Distributing The Laurels

By Mitchell Schechter, Editor in Chief -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 12/15/2004

Mitchell Schechter Editor in Chief www.fesmag.com

For the second year in a row, FE&S is pleased to present a special issue dedicated to profiling outstanding companies in a specific phase of the E&S distribution channel. This year, our All-Stars coverage focuses on 16 of the nation’s leading foodservice equipment and supplies dealers whose accomplishments (including current scale and scope of operations, histories and founders, and problem/solution case studies) are celebrated beginning on page 19.

To create such a compilation of extraordinary business models, practices and heritages, we first had to decide on the criteria by which these firms could be included. We started by basing our selections on many of the same principles that guide FE&S’ annual choices of Dealers of the Year, Top Achievers and Hall of Fame inductees. Thus our All-Stars criteria included a history of growth and leadership in each dealer’s major markets; a record of progressive management, internal investment and development of human resources; a proven reputation for honesty, integrity and fairdealings with all business partners; strong and mutually beneficial relationships with suppliers; and participation in the industry and/or buying groups. Finally, we also decided that Dealers of the Year for the past five years were to be considered ineligible.

Once these values were agreed to by FE&S, we set about looking for a variety of dealers who best exemplified the models of their type. We wanted to include more than one sort of “traditional” dealer, because our Dealers of the Year have always been “fullservice” practitioners of the profession. This time, though, we wanted to recognize the achievements of contract/design-build firms, cash ’n carry outfits, e-commerce specialists and custom fabricators, as well as their fullservice brethren, to offer a more inclusive portrait of dealer business models and their development.

So, equipped with both criteria and selection guidelines, we next solicited recommendations of worthy dealers from some of the most knowledgeable veterans in our industry — members of our Editorial Advisory Board, buying group heads, major manufacturers, reps, service agents and consultants. The lists of potential All-Stars we subsequently received were painstakingly cross-referenced, and those dealers recommended most often were further researched by the FE&S staff. When our extended deliberations were completed, the finalists included the 16 assorted dealers whose presence graces this issue’s pages.

Of course, we also felt that no FE&S Dealer All-Stars issue could be complete unless we included updates on the exceptional firms that earned Dealer of the Year honors during the past half-decade. To that end, reports on the most recent accomplishments and changes at National Restaurant Supply, Stafford-Smith, The Wasserstrom Co., TriMark United East and Beltram Foodservice Group are presented in a special section that begins on page 9.

As was stressed in the Editor’s Perspective that accompanied last year’s Consultant All-Stars issue, more or different E&S dealers could have fit into slots on our All-Stars roster. Nonetheless, we stand behind the team of high-achieving dealers represented here, for their current varied models and approaches to market, as well as their distinct histories and philosophies of how to solve problems for channel partners, form a multi-faceted portrait of the best the U.S. E&S industry has to offer.

That’s why FE&S is proud to add our congratulations to those of incoming FEDA President Bruce Gulbas (whose letter appears on page 3) and salute this year’s honorees. As time spent with these studies of All-Star dealers will reveal, the road to stellar financial, operational and service performance has many pathways.