I was re-reading several past Parting Shot articles written by a variety of industry insiders, including dealers, manufacturers, operators, service agents and consultants. Not surprisingly, this feature consistently ranks among our most widely read sections of the magazine. The wisdom and passion that your peers express on the last page of Foodservice Equipment & Supplies often contains the most thought-provoking ideas that we print each month.

The power of peer to peer sharing is an incredibly positive force. It is amazing to me just how much collective wisdom there is out there and, equally, just how willing people are to share it.

It seems that when you give someone a novel task, like writing a piece that will appear in a magazine read by many of their peers, they tend to write about things that are truly heartfelt. Some choose to write about issues facing the industry, offering insights from their perspective on the important topics of the day. Many choose to write about the people and events that have shaped their careers. And, most find a way to share the passion that they feel for what they do for a living.

I know that it is this spirit of giving back that encourages people to take time out of their busy schedules to fill out the Best-in-Class surveys that we send you. Thank you sincerely for doing so. Your opinions matter; they quite literally shape the industry. By letting foodservice equipment and supplies manufacturers know how they stack up, where they are succeeding and where they are falling short of your expectations, your collective opinions are registered, quantified and listened to.

I've had many opportunities to discuss the Best-in-Class findings with the manufacturing community. Naturally, these conversations can be a lot more challenging when they're with someone who isn't happy with the way they have been ranked. But, more often than not, when we take the time to go through the seven weighted attributes, the comparative scoring and the time and consideration given to these questions by you, the respondents, the care given to declaring winners becomes apparent. Areas for improvement and emphasis for non-winners tend to follow as a natural consequence.

The NRA Show will soon be upon us and I look forward to seeing many of you at this year's Dealer of the Year and Industry Awards Gala on May 18 at The Four Seasons-Chicago.