Orlando, Fla. — Berner International LLC, a New Castle, Pa.-based manufacturer and innovator of air curtains, has honored foodservice manufacturer’s representative Swanson-Girard Associates (SGA), based in Pineville, N.C, with its Presidential Gold Award for Outstanding Sales Achievement–2021-2022. Brian Paolucci, sales manager with Berner International, presented the award to SGA principals Paul Swanson and Sean Girard at the North American Food Service Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) Show 2023 on Feb. 1 in Orlando, Fla.
Other honored award winners were:
- Presidential Silver: Preferred Marketing Group, based in Chatsworth, Calif.
- Presidential Bronze: LMS Associates, based in Arlington, Texas (Michael Fielder, principal).
It was SGA’s third top Berner honor in a row after winning the 67-year-old manufacturer’s bi-annual foodservice rep of the year award in 2017 and 2019. SGA’s continual air curtain diversification into a variety of markets — which include chain restaurants — helped propel the 21-year-old company to the top sales award again. SGA also reports that new construction air curtain sales outweighed retrofit projects by a 60:40 ratio the last 2 years.
The food safety and environmental benefits of air curtains have become increasingly more important the last 3 years during the pandemic. It is beneficial to have flying insect and thermal comfort doorway protection in an industry experiencing a high turnover of experienced employees and fewer job applicants, according to Swanson. Employee well-being, along with customer satisfaction, have become equally important to a restaurant’s success.
Sales also continue to increase for recently-developed air curtain innovations, such as the Drive-Thru Unit (DTU) for drive-thru service windows and the UL outdoor-certified Pass-Thru Unit (PTU) for concession stands and indoor/outdoor bars and food areas that allow bartenders to pass drinks and food through access openings, such as windows, while keeping flying insects and vehicle emissions out.
Berner International LLC is a 67-year-old manufacturer and a leader in the air door/air curtain equipment manufacturing industry. Berner is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), The Green Building Alliance (GBA), the Air Movement & Control Association (AMCA), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). For more information, visit www.berner.com.
SOURCE: Berner International