Eatontown, N.J. — New Jersey-based HVAC, electrical and plumbing services provider Total Comfort Group (TCG) has completed three new hires at the executive level. Jana Coyle, Christopher Soto and Timothy Bruton have joined the company as senior business development manager, northeast service manager and manager of strategic partnerships, respectively. Coyle’s tenure in the industry includes experience in facility maintenance, construction and remodeling services, with business-to-business (B2B) sales experience in Fortune 500 companies. Soto, overseeing comprehensive operations throughout the Northeast region in his new role, will focus on responsive service, streamlined maintenance …
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Deerfield, Ill. — PremiStar, a leader in commercial and industrial HVAC, plumbing and building automation services, has hired John Eberhardt III as chief operating officer. In this role, he will lead the company’s strategy for platform-wide value creation and delivery across the organization, including all operational activities to support PremiStar’s national growth strategies. “I am excited to welcome John to the PremiStar senior leadership team,” says Joe Kirmser, CEO of PremiStar. “Over the past three decades, he has proven himself as a transformational leader who excels in aligning and motivating …
San Francisco — Chargebee, a leading subscription and revenue growth management platform, has named Brian Clark as president of go-to-market and Andrew Sherwood as senior vice president of global sales. Clark and Sherwood will accelerate Chargebee’s go-to-market focus on helping companies capture the opportunity in the evolving market with Chargebee’s uniquely flexible and robust revenue growth management platform. Clark brings 20+ years of experience in executive leadership roles at industry-defining companies. Most recently, he served as chief revenue officer (CRO) at Vista-backed Work Management Software company Wrike. Sherwood will lead …
Minneapolis — Target Corporation plans to roll out a new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tool to team members at all of its nearly 2,000 stores by August, becoming the first major retailer to share that it is bringing this technology to its store team members across the U.S. The tool, called Store Companion, is a GenAI-powered chatbot designed by Target that can answer on-the-job process questions, coach new team members, support store operations management and more. “We know technology will continue to play an outsized role in the future of …
— By Jay Fiske — IoT & S3: How connected equipment improves restaurant safety, service and sustainability. Every restaurant facility manager is acutely aware of how critical their back-of-house equipment (cooking, refrigeration, HVAC, etc.) is as the lifeline of their operations. When these machines go down, or an issue arises, the result is often costly health or safety concerns that can force facility closures, negatively impact customer satisfaction, and harm brand perception. In addition, back-of-house equipment also drives the bulk of the very heavy energy use in restaurants — driving …
Lincolnshire, Ill. — Zebra Technologies Corporation, a leading digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets and people, has been chosen by the Walgreens Boots Alliance to optimize its operations with Zebra Workcloud Actionable Intelligence software, in order to save millions of dollars by enhancing operational compliance and the company’s ability to identify and combat shrink. Walgreens, a Chicago-based international pharmacy retailer, selected Zebra’s Modern Store framework to improve asset protection, better equip employees with technology, and optimize operational visibility in its network of 8,000 locations across 50 …
Campbell, Calif. — ChargePoint, a leading provider of networked charging solutions for electric vehicles (EVs), and global innovator LG Electronics (LG) have formed a strategic partnership to leverage their respective strengths for future innovations in EV charging. LG’s U.S.-made EV chargers are UL-certified for charging stability and ENERGY STAR® certified for efficiency. These chargers will be paired with ChargePoint’s cloud software. The first output of this relationship will be commercial charging solutions that encompass ChargePoint’s charger management software and LG’s EV charging hardware, with deliveries expected to begin later this …
San Carlos, Calif. — Presto Automation Inc., one of the largest AI and automation technology providers to the restaurant industry, has been collaborating with Taco John’s® and Qu to implement a Presto Voice™ drive-thru pilot at select Taco John’s restaurants. Presto Voice enhances the drive-thru staff’s productivity by reducing the time they devote to taking orders, allowing them to focus on more critical tasks and reducing associated labor costs. It also provides customizable upsells to increase revenue and improve the guest experience with immediate, friendly service around the clock. Qu’s …
— By Jeremy Johnson — The case for solar-powered signage in parking lots. In today’s competitive retail and hospitality landscape, every aspect of a business must be optimized to create a positive and memorable customer experience. Although the parking lot usually represents the first interaction a customer has with an organization, it is often overlooked, and one crucial element is signage. Retailers, restaurants and property managers can significantly improve their parking lots by incorporating signage that is solar-powered, reaping a multitude of benefits that extend beyond mere aesthetics. In this …
Atlanta — US LBM, a leading distributor of specialty building materials in the United States, has named Russell Tiejema executive vice president and chief financial officer. Tiejema succeeds Patrick McGuiness, who retired from the company last year. Most recently, Tiejema was executive vice president and CFO with Masonite International Corporation, a leading global designer and manufacturer of interior and exterior doors for the residential and non-residential construction, repair and renovation markets. Tiejema began his career with General Motors, holding multiple financial leadership roles with the automotive manufacturer, and later served …