The Recommended Guidelines for Foodservice Equipment Catalog Specification Sheets have been updated. Originally developed in 1992, these guidelines were recently revised by FCSI and NAFEM.

Get the Guidelines Now

FCSI-TA Headquarters has a New Address

FCSI The Americas
3309 Robbins Road #171
Springfield, IL 62704

309-808-2165 (same phone)

Have you heard about the FCSI-TA Student Competition?

Eric Norman, FCSI

Dear FCSI-TA Members,

Next April at the FCSI Nashville Conference (April 14-16 - save the date, by the way!) three finalists of the FCSI-TA Student Competition will present their entries to conference attendees, with the winner walking away with $5000. The competition is set around developing an innovative project related to the hospitality industry, hotel business or catering industry. Submissions are in the form of a business plan.

With this being the first year for this competition, we need your help! FCSI-TA is proud to support student chapters and the competition throughout the Americas at most any college, university and culinary school. If you have a contact at your alma mater or other school, please help us by reaching out to your contact to raise awareness about not only the Student Competition, but Student Chapters as well. As always, FCSI-TA Headquarters is available to answer any questions you may have. You can also visit the FCSI-TA Student Chapter webpage to learn more.

Even though the deadline for entries isn't until January 8, it is important to start the conversation with schools and students now. There may be opportunities to work the contest into school curriculum. And to continue these efforts face to face, the ICON Committee will be visiting several schools this fall. I challenge you, just as I have committed, to contact two schools by the end of July to help get the word out. Will you accept this challenge? Be sure to download the Student Chapter / Student Competition Flyer to email your contact or print one (or 20) if you plan to visit a campus.
Sincerely,

Eric Norman, FCSI, Trustee
FCSI-TA

Project Showcase Entries - Change in Eligibility

In September 2015, FCSI The Americas is producing a special publication to promote the very best work of FCSI-TA design and MAS foodservice consultants.

Change in eligibility: Any foodservice facility or MAS project designed and/or implemented by an FCSI Professional or Senior Associate member between Jan. 2010 and Jan. 2015 (the LAST FIVE YEARS). The project must have been completed/operational prior to Feb. 2015. You MAY submit projects that have been featured in other foodservice industry publications.

Deadlines: The application to enter is due as soon as possible.
The COMPLETED project entries are due by June 10.

2014 Project Showcase

Design Consultant Entry Details
Entries should convey quality foodservice designs that combine the highest aesthetic with superb, innovative functionality and, when possible, definitive ROI results.

MAS Consultant Entry Details
Entries should include descriptions of how your unique, well-executed management advisory plans achieved and even exceeded clients' goals. Definitive ROI results are a plus.

Learn More and Submit Your Project

FCSI-TA and FSTC to Present Joint Webinar on Top Shelf Kitchen Design: 4 Steps to Efficient Equipment

Dick Eisenbarth, FCSI

Finding efficient cooking, holding, dishwashing and refrigeration equipment for your kitchen design is not difficult if you know where to look. And, justifying that equipment to your client - or defending it against value engineering - is much easier if you know how to model the cost savings for each piece of equipment.

Richard Young

Join Richard Young from the Food Service Technology Center and Dick Eisenbarth, FCSI from Cini-Little International for a webinar that will guide you through the four steps of the FSTC method - a simple approach to finding efficient equipment and modeling cost savings.

This webinar takes place on Wednesday, June 10 from 1-2 p.m. Eastern Time, and qualifies for 1 CEU. Register Now for this FREE Webinar

All proceeds go to Living Water for Girls, a residential and therapeutic program for young American girls victimized by human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.

Strong Membership Fuels the Society!

Refer a member between June 1 and September 1 and receive a $20 gas card when their membership is approved!

Send this link to qualified candidates and remind them to include your name on their application.

FCSI-TA Chair Represents FCSI at HOFEX Show in Asia Pacific Division

FCSI-TA Chair Bill Taunton, FCSI, attended HOFEX 2015, representing FCSI WW and presented awards to FCSI's allied members. HOFEX is an exhibition of food & drink, hotel, restaurant & foodservice equipment, supplies & services in the Asia-Pacific region. The show took place May 6-9 in Hong Kong.

IHMRS Foodservice Pioneering Concepts Contest

Conceive, Create and Rough-Design Your Most Edgy Idea for the Following:
A revenue-generating foodservice concept that can open and operate in an under-used, nontraditional location in a public area or in a host (client) venue. Lobbies, courtyards, hallways, concourses or any high-traffic space not specifically outfitted to foodservice are venue examples. These are locations where access to water is limited and ventilation and gas connections are non-existent.

DEADLINE: June 15

The selected concept will be built as a life-sized, working "set" located on the show floor. Your model will be an actual gathering place for food and equipment demonstrations during the Show. Attendees looking to network and rejuvenate can do so in your innovative foodservice "concept" during the Show as well.

Learn More and Submit Your Concept

NRA Show - Chicago

Stuart Charlton of Progressive Customer Publishing stopped by the FCSI-TA booth during the NRA Show.

While our presence at the NRA show this year was slightly different from the previous ten years, the energy was high and we were pleased with the steady flow of visitors inquiring about the Society during the four day event. In the absence of our 'Ask the Design Experts' booth where we had always offered free consulting advice to operators, FCSI-TA exhibited at a stand alone booth next to two other leading foodservice associations - CFESA and MAFSI, where we were able to inform operators about the advantages of hiring an FCSI consultant, educate consultants and manufacturers about the benefits of membership, and visit with current members who were able to stop by while navigating through the record number of exhibits and nearly 65,000 show attendees at McCormick Place.

FCSI-TA Upper Midwest Chapter hosted another successful networking reception on Sunday evening of the show. This year's event was hosted at a new venue - The Godfrey Hotel. Nearly 250 industry professionals gathered together in the hotel's gorgeous Urban Roofscape Lounge to take a break from walking the trade show floor and enjoy the beautiful evening. Special thanks to the Chapter Leaders, Trish Jass and Peg Gailey for all of their planning and hard work. And thank you to Kristen Sedej for securing the venue and assisting with the event.

To read more about the 2015 NRA Show, read Mike Jones's recap here.

Bill Eaton, FFCSI (PP) Announces Retirement from Cini-Little

Bill Eaton, FFCSI (PP)

Cini-Little celebrated the career and accomplishments of William Eaton, FCSI, Principal, who announced to his colleagues his retirement after 45 years of leadership and service to the company. Bill's career reflects his passion for foodservice and engineering, the two disciplines he studied at his beloved Alma Mater, Cornell University. During his career, Bill applied this knowledge to various areas of the hospitality field, holding management positions in design or engineering for airline catering and commercial restaurant operations before turning to consulting.

Full Press Release

Please join FCSI in thanking Bill for his dedication to the Society and wishing him all the best in his retirement!

FCSI Educational Foundation Receives Donations in Memory of Don Camacho, Jr.

A heartfelt thanks to Ira Kaplan and Irinox, and Eagle Group for their generous donations to the FCSI Educational Foundation, made in memory of Don Camacho, Jr.

Don Camacho, Jr.

Don died on April 19 at the age of 64. He was self-employed as the owner/operator of Don Camacho & Assoc, a commercial food service equipment supplier.

The donations are designated to be used to fund a scholarship for first-time attendees from the Upper Midwest Chapter to attend the 2016 FCSI-TA Conference in Nashville. This scholarship will help educate and support foodservice consultants in the industry that Don served throughout his career.

Globe -SP62P Mixer with Dough Hook

Sponsor Spotlight - Globe Food Equipment Co.

Globe mixers outlast, outperform and were chosen 2014 Best in Class Overall for Floor Mixers in Foodservice Equipment and Supplies' annual study. This designation was based on product quality, value and design, service and support, sales representation, product inventory and availability, and product information availability.

Speed, power, endurance and consistency - everything you would expect in a professional athlete...and a Globe mixer. The difference? Design and manufacturing. Gear transmissions that use premium alloy steel and overbuilt shafts simply outlast and outperform competitive belt drive systems.

Globe's 5 to 80 quart mixers are convenient and easier to use with front-mounted control panels and accessory packages included at no extra cost. Along with price and warranty, Globe mixers are the perfect mix of performance and value.

Every foodservice equipment and supplies manufacturer contributes to the industry's success in their own way. Only a few, however, have earned the right to claim that they are truly Best in Class by consistently providing value in the ways their customers deem most important. Globe is proud to be among the factories that establish the benchmark for understanding and meeting the needs of the entire distribution channel.