— Interview with Tom Dunn — R&R: Where are you based and how long has the company been in business? Tom Dunn: Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions is the U.S. franchise system for UK-based Filta Group Holdings PLC and has been based in Orlando, Florida, since our inception here in North America in 2002. R&R: What is your name and title, and how long have you been with the company? Dunn: Tom Dunn, CEO of The Filta Group, Inc. I’ve been with Filta since 2009. R&R: What trades/services do you …
— By Marian Nolletti — The dangers of rooftop grease. Any type of grease from animal fats or vegetable fats on a rooftop can reduce the roof system’s resistance to UV rays and heat. Plus, it can cause premature deterioration of your roof, as well as increase the risk of fires and slips and falls. If all of that isn’t bad enough, it can also void most roof warranties and violate environmental regulations. Grease will destroy any roof system if left sitting on it. Common defects from it include …
Pittsburgh — Evergreen Grease Service, Inc. has installed The Vector System in two of its semi-trucks, reducing carbon emissions from these trucks to near-zero, with plans to convert the whole fleet by 2022. This move is a major step towards Evergreen’s goal of reducing carbon emissions. Evergreen specializes in the collection of cooking oil, grease and waste fats from the commercial cooking and restaurant industry, and its partners process these waste products into biodiesel, a low-carbon alternative to traditional diesel. The Vector System, designed by Optimus Technologies, is a bolt-on …
Minneapolis — Alissa Partee has joined Restaurant Technologies as chief people officer. Her role at Restaurant Technologies, the top provider of foodservice cooking oil and hood and flue management solutions, will be to lead human resources and expand upon the company’s exceptional and growing talent base. In addition, she will oversee learning and development, diversity and inclusion, HR technology and total rewards. Partee’s arrival follows the successful acquisitions of AutoMist and Grease Lock and an expanded employee base. The company now has 41 depots and more than 1,000 team members …
— By Adam Walker — As the foodservice industry changes, fire protection technology offers smarter, more scalable solutions with electric detection for complex cooking environments. Today’s commercial kitchens are evolving to meet consumer demands. Dining destinations throughout the world are seeing the rise of large-scale, multi-kitchen foodservice operations, driven by both consumers’ need for convenience and an increasing desire for new and unique food experiences. Certain types of complex kitchens have seen an especially increased demand recently with more consumers using food delivery services as part of their efforts …
Phoenix — Steve Goyette, vice president of business development for Telgian Fire Safety, was recently named supplier co-chair of the Connex Resource Committee. Maile Keliikuli, retail facilities manager at REI, will hold the position of retail co-chair. As a global multi-site facilities management association, Connex is an essential source of information and connections for both facilities managers and suppliers. Committees, such as the Connex Resource Committee, educate and empower facilities management professionals and their suppliers, providing them with best practices, benchmarking, discussion forums and more. “It is an honor to …
— By Tom Dunn — How active fryer management improves employee safety, reduces costs and increases sustainability. Restaurants and commercial kitchens are demanding environments. Quick-service operators, fast-casual franchisees, full-service restaurant owners and facility kitchens everywhere often struggle with a number of challenges in today’s competitive market: increases in minimum wage, joint-employer positioning, new government regulations, evolving consumer tastes, and more. It’s abundantly clear to anyone involved in the industry that foodservice is a challenging field and frontline employees in the kitchen are at high risk for serious injury because …
— By Rusty Amarante — The future looks bright for service-based franchises. Providing specialized and on-demand services, service-based businesses currently represent a large portion of the franchise establishments in the United States. For almost a decade, service-based franchises have been on the rise because of the nation’s high demand for services that require technical skills and expertise, and those that cater towards commercial and residential upkeep are most prevalent. To maintain the proper safety standards that these properties are expected to meet, the expert teams that provide maintenance services …
— Interview with Keith Turner — R&R: Where are you based and how long has the company been in business? Keith Turner: HOODZ was started in 2009 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. R&R: What is your title and how long have you been with the company? Turner: I am the president of HOODZ and have been with the company for almost 5 years. R&R: What trades/services do you offer restaurants? Turner: HOODZ provides a variety of mission-critical commercial facility services. Services include cleaning, compliance and preventive …
Orlando, Fla. — Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions (Filta), the world’s restaurant kitchen and hospitality leader in active fryer management and environmental sustainability, has promoted two executives. Tom Dunn, formerly COO and a 20-year veteran of the franchise industry, assumes responsibility as CEO for The Filta Group, Inc., the company’s Orlando, Fla.-based North American franchise business unit, and Rob Totten has been promoted to COO. Both executive moves are effective immediately. “Tom has run the comprehensive day-to-day operations at Filta as COO for several years, so his promotion to CEO is …
