Frank Lindsey, Cambro's vice president of sales.

Among tabletop suppliers, Libbey topped the score sheet for the second year in a row, followed by Oneida, another two-time designee. "The award tells us we're doing things right, but we don't sit on our laurels. Instead, we continue to try to improve every year. We're pleased and honored to be recognized by our customers," remarked Libbey's Achenback.

In a new result, our surveyed dealers and consultants awarded Tablecraft a third-place finish, moving this firm into the Top Three for the first time. "It's exciting to be chosen among all the great companies by the respondents," said Glenn Davis, president, Tablecraft. The secret of his company's success? "There's not a lot of bureaucracy here. My line and door are always open for customers, reps and employees. We listen in a quiet way." Davis also mused on his company's comparable smallness. "It's much easier to do things in a smaller, family-owned company than a Fortune 500 firm. We listen to what our customers need. We don't have 20 people in R&D," he pointed out.

In our newest category - "Most Frequently Mentioned Product Innovations" - dealers and consultants gave their top endorsements to Rational for its combi steamer, Vent Master for its ultraviolet cleaning equipment and Manitowoc for its quiet ice machines ... rated 1-2-3 in order of respondent acknowledgement.

Rational's President Peter Schon was pleased that his company's combi steamer, introduced in 1976, continues to garner praise as it evolves. This piece is now totally self-cleaning and also can use hot air to extract fat from already pre-fried french fries.

Vent Master impressed our subscribing dealers and consultants with products based on its ultraviolet light "C-band" technology, which was first used by Vent Master Europe in 1998 and introduced here in 2001. "Now, consultants have a way to control grease in end-users' best interests," said Mike Lauer, Vent Master's director of sales. Meanwhile, Manitowoc's quiet ice machines, introduced in 2000, also received kudos. "Because people were asking for heat and noise reduction in their work environments, our machines have had a pretty immediate impact," said Manitowoc Product Manager Mike Rimrodt.

So, here's to our Best in Class 2002 award winners - champions all.

NOTE: The survey results and findings represented in this article represent the opinions of surveyed dealers and consultants on our subscriber list, and should in no way be construed as editorial endorsement of companies and products mentioned in the story.

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