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

One of the joys of creating the original content for FE&S comes from being able to bring you stories about the great people who have shaped this industry. Take, for example, William Eaton of Cini-Little. Bill is the very deserving recipient of FE&S’ 2016 Hall of Fame Award and his profile begins on page 24. I hope that as you read it, you will pause not only to reflect on Bill’s many contributions but on those of the countless mentors and leaders who have shaped the foodservice equipment and supplies industry over the years.

Also in this issue, we will introduce you to some new faces: the recipients of FE&S’ 2016 Top Achiever Awards. Way back in 2002, while working as a salesperson for FE&S, I advocated to retire the term “Young Lions” to describe the up-and-coming talent we now recognize with the magazine’s Top Achiever Awards. I thought then that the name was outdated and that it was both ageist and sexist. I think that is even truer today. A shifting workplace that has people changing not only jobs but careers several times throughout their lives leaves open the possibility of someone from outside the foodservice equipment and supplies industry coming in mid-career and making a big impact — regardless of their age or gender.

What the FE&S Top Achiever Awards seek to recognize is fresh talent ascending in different quarters of the industry. Glancing back to recent past winners, I am struck by the recurring names of people who were recognized in the early 2000s as FE&S Top Achievers who have gone on to leadership roles within their companies and today are helping to shape the industry at large.

This year’s winners have the same potential to impact the future, and I hope you will enjoy reading about their many accomplishments, starting on page 44.