— By Megan Varano — The benefits to outsourcing your facilities maintenance program and what to look for when choosing a provider. If you’re considering outsourcing any part of your company’s facilities maintenance services, you’re not alone. There is no industry divide — organizations, both big and small, are feeling the strain. Do you have in-house teams that are being stretched thin, important repairs and services being missed, or are you looking to expand coverage beyond what your team can handle? While most organizations are focused on the direction …
vendors
East Longmeadow, Mass. — Excel Dryer, Inc., manufacturer of the XLERATOR® Hand Dryer, has added a new director of marketing to the team. A seasoned professional with 24 years of experience, Tony Ieraci will be responsible for helping Excel Dryer create and execute long term marketing strategies that will help grow the brand. “We are excited to have Tony join us and bring innovative and exciting ideas to Excel,” says William Gagnon, vice president of sales and marketing at Excel Dryer. “With the majority of his professional life spent working …
Chicago — Chicago-based restaurant tech company 86 Repairs has closed an additional $5.3 million from investors including TDF Ventures, Gordon Food Service (GFS), MATH Venture Partners, Revolution and Cleveland Avenue. The new financing brings the company’s funding in this round to $7.3 million, and total capital raised to $8.8 million to date. Disrupting the $26 billion restaurant equipment repair and maintenance (R&M) industry, 86 Repairs automates the end-to-end repair and maintenance process for restaurants and provides actionable insights to improve back-of-house operations. The end result is significant time and cost …
Cincinnati — The Point of Sale Cloud, an easy-to-use, fully integrated cloud platform for multi-unit restaurants, recently launched as a new competitive advantage for the restaurant industry. The Point of Sale Cloud allows restaurants to take control of their technology while streamlining the way restaurateurs manage all aspects of their business including customer facing transactions and back-of-the-house operations. As a response to the challenges faced by the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Point of Sale Cloud assists restaurants in deploying their own guest service experience for dine-in, delivery …
— By Ramez Naguib, P.E. — Effect of air filter rating on energy consumption in restaurants during COVID-19. This we know: COVID-19 is primarily transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets, which are then released when someone with COVID-19 sneezes, coughs or talks. Infectious droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Current data do not support long range aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2, such as seen with measles or tuberculosis. Short-range inhalation of aerosols is a …
— By Alexandria Pegnato and Tom Coble — Roof management enters the digital age. Historically, when it came to managing a multi-site roof portfolio, a difficult choice had to be made. Does one commit a sizeable budget to being proactive by way of regular inspections and preventive maintenance? Or instead react to issues as they arise, saving money in the short term, but running the risk of increased spend and deteriorating roof performance over time? It was a difficult decision with no ideal option. Now as roofing enters the …
Memphis, Tenn. — Terminix Global Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of residential and commercial pest control, has hired Deidre Richardson as senior vice president and general counsel, as well as Joy Wald as senior vice president and chief information officer. “Deidre and Joy are dynamic and experienced executives,” says Terminix CEO Brett Ponton. “Deidre’s rich and diverse experience with multi-unit businesses and large distributed workforces will help us develop a framework through the Terminix Way where our teammates can be successful. Joy’s operational background and experience with subscription and route-based …
— By Bob Lester — Tips to ensure outdoor spaces are structurally safe for al fresco dining and more. Enjoying a delicious meal in the sunshine and warm breeze is one of the most pleasant experiences to come out of the pandemic. Dining patrons are requesting to skip the indoor spaces in lieu of fresh air — initially due to COVID-19 safety — but research is showing this trend may continue long past the pandemic. In spring 2021, only 26% of people say they feel comfortable dining indoors, and …
— By Steve Smith — Managing shopping center roofing issues with a post-pandemic budget. As the retail industry begins to fully reopen and emerge from the pandemic, shopping center owners are busy getting their operations back in full gear. This means bringing back staff, supporting retail tenants, reopening food courts, planning on-site marketing efforts and, most importantly, ensuring all the infrastructure is running properly and in good shape. This will no doubt create costs for shopping center owners and operators — and at a time when budgets are tight …
Richardson, Texas — ENTOUCH, an IoT-based Energy Management Solutions (EMS) leader, has released its most comprehensive suite of convenience store solutions to date. The Octane series offers convenience stores a preconfigured yet fully customizable suite of EMS tools designed to drive the most return from energy management and operational efficiency for multisite convenience store operators. In developing the OCTANE series, the ENTOUCH team focused on five critical areas required by best-in-class convenience store operators: Providing insight into existing equipment. Predictive reporting to identify when issues should be addressed before failure. …