Boca Raton, Fla. — I Heart Mac & Cheese, a rapidly expanding fast-casual concept specializing in customizable, made-to-order macaroni and cheese bowls, grilled cheese sandwiches and specialty salads, has sold its corporate store in Patchogue, N.Y., as part of a multi-year New York City development deal. A private entity will operate the Patchogue store as a franchise, effective immediately, and begin executing a plan to expand the I Heart Mac & Cheese brand into all five boroughs of New York City. “Our first corporate owned restaurant in Patchogue opened in …
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — Furniture retailer City Furniture has set the complex operational goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040. Its 2040 Green Promise goal encompasses the company’s showrooms, warehouses and offices, its statewide delivery fleet and recycling initiatives, according to firm President Andrew Koenig. The company leads the U.S. furniture industry with 240,000 square feet of LEED-certified showroom space and is converting its delivery truck fleet to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of diesel fuel. Operating the industry’s greenest fleet, Koenig’s team expects delivery of five all-electric …
Cherry Hill, N.J. — BrandPoint Services, a leading full-service commercial maintenance, repair, refresh and remodel company, has merged with LEGACY Retail Services, a New Jersey-based company and leader in national digital media and fixture installation company. The merger will create a leading single source North American provider of facility services and solutions supporting clients in various industries including retail, banking, healthcare, grocery, restaurant, entertainment and more. The combined companies will offer expertise in facility maintenance service and project management, general contracting construction services, digital media, fixture/graphic installations, merchandising and support …
Chicago — SMS Assist has hired long-time technology executive Kevin McDunn as chief product officer. McDunn will lead all aspects of SMS Assist’s product innovation strategy as the quickly growing company continues to reinvent facilities management services. McDunn, with previous experience at Lenovo, Google and Motorola, was most recently chief product officer at UI LABS, an accelerator focused on transforming industries through digital technology (UI LABS rebranded as MxD in February). “Our company is built on powerful products and innovative ideas,” says Taylor Rhodes, CEO of SMS Assist. “Kevin has …
— By John Goetz — Establishing a food safety culture with chemical dispensers. In a 2017 study published by Kline & Company, food safety compliance in commercial kitchens and food preparation areas was rated as the Number 1 emerging trend by the 750+ end users surveyed.1 Compliance with food safety standards is so important because it can make or break the success of a restaurant. Take Chipotle’s food safety crisis as an example. In 2015, E. coli and norovirus outbreaks forced some locations to close temporarily after 55 customers …
— By Jay Black — LEDs are the secret to success when it comes to reducing facility costs. Facility maintenance and management can no doubt be expensive, hence why many managers are left to find options that can help them cut costs and be more efficient with their budgets. Of these everyday expenses, one which offers the most potential for reducing costs is energy — more specifically, lighting. According to Energy Star, approximately 657,000 retail buildings in the U.S. consume more than $20 billion in energy each year. While lighting …
Blue Ash, Ohio — LSI Industries Inc. has hired Steven Moeglin as its new director of national accounts, one of LSI’s strategic market verticals. He will be responsible for leading the commercial sales team focused on large national lighting, graphics and digital solution retail customers. “Steve has been very successful in launching new businesses and technologies throughout his career,” says Jeff Croskey, LSI’s chief commercial officer. “That experience will be very valuable to the commercial advancement of LSI’s core product lines, including lighting, controls, branded graphics and digital solutions. Likewise, …
Washington, D.C. — BoConcept franchise owner Tim Machenaud opened his second store in the Washington, D.C., area at Tysons Galleria on April 19, 2019. With nearly 300 locations across 60 countries, BoConcept’s latest location is a push to increase brand visibility and promote luxury, urban-chic furniture in the U.S. Already well established across Europe, Asia and Latin America, BoConcept is now looking to dominate the premium furniture retail business across North America. With 15 locations in key metropolitan areas of the U.S., BoConcept aims to double its presence in 2019 …
Frederick, Md. — Roy Rogers® Restaurants has named Frank Cleveland senior manager of information technology. Based in the company’s Frederick, Md., headquarters, he reports to Jeremy Biser, executive vice president, and is responsible for directing all IT operations to meet internal and external customer requirements and developing new technical solutions to meet current and future needs for the brand. Cleveland previously worked at Marriott International as a senior infrastructure analyst overseeing maintenance and evolution of systems. He also has provided IT support to small to mid-sized companies through PB Networking …
Beverly Hills, Calif. — Kennedy Wilson Brokerage, a division of Kennedy Wilson, a global real estate investment and services firm, has hired Scott Gordon as a senior vice president of property services in its Los Angeles office. Gordon will provide full-service consultation and brokerage services to investors, landlords, tenants, and emerging retail and food-and-beverage concepts. Gordon brings more than 30 years of national retail experience in development, leasing and management of specialized retail, entertainment and food and beverage projects of scale. Throughout his career, Gordon has overseen the creation of …