We know that we are asking a lot from our readers to participate in a study that takes so long to complete. The entire Best in Class (BIC) survey is broken up into three parts and each one takes about 45 minutes to fill out. That is a huge time commitment in a digital world that routinely measures time spent on a web page, for instance, in seconds and not minutes.

I’m a big fan of cooperation … in business, this can mean seemingly disparate groups establishing and working toward a mutual goal that ultimately benefits all parties.

Entrepreneurs and small businesses are often the ones to lead the charge during times of change. One way to be part of the solution is to help start-ups.

August is our annual healthcare issue, and this year, it comes amid a great national debate about healthcare. Fundamental questions about whether access to healthcare is a right of citizenship, a basic human right or a benefit that should be bought and paid for on an individual basis, have led to a feverish political debate pitting those on all sides of the issue against one another.

... is an awesome word that we've appropriated from Bargreen Ellingson to describe the act of celebrating one's successes along the way. For David Ellingson, president and FE&S' 2017 Top Achiever — Dealer, the idea is so important that he has made it a basic tenet of the company's rich culture.

If you are a regular reader of FE&S, you have heard me say that Zoomba Group is an original content creation company and that we see you, the reader, as our primary customer. Our business proposition is a pretty simple one: If we can give you a magazine that is worth reading, one that will give you insights and information that helps you do your job as a buyer, seller or specifier of foodservice equipment and supplies better, then we will create an environment in which advertisers want to be seen.

May is a big month here at FE&S and naturally we have a big issue, chock-full of terrific stories.

It is noteworthy that Mark Freeman, recipient of FE&S' 2017 Hall of Fame award, was the president of the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management, (SHFM), when that organization took the bold step of changing its name and added the "H" for hospitality to its already well-recognized acronym of SFM.

It was rather late in the production schedule for this month's issue, when I was made aware that Editorial Director Joe Carbonara, for whom I have the utmost love and respect, had commissioned an unscheduled piece of editorial on the predicted impact of a Trump presidency on the foodservice equipment and supplies industry. I wasn't thrilled... for a couple of reasons.

Readers tell us they still find the directory issue a useful and welcome tool.

If we can deliver the original content and unique events that you, our readers, want to associate with, then we can earn your attention in the busy marketplace of ideas.

September is a time of transition in many ways: for businesses it’s time to budget and plan for the new year, for families it’s time to go back to school because summer holidays have come to an end.

This was a special year for the Dealer of the Year and Industry Awards Gala for several reasons. I hope that you will take a few moments to review the pictures and video. For those who were there, I hope that the pictures provide a happy reminder of a memorable evening in Chicago. For the vast majority who were unable to attend, I hope that you will recognize some industry friends and perhaps a few larger-than-life characters who have left an indelible mark on the equipment and supplies industry.

Welcome to FE&S’ annual college and university issue. Looking back at last year’s coverage, it was all about Generation Y/Millennials and the impact this demographic was having on the market. This year it’s all about Generation Z.

It's hard to think of two things that fit together more seamlessly with overarching objectives than sustainability and healthcare foodservice.

A corollary in business might be: If you want to gain insight into a company’s culture, take a look at the way they treat their competition.

What the FE&S Top Achiever Awards seek to recognize is fresh talent ascending in different quarters of the industry.

It is time once again to begin the process of identifying the winners of FE&S’ annual Best in Class awards. 

Food Safety is never a sexy topic. I am not aware of any way to make food safety a sexy topic. But it is an incredibly important one and one that never seems to be far from the headlines. The CDC estimates that contaminated food sickens 48 million Americans each year.

Some see it as a watershed moment in human history; an acknowledgement of our mutual self-interest and the ultimate need for cooperation in order to survive played out on a global scale.

It’s exhilarating to watch good ideas take hold in an industry that has a reputation for being slow to change. But this issue of FE&S contains several great examples, and I hope that you enjoy reading it from cover to cover.

I always love it when we are able to bring you stories of people within the equipment and supplies industry or the wider restaurant community who are finding ways to succeed. While doing well, they are at the same time helping others or doing good. Keith Richards (the other Keith Richards) provides us with a great example in his Parting Shot this month on page 92. Be sure to give it a look.

We’ve got beer, pizza, ?Hallmark and a story about a movement back to the days before large-scale frozen food distribution. We are one Ty Cobb story away from a Ken Burns documentary with this issue of FE&S. Interestingly enough, it’s all about what’s happening in foodservice today.

August is our DSR of the Year issue and it gives me a chance to relive one of my favorite nights of the year. Combing through the photos and deciding what to include as representative of the Dealer of the Year and Industry Awards Gala is a big job — but a rewarding one.

Those of us who attend a lot of conferences have heard an awful lot about Gen-Y lately. These are the 18-to-25-year olds that marketers can’t seem to get enough of and the rest of us tend to talk about as if they are not in the room. Maybe it’s the headphones.

As the expectations for healthcare foodservice keep mounting so, too, do the creative ways that operators like Dan and countless others across the industry continue to multiply.

We are excited to share the story behind the success of FE&S' 2015 Dealer of the Year Award recipient, Clark Associates, Inc. By merely glancing at Clark Associates' impressive growth over the past few years, you will quickly understand why they were considered for this award in the first place. But, FE&S' Dealer of the Year Award is much more than a simple measure of sales success.

The 2015 NAFEM Show was a stellar success. Once again it was easy to see just why this has become the most highly anticipated show in the segment, even though it takes place only every other year. From the smallest booths of energetic participants eagerly showing off their wares to an appreciative audience to the largest booths representing hundreds of hours of work to set up and tear down, this year’s NAFEM Show was a dazzling display of stainless steel and showmanship. It occupies a place that is truly at the epicenter of the foodservice equipment and supplies world.