RATIONAL USA has announced the appointment of David Krites as president. Krites assumes the post from former president Chris Koehler. Krites’ responsibilities include increasing sales and awareness of the RATIONAL SelfCooking Center, creating operational efficiencies, building relationships throughout the foodservice industry with consultants and dealers, and communicating RATIONAL’s philosophy to internal and external customers. Additionally, Paul Ziemann has been appointed head of customer service. In his new role, Ziemann will manage RATIONAL’s inside sales team and will have primary inventory control responsibility. RATIONAL tapped Ziemann based on his experience in customer service, call center operations, client relations, employee management, and project management. Before joining RATIONAL, Ziemann served Hewitt Associates, where he spent 10 years in various managerial roles. For more information about RATIONAL USA, visit www.rationalusa.com …

Lincoln Foodservice Products has promoted Melinda Gilbert to director of marketing. In her new role, Gilbert is responsible for all marketing activities for the Lincoln portfolio of equipment products. She reports to Charlie Kingdon, president. Gilbert joined Lincoln in 2001 and was responsible for marketing the company’s line of smallware products. She earned her undergraduate degree in marketing from Ball State University …

S&D Coffee, one of the nation’s largest foodservice coffee roasters, celebrated its 80th anniversary. Family-owned and operated by the Davis family since its founding in 1927, the company celebrated this milestone with a week-long event, where visitors sampled six different coffees each day as well as iced tea and iced coffee. Special focus was placed on S&D’s heritage coffee line, Buffalo & Spring® Coffees of Distinction. “While the company has grown dramatically in the past 80 years, we have never forgotten our local roots,” says Priscilla Hall, retail market center manager and corporate gift account manager. “Not only does this celebration give us a chance to commemorate our founding, but it also gives us a chance to share what we do and what we have to offer with our hometown community.” For more information on S&D Coffee, visit www.sndcoffee.com…

Manitowoc Ice announces the launch of their redesigned website, www.manitowocice.com. The new site offers visitors a more contentrich, user-friendly, online experience. Features of the redesigned site include improved search engine optimization, enhanced navigation tools, and upgraded keyword search functions. In addition, one-click links on the home page take visitors directly to areas such as Manitowoc’s ice machine sizing guide, equipment rebate information, and EnergyMizer® or ENERGY STAR® tables, placing decision-making tools right at their fingertips. “We are committed to developing content- rich functional websites that operators will visit when making their equipment purchasing decisions,” says Dean Landeche, vice president of Manitowoc Foodservice Group…

For the fifth straight year, Tyson Foods was ranked number one in new product development in the foodservice industry. According to a nationwide study by Cognitio, a foodservice product potential measurement company, Tyson Foods finished first in doing the best job of bringing new products to foodservice operators. The results were based on feedback from more than 800 foodservice operators who named 361 different food manufacturers. Examples of Tyson foodservice products cited in the Cognitio study include Wings of Fire® chicken wings, Fully Cooked Sluggers® Drumsticks, Chicken Fries, and Chicken Chips. For more information on Tyson products, menuing ideas, merchandising materials, and special offers, visit www.tysonfoodservice.com. To download the complete 2007 Cognitio New Product Scorecard, visit www.cognitio.us…

Milliken & Company’s Napery Fabrics Business has added Charles Young and Heidi Mitchell to its hospitality sales team, with Young managing Milliken’s northeast territory and Mitchell managing the central territory. Young previously worked as a process and product improvement specialist at Milliken’s Sharon plant in Abbeville, South Carolina. Prior to joining Milliken, Young served in the United States Army for 22 years. He is an honors graduate of the University of Maryland, where he majored in business administration. Mitchell began her career at Milliken as a plant accountant in the chemical business after graduating from Wofford College. She holds a B.A. degree with a double major in Spanish and finance. To receive a product sample and learn more about Milliken, visit www.millikentablelinen.com …

The Seattle’s Best Coffee 2008 Spring/Summer Stir Up Sales kit comes with everything needed to help drive sales, including merchandising and recipes to promote Fontana® Premium Sugar-Free Syrups and Limited-Time- Only Blackberry Syrup. The kit also includes seasonal recipes such as Iced Raspberry Vanilla Swirl Latte (available in a sugar-free recipe), Iced White Chocolate Blackberry Mocha, Nuts For Peaches Iced Coffee, Tazo® Iced Tea with Raspberry (available in a sugar-free recipe), Tazo® Passion Iced Tea with Blackberry, and Raspberry Peach Creamice® Frosted Beverage. For more information, visit www.seattlesbest.com/services/foodservice.aspx…

Enodis plc has promoted Caitlin Rodgers to director of marketing for Enodis USA. She is responsible for developing the company’s integrated marketing strategy and directing all related activities, including new product development launches, advertising, promotions, and public relations. She reports directly to Jim Weaks, Enodis USA president. Rodgers joined Enodis in 2003 as director of marketing communications, managing all integrated communications campaigns, including the launch of the company’s successful EnerLogic™ program last year. Prior to that, she was director of marketing communications for Scotsman Ice Systems—an Enodis company and a global leader in ice machines—a position she held for more than four years. Rodgers earned her M.B.A. from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. In addition, Maribeth Kelly has been promoted to marketing coordinator. Under Rodgers’ supervision, she will manage marketing and tradeshow communications to ensure integrated corporate messaging. Kelly, who earned her undergraduate degree in communications from the University of South Florida, has been a marketing assistant with Enodis for the past three years …

SanPellegrino® Sparkling Fruit Beverages transformed the streets of New York City’s cultural meccas and dining districts into an open-air Tuscan café experience by enlisting brand ambassadors to navigate the city on custom SanPellegrino Sparkling Fruit Beverage Vespas. Reinvented, reformulated, and repackaged with all-natural ingredients and 16 to 18 percent real fruit juice, SanPellegrino Sparkling Fruit Beverages from Nestlé Waters North America are a smarter, trendier premium alternative to traditional carbonated soft drinks. The refreshed beverages were relaunched in September at the Vespa Soho, New York store. For more information, visit www.sellbottled water.com …

Spring USA Corporation announces the promotion of Kelly Boyle to central regional sales manager. Boyle started with Spring just two days before her first National Restaurant Association Show in 2000. She has proven her dedication and commitment to customer satisfaction as she progressed from sales and marketing coordinator to marketing supervisor to her current position as the central regional sales manager. For more information on Spring USA Corporation, visit www.springusa.com …

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery locations nationwide are participating in a Florida Orange Juice Suggestive Sell Program developed specifically for Perkins by the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). Perkins’ Suggestive Sell Program, which runs for four weeks in June, offers rewards for general managers, operators, and staff to build excitement around selling more orange juice. To support the program, FDOC is also conducting a Consumer Giveaway contest. For hoteliers, FDOC develops and provides customizable, turnkey foodservice programs to help operators grow their breakfast daypart, boost restaurant revenue, increase check averages and tips, and provide customers with the nutritious benefits of Florida orange juice. For more information, visit www.floridajuice.com.